Program Management, Records, and Safety
Program components
A cross-connection control program includes an ordinance or policy, a hazard inventory, device requirements, tester certification, testing schedules, recordkeeping, enforcement, and public education. The purveyor typically maintains records of every testable assembly, its location, and its test history. Annual testing is common, but the authority sets the interval.
Records
Each record should identify the property, device type, size, make, model, serial number, installation date, test date, tester name and certification number, gauge calibration, and pass/fail results. Records support enforcement, trend analysis, and defense in a contamination event. Retention periods are set by the authority; when unsure, keep longer.
Safety
Testers face hazards from pressurized piping, chemicals, confined spaces, electrical equipment, and slips. Use PPE, depressurize before repair, lock out energy sources, and never enter a vault without confined-space procedures. Relief discharge can be scalding or contaminated.
Traps
- Treating the program as only a testing schedule; enforcement and inventory are equally required.
- Missing records for non-testable devices, which still need inspection.
- Entering a vault without atmospheric testing.
- Assuming the tester is responsible for the program; the purveyor owns it.
Rule of thumb
If it is not documented, it did not happen. Every device, every test, every correction needs a record.
Worked example
A tester finds a failed DC but does not notify the purveyor. The program fails because notification and follow-up are part of the required process, not optional customer service.