What methodology is followed in an environmental audit?
Posted: Mon Dec 23, 2024 4:00 am
Environmental audits are control mechanisms that assess the effectiveness and results of an organization's Environmental Management Systems (EMS) in accordance with ISO 14001:2015 or the EMAS Regulation. They are a springboard for improvement for organizations because they allow them to identify problems associated with their environmental performance.
EMS audits analyse whether the EMS meets its established objectives, and also check whether it is correctly implemented and whether it follows the principles of the declared environmental policy.
The methodology of an environmental audit includes a series of actions that depend on the particular circumstances of each organization. However, the guidelines are set out in the international standard ISO 19011:2018.
Would you like to learn more about the methodology of environmental auditing? Continue reading this article to find out what actions are carried out.
Methodology in environmental auditing
Audits do not have fixed phases, they are flexible processes that vary depending on the scope and depth of the audit process. However, there are a series of common steps in the development of an environmental audit.
Audit preparation.
This is the first of the phases carried out during the environmental audit. In this phase, an audit program is drawn up and contact is established with the person being audited from the organization. After this contact, the feasibility of the audit is determined, which will allow determining whether the objectives set can be achieved. If it is feasible, the next step is for the audit team to prepare the activities that will be carried out during the development of the audit:
Review of documented information: the EMS, EMS documents, EMS records korean whatsapp number and previous audit reports.
Preparation of the audit plan: This is a description of the activities and details agreed upon for carrying out the audit.
Assigning tasks to the audit team: the leader of the audit team assigns and distributes tasks to each of the people who make up the team.
Preparation of documented information: Each member of the audit team collects and reviews information relevant to their assigned task.
Two young women in front of a laptop doing an environmental audit, looking at documents with illustrations of the sustainability symbol with the green arrows
Audit development
The development of the environmental audit includes the activities carried out through field work, which allows auditors to obtain documentation, information and evidence that allow them to evaluate against the criteria of the applied standard. In this second phase, the ISO 19011 standard specifies the activities that are included in it:
The opening meeting.
Choice of audit method (interviews, questionnaires, sampling, job observation, etc.)
Visits to the facilities of the audited organization.
Review and verification of documented information.
Evaluate the evidence against the audit criteria ( findings ). The findings are a list of actions that have been found or not found during the development of the audit. These findings give rise to two possibilities:
finding of conformity: the requirement assessed is fulfilled, indicating conformity .
non-conformity finding: the assessed requirement is not met, indicating a non-conformity. In addition, there is the possibility that there is a finding of a tendency towards non-compliance with a requirement, or that a requirement is partially met. In this case, it would be a potential non-conformity.
Audit conclusions. Based on audit principles, the lead auditor prepares the conclusions that include the most relevant aspects of the audit development: degree of compliance of the EMS with the audit criteria, the robustness of the EMS to meet the expected results, identification of risks, expected objectives, scope, existence of findings and recommendations for improvement.
Preparation of the audit report. This is a document that reflects the audit conclusions in accordance with the audit program. It is a complete, accurate and clear record of the audit.
Final meeting. This is the time when the audit findings and conclusions are presented. The meeting is chaired by the lead auditor and those representing the management of the audited organization.
Possible scenarios for an environmental audit
Although the methodology to follow when developing an environmental audit is a standardized process, it is a reality for the audit team to encounter different scenarios when they begin to audit an organization. There are usually two types of scenarios:
Organizations that do not have an adequate EMS. This is the most common scenario, since a large part of SMEs do not have this management system. In this situation, the audit team carries out a diagnosis of the environmental situation of the organization to lay the foundations for its EMS.
Organizations with a well-implemented EMS. This is the usual scenario for large organizations whose business strategy is based on a comprehensive preventive approach to their activity. In this situation, the purpose of the audit is to certify their EMS and identify measures for the continuous improvement of their environmental performance.
EMS audits analyse whether the EMS meets its established objectives, and also check whether it is correctly implemented and whether it follows the principles of the declared environmental policy.
The methodology of an environmental audit includes a series of actions that depend on the particular circumstances of each organization. However, the guidelines are set out in the international standard ISO 19011:2018.
Would you like to learn more about the methodology of environmental auditing? Continue reading this article to find out what actions are carried out.
Methodology in environmental auditing
Audits do not have fixed phases, they are flexible processes that vary depending on the scope and depth of the audit process. However, there are a series of common steps in the development of an environmental audit.
Audit preparation.
This is the first of the phases carried out during the environmental audit. In this phase, an audit program is drawn up and contact is established with the person being audited from the organization. After this contact, the feasibility of the audit is determined, which will allow determining whether the objectives set can be achieved. If it is feasible, the next step is for the audit team to prepare the activities that will be carried out during the development of the audit:
Review of documented information: the EMS, EMS documents, EMS records korean whatsapp number and previous audit reports.
Preparation of the audit plan: This is a description of the activities and details agreed upon for carrying out the audit.
Assigning tasks to the audit team: the leader of the audit team assigns and distributes tasks to each of the people who make up the team.
Preparation of documented information: Each member of the audit team collects and reviews information relevant to their assigned task.
Two young women in front of a laptop doing an environmental audit, looking at documents with illustrations of the sustainability symbol with the green arrows
Audit development
The development of the environmental audit includes the activities carried out through field work, which allows auditors to obtain documentation, information and evidence that allow them to evaluate against the criteria of the applied standard. In this second phase, the ISO 19011 standard specifies the activities that are included in it:
The opening meeting.
Choice of audit method (interviews, questionnaires, sampling, job observation, etc.)
Visits to the facilities of the audited organization.
Review and verification of documented information.
Evaluate the evidence against the audit criteria ( findings ). The findings are a list of actions that have been found or not found during the development of the audit. These findings give rise to two possibilities:
finding of conformity: the requirement assessed is fulfilled, indicating conformity .
non-conformity finding: the assessed requirement is not met, indicating a non-conformity. In addition, there is the possibility that there is a finding of a tendency towards non-compliance with a requirement, or that a requirement is partially met. In this case, it would be a potential non-conformity.
Audit conclusions. Based on audit principles, the lead auditor prepares the conclusions that include the most relevant aspects of the audit development: degree of compliance of the EMS with the audit criteria, the robustness of the EMS to meet the expected results, identification of risks, expected objectives, scope, existence of findings and recommendations for improvement.
Preparation of the audit report. This is a document that reflects the audit conclusions in accordance with the audit program. It is a complete, accurate and clear record of the audit.
Final meeting. This is the time when the audit findings and conclusions are presented. The meeting is chaired by the lead auditor and those representing the management of the audited organization.
Possible scenarios for an environmental audit
Although the methodology to follow when developing an environmental audit is a standardized process, it is a reality for the audit team to encounter different scenarios when they begin to audit an organization. There are usually two types of scenarios:
Organizations that do not have an adequate EMS. This is the most common scenario, since a large part of SMEs do not have this management system. In this situation, the audit team carries out a diagnosis of the environmental situation of the organization to lay the foundations for its EMS.
Organizations with a well-implemented EMS. This is the usual scenario for large organizations whose business strategy is based on a comprehensive preventive approach to their activity. In this situation, the purpose of the audit is to certify their EMS and identify measures for the continuous improvement of their environmental performance.