Data Protection & Privacy Policy¶
| Document Reference | POL_HSQE_09 |
|---|---|
| Revision | 3 |
| Issue Date | 1st July 2025 |
| Next Review | 1st July 2026 |
| Status | Uncontrolled when printed |
Purpose¶
A M Water Services Ltd is committed to protecting personal data and respecting privacy rights, recognising that trust in handling information is fundamental to our family-run business values and #TEAM culture.
Scope¶
This policy applies to all employees, directors, contractors, and anyone handling personal data on behalf of A M Water Services Ltd across all company operations.
Legal Requirements¶
This policy ensures compliance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), Data Protection Act 2018, and Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003.
Policy Statement¶
We handle personal data with the utmost care, processing it lawfully, fairly, and transparently across all our water services and grab operations. Personal data includes employee information such as contact details, training records, and health information, as well as customer data like site addresses, communication history, and account details. We also process supplier information and other data including CCTV footage from our premises and vehicles, job applications, and incident reports from water network sites.
Our lawful basis for processing varies depending on the purpose - we process employee data to fulfill employment contracts, customer data to deliver water services, and some information to meet legal obligations to HMRC and HSE. When working on water network projects, we may process data as a public task, and for marketing activities, we obtain clear consent. We follow the seven key data protection principles, ensuring data is lawfully processed with valid legal basis, limited to specific purposes, adequate and relevant without being excessive, kept accurate and up to date, retained only as long as necessary, secured against loss or misuse, and we maintain accountability by demonstrating compliance.
Everyone has important rights regarding their personal data, including access to their information, correction of inaccuracies, deletion when appropriate, restriction of processing, data portability, and the right to object to certain processing. When we receive requests, we acknowledge them within three days, verify identity, respond fully within thirty days without charge unless excessive, and document all actions taken. We provide clear privacy notices at key points including employment contracts, our website, customer agreements, and on forms, explaining who we are, what data we collect, why we need it, our legal basis, who we share it with, retention periods, and individual rights.
Implementation and Monitoring¶
The Directors oversee our data protection compliance, conducting annual reviews and privacy impact assessments for new processing activities or technologies. Management ensures all staff receive GDPR training at induction with annual refreshers, while maintaining our ICO registration and fee payments. We've implemented technical and organizational measures including access controls, encryption for sensitive data, secure disposal procedures, and incident response plans. Our office manager maintains the data processing register and coordinates subject access requests, while supervisors ensure teams follow data protection procedures on water treatment sites and during grab operations.
Responsibilities¶
Directors hold ultimate responsibility for data protection compliance and setting the culture of privacy respect throughout our operations. Managers implement appropriate safeguards, conduct risk assessments, and ensure their teams understand requirements specific to water industry data handling. All employees must protect personal data in their daily work, whether handling chlorination records at treatment sites, customer information during grab deliveries, or colleague details in the office, thinking before sharing and reporting any concerns immediately.
Review¶
This policy will be reviewed annually by the Directors to ensure continued compliance with data protection legislation and maintains the trust our customers and employees place in A M Water Services Ltd.
Signed:
Aaron Mason Director A M Water Services Ltd 1st July 2025
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