Who this article is for: Authority users
Overview
A nonconformance records why something was out of compliance, in regulatory terms. Two fields do that work: Definition and Classification. A third, SNC eligible, is a checkbox on violations.
Where the system can work these out for itself it does. When a submitted sample report produces a limit exceedance, or an overdue report is detected, the classification is filled in automatically. You choose it yourself only on the nonconformances you create by hand.
Definition
Definition has two values:
Specific Control Condition: the nonconformance is against a control issued to that industrial user, such as a permit.
General Control Condition: it is against a rule that applies generally, such as a sewer use ordinance.
Definition is blank where there is no control to point at. A notification-limit nonconformance is one case: a notification limit is there to tell you a result is worth looking at, not to enforce anything. Definition is also blank on the Sampling Requirement, Late Reporting, and Missed Report nonconformances the system generates.
On a limit exceedance generated from a sample report, the system reads the limit's own control and fills Definition in for you.
Classification
Classification records the regulatory category of the nonconformance. Every nonconformance has one. There are ten, and eight of them you can choose. Late Reporting and Missed Report are set by the system only:
Classification | Use it for |
Limit Exceedance | A result above (or below) a limit |
Late Reporting | A report, submittal, or inspection that was not completed on time |
Missed Report | A report, submittal, or inspection that was marked Not Submitted |
Interference | Discharge that interferes with treatment plant operation |
Pass-through | Discharge that passes through the plant and causes a permit violation |
BMP Violation | Failure to follow a required best management practice |
Imminent Endangerment | Discharge presenting an imminent danger to health, the environment, or the plant |
Inaccurate Reporting | Reported data that was falsified or materially wrong |
Sampling Requirement | Failure to meet a sampling requirement on a report |
Other | Anything the categories above do not cover |
The system sets Classification automatically on the nonconformances it generates: Limit Exceedance for a limit breach on a submitted sample report, Sampling Requirement for a sample report that misses one of its sampling requirements, Late Reporting for an overdue report, submittal, or inspection, and Missed Report for one marked Not Submitted. When an item is marked Not Submitted, any Late Reporting nonconformance it already has is voided, and the Missed Report replaces it.
On an ad hoc, inspection, or submittal nonconformance you choose it yourself, from the Classification dropdown. That dropdown appears only when you are recording a violation; an exception you record yourself is saved as Other, so the field is not shown at all.
đĄ The Violations page has Classification and Definition columns, so you can sort and filter your violations by regulatory basis. Both also appear on the Enforcement tab of a sample report, inspection, or submittal. On the Violations page, a sample report nonconformance shows its specific finding in the Classification column instead, such as Limit Exceedance (Max) or Past Due Report.
SNC eligible
SNC eligible is a checkbox on violations you record by hand: ad hoc, inspection, and submittal violations. It is not shown on exceptions, and it starts unchecked. Once you check it and save, it can't be unchecked.
SNC Eligible is also a column on the Violations page.
Changing a Classification
You can change the Classification on an ad hoc or inspection nonconformance as long as no response has been attached to it. For an ad hoc one, use its Edit action. For an inspection one, the inspection must still be editable. Nonconformances generated by the system, such as those from a sample report, keep the Classification they were given.
FAQ
Definition is blank on a nonconformance. Is that a mistake?
No. Definition is blank when no control is linked to the nonconformance. That is normal for a notification-limit nonconformance, and for the Sampling Requirement, Late Reporting, and Missed Report nonconformances the system generates.
What is the difference between Definition and Classification?
Definition is what control the nonconformance is against, specific or general. Classification is what kind of nonconformance it is under the regulations. A single nonconformance can have both: a limit exceedance against a permit is Definition Specific Control Condition, Classification Limit Exceedance.