In many industries these days, environmental audits comprise a critical part of compliance with the government.
From the start of operations, you should have a solid plan to comply with environmental audits. It is not something you can simply skate through at the last moment. So how can you prepare?
What are your objectives?
Era discusses ways to help you get through the environmental audit. The first thing to keep in mind is that remaining proactive is better than staying reactive. This way, you can stay prepared for an audit at any time.
First, know your objectives. All industries have different concerns for compliance, and it may even differ from site to site. If you have a history of compliance issues, be sure to focus on them, too. If you get audited again, they will certainly focus on past areas of concern.
Maintaining a checklist
Next, create protocol checklists. Look at the regulatory requirements seen at federal, state and local levels to create one. You should also utilize internal audits to help you identify and correct problems before an outside source catches them first.
You should also always use concrete data. Reliance on environmental data is crucial for compliance efforts.
Setting realistic goals
When sticking to a schedule, you should also set realistic goals for your improvement. This makes it easier to track your progress and document potential concerns to address. You can use strong documentation to prove a genuine attempt at improvement after an audit as well.
It is important to treat audits seriously. It can also help to have the legal guidance of an attorney through this process for that reason.
