How to Prepare for an Environmental Compliance Audit

Industrial facilities have a responsibility to protect the environment. This responsibility spans industry functions, encompassing everything from air emissions to groundwater pollution. With this in mind, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) enforces a number of laws addressing a facility’s environmental impact. To better enforce these laws, the EPA encourages the use of environmental compliance audits. These investigations are an important tool to further the cause of industrial environmental responsibility. Read on to find out how to prepare for an environmental compliance audit.

How to Prepare for an Environmental Compliance Audit

What Is an Environmental Compliance Audit?

The EPA defines an environmental compliance audit as serving two functions:

1. An investigation into the compliance status of a facility
2. An investigation into the extent of a facility’s environmental liability

With this in mind, an audit typically involves a detailed evaluation of a facility and its practices. Not only does the evaluation focus on the operating procedures of a facility – any groundwater emissions, for example – but also it focuses on administrative procedures that govern a facility’s approach to environmental responsibility. This could include everyday administrative tasks like maintaining chemical inventories.

Types of Environmental Audits

Depending on a facility’s function, it may require one or more of three different types of environmental audits:

• Environmental Compliance Audits: During an environmental compliance audit, officials evaluate any onsite environmental risks and review the company’s legal compliance status.
• Environmental Management Audits: Officials will conduct an environmental management audit to help a company assess its in-house environmental management standards on a proactive basis. This helps facility managers determine the efficacy of existing environmental management practices. For example, during an environmental management audit, facility managers may need to assess their ongoing chemical inventory practices.
• Functional Environmental Audits: During a functional environmental audit, officials will measure the environmental impact of a specific industrial activity. For example, if there is concern over an organization’s wastewater management, that will be evaluated during a functional environmental audit. This type of audit can be included in tandem with an environmental compliance audit or an environmental management audit.

What to Expect During an Environmental Compliance Audit

There are a number of reasons that a facility would need to undergo an environmental compliance audit. For one, many lenders or insurance providers require environmental audits to evaluate any environmental health and safety issues. Lenders and insurance providers may also require audits to evaluate any potential contamination risks at a given site before finalizing coverage. Fortunately, the EPA has a helpful environmental audit protocol meant to guide regulated entities during their audit. Using that protocol, affected parties should be prepared to address the following:

• Business operations
• Waste streams, including discharges to air, land, or water
• Compliance with any environmental permits on the local, state, or federal level
• Ongoing regulatory reporting and record-keeping
• The handling of any chemicals or other hazardous materials

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Environmental compliance audits exist within a strict, EPA-governed framework. And while these audits are thorough, they don’t have to be a stressful experience for your facility. With the help of an environmental compliance expert, you can set your team on the path toward ongoing environmental responsibility.

Do you need help preparing for an environmental compliance audit? When you’re ready, you can contact EWI online or call 877-827-9500 for more information. We have in-house experts ready to help walk you through the specifics of your organization’s compliance needs. In the short term, we can help prepare you for an environmental audit – but we can also help initiate ongoing systems to ensure you pass future audits with flying colors. With our help, you can approach your environmental audit with confidence, knowing you are doing your part to maintain environmental compliance.