Audit of environmental performance
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Environmental Auditing: An Overview
Environmental Auditing is an independent assessment performed by organizations to ensure compliance with Environmental Policies. This procedure examines the risk or actual harm caused, evaluates the types of pollution produced, and assesses the range of locations, procedures, and activities.
This management tool verifies compliance with environmental norms or requirements, evaluates the effectiveness of the environmental management system, assesses risks, and identifies and corrects environmental hazards. The Auditing procedure involves the examination of accounts of revenues and costs of environmental and natural resources, their estimation, depreciation, and values recorded in the books of accounts.
The evaluation of the utilization of raw materials, products, and utilities, as well as adequate maintenance of the Environmental Management System, is crucial towards the implementation of environmental laws in an independent, transparent, and systematic order. Environmental Audit has helped reduce pollution in the industry sector and improve their bottom line.
The Environmental Organization Management Systems and Equipment operate with the goal of
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- To enable the management to have control over environmental practices.
- To evaluate adherence to corporate policies.
- To enhance professional competence.
Environmental Auditing plays a crucial role in promoting sustainable development by holding organisations accountable for their actions. It examines the practices of the organisations and identifies areas that need improvement to ensure compliance with the proper regulations and policies. Additionally, it facilitates the professional competence of the organisations by providing them with insights on best practices for environmental management.
The Objective of Environmental Auditing
The primary purpose of companies conducting Environmental Audits is to assist in protecting the environment from harm and reducing health risks for humans. It is a type of risk management tool with the following key objectives:
- Assessing the performance of existing Environmental Management Systems.
- Ensuring the adherence to applicable laws and regulations is one of the primary objectives of conducting Environmental Audits.
- The objective of Environmental Auditing is to reduce the exposure of humans to potential risk factors related to environmental, health, or safety concerns.
Various Pollution Types Applicable for Environmental Auditing
The following list enumerates the types of waste or industries that generate pollution that are covered under Environmental Auditing:
- Energy
- Waste Management
- E–Waste
- Plastic Waste
- Hazardous Waste
- Bio–Medical Waste
- Air & Water
- Carbon dioxide and other emission
- Food Sector
- Chemical Sector
- Pharmaceutical
- Automobile
- Composting
Types of Environmental Audits
Environmental Auditing can be categorised into three types:
Environmental Compliance Audits:
This type of audit is conducted to review the applicant company’s compliance measures to check if they are being followed as per the State and National rules and regulations established by the Government of India. It determines if the compliance measures are legally binding.
Environmental Management Audits:
The Environmental Management Audits help the applicant company in understanding the procedure of operating their company in accordance with the Environmental Performance Standards.
Functional Environmental Audits:
Functional Environmental Audits are responsible for measuring the consequences of specific environmental pollution or hazard caused. It investigates specific concern areas such as air quality monitoring, waste management, etc. This type of audit is conducted rarely and is often included as a part of both the Environmental Compliance Auditing and the Environmental Management Auditing.
Benefits of Environmental Auditing
The points listed below outline the key advantages of Environmental Audits:
- Environmental Auditing contributes to the preservation of the environment.
- Confirmation of compliance with state and national laws and regulations regarding environmental practices.
- The identification of current and future environmental damage scenarios that require attention is an essential aspect of Environmental Auditing.
- Evaluation of training programs and provision of data for employee training.
- Environmental Auditing provides companies with opportunities to improve their environmental performance by identifying deficiencies and providing scope for improvement.
- The classification of potential cost-effective measures that can be implemented through waste minimization and reduction of carbon footprint emissions.
- Environmental Audits can assist in trade by comparing data with other plants or subsidiary companies, providing valuable insights for companies seeking to improve their environmental performance.
- Environmental Auditing demonstrates the commitment of the company towards environmental protection to the authorities, stakeholders, employees, and the public.
Environmental Auditing Process
The procedure for conducting Environmental Auditing typically includes the following steps:
- Developing an audit plan that includes the required activities and assigns responsibilities for the successful completion of those activities.
- Reviewing the Environmental Protection Policy of the company and ensuring compliance with the relevant State and National laws and regulations.
- Collecting all relevant information and data.
- Assessing the company's overall performance.
- Identifying areas that require improvement.
- The audit report must be submitted to the relevant management.
Phases involved in Environmental Auditing
The subsequent stages presented below outline the different phases of Environmental Auditing:
- Pre–Audit Phase
- Audit Phase
- Post–Audit Phase
Procedure of the Pre-Audit Phase in Environmental Auditing
Steps for preparing the Pre-Audit Phase include:
- Creating a team for the purpose of conducting the audit.
- Developing an Audit Plan
- Reviewing the following documents -
- The permit applications and permits that have been granted
- Documentation of the industry’s production records.
- Reports
- A report that shows if there were any previous audits done, and if there were any problems found during those audits, what was done to fix them, and if they have been fixed completely.
- Creating a list of questions or queries that the auditors may ask, including any follow-up questions related to previous audits.
- Creating any extra documents that the auditors may require during the Pre-Audit phase.
- The "Disclosure of Violation Table" should be completed and filed with details of all identified issues.
Procedure of the Audit Phase in Environmental Auditing
The following steps outline the procedure for the Audit Phase –
- Setting up the rules and guidelines for the audit process.
- Finding solutions for identified issues.
- Holding frequent meetings to record the most recent information.
- Evaluating the following documents -
- Policies related to protecting the environment
- Measures to ensure compliance with environmental regulations and policies.
- Reports on employee training.
- Control, monitoring, and maintaining records of air, water, waste, and noise pollution.
- Procedures for Emergency Response Plan.
- Addressing complaints related to the environment.
- The evaluation of documents to ensure they are legally binding, consistent, and up-to-date.
- Carrying out an inspection of the site premises.
- Assessing if the operations are being carried out in adherence to the compliance measures.
- Gathering of samples if necessary.
- Questioning the EHS personnel, operations, management, maintenance, and policies to ensure compliance with the environmental standards.
- Identifying issues of concern.
- The closing meeting is conducted where all the issues identified during the audit are listed, discussed, and corrective actions necessary to be taken are developed.
Procedure of the Post-Audit Phase in Environmental Auditing
The steps below outline the procedure for the Post-Audit Phase:
- Preparation of the Environmental Audit Report and Disclosure of Violations Form
- Listing the issues and areas of concern that were identified during the audit.
- Listing the actions that have been taken and requesting follow-ups on the relevant topics.
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If a client has questions about the legal procedures for Environmental Auditing, EPR Certificate Online representatives are quick to respond compared to other service providers. We strive to ensure that our clients’ interactions with our experts are positive and seamless.
- Acquiring a plan for expert assistance through purchase.
- Include questions about the maintenance of the annual compliance of the public company.
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