Page 160 - Environmental Control in Petroleum Engineering

Planning for Environmental Protection 14?

Environmental audits are normally conducted by a team of one to
about five people, depending on the size and complexity of the facility
being audited. The team members must be familiar with the full range
of issues affecting the facility, including all regulatory and technical
areas. They must have a knowledge of the audit process, understand
all applicable regulations, have an independent viewpoint on the
facility, know corporate policy, and be familiar with the history and
processes used at the facility. Because audits can be viewed with
hostility by those being audited, team members must also have good
communication and professional skills.
The audit team develops the audit protocol, which is a detailed list
of the activities that will be conducted during the audit. The protocol
depends on the needs and objectives of the audit, but normally includes
three steps: pre-audit activities, a field visit to the site, and some type
of follow-up.
In the pre-audit activities, the goals and objectives of the audit are
established, the scope, target, and subjects of the audit are selected, a
schedule is developed, checklists and questionnaires are developed,
materials are exchanged between the audit team and targeted facility,
and all exchanged materials are reviewed.
The field visit starts with a briefing in which the purpose, authority,
confidentiality arrangements, facilities, and documents are reviewed.
Managers, foremen, and operations people should all be interviewed
to determine their knowledge about environmental issues and company
policies. The questions asked should be from a prepared questionnaire
developed during the pre-audit activities. Detailed records of all permitted
activities are required under most permits and should be reviewed. A tour
of the facilities is then conducted to verify that operations are actually
conducted according to the written plans. A facility visit should include
a walk around the property line to observe possible storm runoff dis-
charges. Following the tour, a final briefing is given. The final briefing
should be a very short summary of the audit findings, with a statement
that a formal written report will be forthcoming. This briefing informs
local management of what senior management will be told and gives
them an opportunity to prepare their response.
After the field visit, a final written report is prepared, a list of
corrective measures is developed, and a follow-up visit to verify the
success of the corrective measures is conducted. The report should
review the program strengths, describe areas where improvement is