An environmental audit is a systematic, organised and consistent gathering of information to monitor the effectiveness of an organisation's policies and compliance with regulations. An audit can also identify potential environmental liabilities by identifying areas of non-compliance or practices which are not 'best practice' and which if not rectified could result in environmentally damaging and hence financially damaging events. Such events can damage an organisations reputation.

An audit now often forms part of an organisation's environmental management system which if certified to the standard ISO14001:2004 will cover the steps being taken to ensure continual improvement in performance. In addition however an audit provides management with certain assurances regarding the status and effectiveness of existing environmental programmes in addition to identifying areas of underperformance and risk where improvement is necessary.

The benefits of using WISenvironmental
Audits are conducted using tools including standardised checklists and established procedures. Often the approach is dictated by the customer particularly where the customer is a multi-national organisation with a long established corporate auditing department. The principal deliverable is a 'findings' spreadsheet in which each non-conformity or best-practice observation arising from a compliance audit is listed, categorised and allocated a citation and recommended action. The citation is the relevant specific clause of a regulation in cases of regulatory non-compliance and the section of a procedure in cases of procedural non-conformity.

WISenvironmental provides a range of environmental auditing services including

• Environmental compliance audits and Phase 1 and 2 due diligence audits.
  
  
• Environmental compliance audits and performance reviews investigate an organisation's level of compliance with regulations, best management practices and corporate environmental procedures. The aim of these is to enable organisations to improve their environmental performance.
  
  
• Phase 1 environmental audits are part of the merger and acquisition due diligence process and are non-intrusive assessments of properties to evaluate any environmental risks that may be present. A Phase 2 audit involves sampling and chemical analysis of soil or water and is undertaken if there is any reason to suspect contamination. The aim of these is to enable the identification and quantification of any aspects of the organisation's activities that could have a material impact on the business transaction.

CASE HISTORIES/EXPERIENCE

• Carried out an Environmental Compliance Audit at a Part B LAAPC-authorised electronics manufacturing plant (soon to be permitted as a 'deemed' Part B LAPPC facility) located in SW England upon instruction from the corporate EH&S team. Prepared a report that listed in excess of 25 Corrective Actions. The audit involved providing initial guidance for site personnel in the areas identified for action. Support to address the CAs was provided in a second week-long site-based phase in early 2004. This included writing procedures for the management of chemicals and waste, dust and solvents and providing training in their use.
  
  
• Acted as the environmental auditor in a corporate EH&S team that audited one manufacturing plant and one service facility in England for compliance with regulations and corporate procedures. One manufactures electronic products and the second repairs and overhauls engines. Corrective actions were identified and reported using the corporate off-line audit tool.
  
  
• Environmental expert in team of EHS auditors led by a US-based lead auditor from a leading food and healthcare manufacturer conducting two 5-day in-house compliance audits of manufacturing facilities in the Midlands and north-west of Ireland.
  
  
• Environmental expert in team of 4 EHS auditors led by two US-based auditors from a leading pharmaceuticals manufacturer conducting a 4-day in-house compliance audit of a manufacturing facility near Dublin.
  
  
• Team auditor providing UK expert environmental support to a 2-man US team carrying out an EH&S Compliance Assurance audit of three manufacturing plants in England and Wales - an epoxy-resin manufacturing plant, a large tank fabrication plant and a hydrogen manufacturing plant.
  
  
• Environmental expert in a team of 4 environmental auditors led by a US-based auditors from a leading pharmaceuticals manufacturer conducting a 3-day in-house compliance audit of a micro-cellulose manufacturing facility near Cork.