Environmental audit and Assessment

What is an Environment Audit?
An environmental audit (EA) is a management tool comprising a systematic, documented, periodic and objective evaluation of the performance of the organisation, management system and processes designed to protect the environment with the aim of:-
- Facilitating management control of practices which may have impact on the environment; and
- Assessing compliance with company policies.
An EA can also be considered as the systematic examination of the interaction between any business operation and its surrounding. This includes all emissions to air, land and water legal constraints; the effects on the neighbouring community, landscape and ecology; and the public’s perception of the operating company in the local area.
What are the types of environmental audits?
CD&A have been conducting EAs for more than 20 years. We understand the types of EAs that can be carried out by companies. These are outlined below:-
- Compliance Audit – the most common type of audit consisting of checks against environmental legislation and company policy;
- Issues Audit – an evaluation of how a company’s activities relate to an environmental issue or (e.g. global pollution, energy use) or an evaluation of a specific issue (e.g. buildings, supplies);
- Health And Safety Audit – an assessment of risks and contingency planning (sometimes merged with environmental auditing because of the interconnected impacts of industrial processes and hazards);
- Site Audit – an audit of a particular site to examine actual or potential environmental problems;
- Corporate Audit – an audit of the whole company and its polices, structures, procedures and practices;
- Due Diligence Audit – an assessment of potential environmental and financial risks and liabilities carried out before a company merger or site acquisition or divestiture (e.g. contaminated land remediation costs);
- Activity or Operational Audit – an assessment of activities that may cross company departments or units (e.g. energy or waste management); and
- Product or Life Cycle Audit – an analysis of environmental impacts of a product throughout all stages of its design, production, use and disposal, including its reuse and recycling (cradle to grave).
What are the solutions that CD&A offer?
CD&A’s audit staff is fully cognizant of local and international laws and compliance requirements. We can quickly assess the environmental condition of properties; evaluate potential liabilities and long-term commitments; and can provide a client with an estimated cost for remediation and closure.
CD&A understands that environmental audits involve the collection, collation, analysis, interpretation, and presentation of information which is used to:-
- Assess performance against a set of requirements or targets, related to specific issues;
- Evaluate compliance with environmental legislation and corporate policies; and
- Measure performance against the requirements of an environmental management system standard.
At the outset, CD&A will set overall goals, objectives, scope and priorities with management.
CD&A will conduct an on-site investigation and interviews with management using a standard checklist for environmental audits. Various documents, policies and reports will be requested from the client and reviewed.
As necessary, tables and charts will be developed presenting the status with respect to compliance to the relevant policies, legislations, regulations and standards.
The findings will be evaluated and recommendations made along with an action plan and a follow up.
Once you retain CD&A, you can be assured of our high level of personalized and professional service. We will go the extra mile to apply our over four hundred (400) cumulative man years of experience to your project, no matter the size.