Sanitary Inspection Packages - A Supporting Tool for the Guidelines for Driving Water Quality: Small Water Supplies

A sanitary inspection is a simple, on-site evaluation (traditionally using a checklist) to help identify and support the management of priority risk factors that may lead to contamination of a drinking-water supply. Sanitary inspections are a well-established and widely-applied practice. They can support water safety planning, and in some contexts, may be a simplified alternative to water safety plans.

This publication presents the World Health Organization’s (WHO’s) sanitary inspection packages. These packages update the sanitary inspection forms in WHO’s 1997 Guidelines for drinking-water quality. Volume 3: surveillance and control of community supplies. With more than 25 years of practical experience with the application of sanitary inspections, these packages have been developed from a comprehensive evidence review and established good practices. 

Each package includes a sanitary inspection form, supported by technical guidance and management advice to help ensure the ongoing safe management of small water supplies. 

These new tools support proactive risk management and drinking-water quality surveillance across a broad range of water delivery scenarios, and can be applied by health authorities, surveillance agencies, water suppliers, and other stakeholders. As such, they are a valuable practical tool to help implement the recommendations in WHO’s 2024 Guidelines for drinking-water quality: small water supplies.