What is an Environmental Health and Safety Audit?

What should you expect out of an EHS audit?

Well, it depends on what type of environmental audit you're expecting, as well as your scope and goals.

EHS auditing can be a very useful tool as long as you're prepared for the process. Below, we'll explore the what, who, why, and how of environmental auditing.

What is Environmental Auditing?

Environmental audits, also known as environmental compliance audits, are evaluations focused on identifying implementation gaps in environmental compliance and management systems.

EHS auditing is a type of health and safety auditing focused on compliance with environmental standards and regulations.

The purpose of an environmental audit is to assess the nature and extent of the risk that your organization could harm human health or the environment.

Types of EHS Audits

There are three main types of environmental audits.

An environmental compliance audit looks for any flaws in your organization's legal compliance with environmental regulations. In other words, how at risk are you for legal trouble?

An environmental management audit evaluates your organization's performance against its own environmental performance standards. In other words, how well are you meeting internal goals?

A functional environmental audit measures the environmental effects of a particular activity or area of concern. For example, the audit might focus on air quality monitoring or wastewater management.

Why Should You Conduct an Environmental Audit?

Voluntary internal environmental health and safety auditing can help you address any flaws in your environmental management system to avoid official penalties or consequences. They're great as a precautionary measure for identifying weaknesses in your environmental management systems before they cause problems. They're also helpful in minimizing the findings of any external environmental compliance audits when you have enough notice.

In addition to identifying and resolving compliance issues, an EHS audit can help you reduce liability, find efficiencies that save time and money, improve your workplace safety and health stats, and increase your employees' awareness of (and compliance with) environmental regulations.

If you practice internal EHS auditing regularly and publish your results, you can use them to generate good PR and marketing as a transparent and responsible organization.

How to Prepare for an EHS Audit

Whether you're looking at an internal or external EHS audit, you'll want to start by understanding the scope and focus of the audit. There are several things to consider, such as past audit findings and any recent incidents or violations.

Next, you'll want to identify the latest version of any regulatory requirements that apply – consider local, state, federal, and international regulations, as well as standards necessary for complying with certifying bodies and trade organizations. You'll also want to gather all relevant internal policies.

Mobilize department managers and other leaders to help you collect all the relevant documentation, protocols, procedures, permits, logs, records, reports, and training records. Other useful documents include maps, floor plans, schematics, and hazardous material inventories.

Finally, you need to build EHS auditing checklists that address every regulatory requirement, compliance benchmark, and area of concern.

Who Should Do Your Environmental Auditing?

Next, you'll identify your auditing team. You may be able to use a team drawn from your own EHS,  regulatory and operations departments, but this may be more appropriate for audits that don't revolve around compliance.

For a compliance audit, you'll want a team that is knowledgeable in EPA, OSHA, and any state or local regulations that apply. That can be a tall order, so you may be better off contracting with an external auditing service.

In addition to specialized knowledge, an external auditing service can have an additional benefit – an outside perspective can help uncover weaknesses and updates that your internal team might not think of because they're too close.

Once your team is chosen, schedule their site inspections during operational hours so they can see the environmental management systems in motion.

After the EHS Audit

After the EHS auditing team has completed all site visits, reviewed all records, and considered all documents, they'll need to report all issues discovered during the audit, then suggest corrective actions.

This report can be used to generate a list of action items for follow-up that will get you into full compliance. In extreme cases, you may need to evaluate and update your internal EHS policies and procedures.

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