Planning an Environmental Audit

Any premises that wishes to conduct an environmental audit must have a clear idea of the objectives of the exercise and the steps required to achieve it. Before commencing an environmental audit, the following requirements must be fulfilled:

• Obtain commitment at the Directorate level
  
• Communicate commitment to personnel at all levels

To include:

• Audit site and boundary
• Audit objective(s)
• Areas of audit

Audit objectives typically entail:

• Verification of legislative and regulatory compliance
• Assessment of internal policy and procedural conformance
• Establishment of current practice status
• Identification of improvement opportunities

Areas of audit normally encompass:

• Material management, savings and alternatives
• Energy management and savings
• Water management and economy of use
• Waste generation, management and disposal
• Noise reduction, evaluation and control
  (internal and external)
• Air emissions and indoor air quality
• Environmental emergency prevention and preparedness
• Transportation and travelling practices
• Staff awareness, participation and training in environmental issues
• Environmental information publicity
• Public enquiry and complaints response
• Environmental management system set up, suitability and performance