Have You Scheduled Your Yearly Environmental Audit?

OSHA inspections are common place occurrences in the world of Environmental Health and Safety.  Industrial facilities that are subject to these types of inspections are well aware that it is crucial to their bottom line to have annual if not quarterly safety inspections and safety audits.  Typically these safety audits are performed when the plant’s safety consultant performs training.  Unfortunately safety audits are not the last word in industrial facilities.  There is another audit that should be performed annually as well.

Every industrial plant and facility should also have an Environmental Consultant that will perform an Environmental Audit.  Many times the CIH or CSP at the safety firm that conducts regular safety audits can also act as an Environmental Consultant.  The EPA has just as extensive a list of regulations as OSAH and it can be daunting trying to understand which of the EPA’s guidelines you have to follow.  That is why it is important to find the right consultant to come and do an assessment of where you are now and where you should be. 

Every manufacturer knows how difficult it can be trying to pass an OSHA inspection.  They always seem to find that one little thing, and then it seems to just grow from there.  OSHA constantly has new mandates and regulations and trying to keep up with what they are requiring of different companies is mind boggling—that’s why facilities hire a safety consultant!  The Environmental Protections Agency (EPA) is the exact same way.  The have new regulations that are passed each year, and the EPA is quicker to respond to complaints, so having the right documentation is imperative when it comes to an EPA audit.  The EPA is constantly re-evaluating the effect manufacturing plants have on the environment.  As they discover new impacts they try to curb the bad effects by implementing new laws.   As a result they are just as difficult to stay on top of as OSHA.  For this reason you should have your local Environmental Consultant do a regular audit of your company.

Having an annual audit of your facility is like having your annual check-up.  If the doctor sees you regularly than when something small shows up you can handle it before it becomes something big.  The same thing happens with your Environmental Consultant.  As he performs the audit, he will talk to you and ask you questions.  This way he knows what is going on with your facility.  The next time you hold safety training or have a safety audit performed ask the safety consultant if he can also perform Environmental Audits.  If you need the have an environmental audit performed on your company click here.