Auditing Training Ensuring Compliance with Environmental Legislation Construction

Auditing & Training Ensuring Compliance with Environmental Legislation

Construction and the Environment Resource depletion - The construction sector uses over 420 million tonnes of material resources each year - Approximately 13 million tonnes of construction and demolition waste is material delivered to sites but never used Waste - Annually, 90 million tonnes of construction and demolition waste is generated - the industry produces three times the waste produced by all UK households combined - Construction and demolition is responsible for creating 21% of the hazardous waste in the UK

Construction and the Environment Pollution - A third of all pollution incidents arise on construction sites Energy - About 10% of national energy consumption is used in the production and transport of construction products and materials - the energy consumed in building services accounts for about half of the UK's emissions of carbon dioxide The purpose of environmental legislation is to “Protect the Natural Environmental from Human Activities” (UNEP)

Types of Environmental Audits • Compliance Audits • Due Diligence Audits • Supply Chain Audits • Improvement Audits and Environmental Reviews • Internal Audits • Environmental Risk Assessment • First, Second, Third Party Audits

What is an environmental audit? §Method to gather information §Check to ensure that activities are carried out correctly §Evaluation against environmental requirements §Investigation to identify environmental improvements §Verification of systems against environmental standards §Confirmation that methods are sufficient to prevent pollution

Drivers & Benefits of Auditing üEnsure that environmental performance continues to meet the right standard üIdentify weaknesses in environmental management üIdentifies risk of non-conformance üIdentifies opportunities for improvement üDemonstrates to others that environmental performance is satisfactory

ISO 14001: 2015 Clause 6. 1. 3 – Compliance Obligation • Identify and have access to applicable compliance obligations • If you don’t know that a specific legislation exists, you will very likely not be compliant! • Identification and assessment of your compliance obligations needs to be maintained as documented information in your Environmental Management System (EMS). • This is not only for your own use, but also as proof for any legal auditors or management system auditors as well.

ISO 14001: 2015 Clause 9. 1. 2 – Evaluation of Compliance • You must plan and implement a process to evaluate if you meet the legal requirements that are applicable to you as determined • i. e You are required to audit against all applicable environmental legislation • You must evaluate and TAKE ACTION! • You must maintain “knowledge and understanding of [conformance] status” • In other words, you should always know where there are weaknesses or risks to compliance

Oil Storage

Handling & Using Chemicals

Mud on Roads

Dust

Waste on Construction Sites Photographs-Waste

Waste on Construction Sites Photographs-Waste

Waste on Construction Sites Photographs-Waste

Using Audits to Manage Risk Audits Management Risk Quality

The Audit Process 1. PRE AUDIT 2. CONDUCTING THE AUDIT Audit Schedule Site Walkthrough Objectives and scope of the audit Interviews Selecting Auditors Create Audit Checklists Document Reviews 3. POST AUDIT Develop a list of findings and evaluate them Report Writing Communication Follow up

Auditor Responsibilities • Understand applicable environmental legislation • Clearly understand the objectives and scope of the audit • Understand roles and responsibilities within the audit • Be familiar with the company’s activities, products, and services • Have the correct checklists & understand how to use them • Conduct an efficient audit • Understand how information collected will be managed and presented in the final report • Keep detailed and organised notes during the audit

The aim of the conducting an audit is to: Conducting the Audit COLLECT THE EVIDENCE necessary to EVALUATE whether the audited area COMPLIES with the ENVIRONMENTAL CRITERIA

ISO 14001: 2015 - Clause 1. 8 - Competence • It specifies that competence can be addressed by: • The provision of training; • Mentoring; • Re-assignment of currently employed persons; or • Hiring or contracting of competent persons Audits will only provide value if they are undertaken by confident and competent individuals!

ISO 14001: 2015 - Clause 1. 8 - Competence Top Management must: • Be sufficiently aware of environmental issues and how they relate to business strategy • Ensure that staff at all levels and relevant roles and functions have the necessary competence • Internal and external auditors will have to be able to address new situations, including dealing with senior managers, the value chain and environmental sustainability.

ISO 14001: 2015 - Clause 1. 7 - Leadership • They need to get the right people involved and support them • Top management must understand the issues and be involved • They can delegate, but are still accountable • They must ensure that the EMS is effectively integrated into broader business processes • They must be seen to be involved, and to communicate with staff at all levels iema. net

Using Audits to Drive Improvement

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