Department of Internal Audit and Compliance

Employee and Customer Safety - Environmental, Health and Safety Programs

Effectiveness and efficiency of operations  

A. Operations effectively support the implementation of the University’s environmental management strategy.

1. Has the cost-benefit relationship been considered when determining if audits should be conducted by an auditor within the University or by an independent auditor?
2. Has the environmental audit been designed to include preliminary evaluations, site inspection, on-site sampling, staff interviews, review of compliance records, required-response feedback reports, follow-up to feedback reports, and monitoring of regulatory filings?
3. Have roles and responsibilities of all environmental positions been defined with established duties and internal reporting requirements for each position?

 

B. The environmental management strategy is consistent with the University’s objectives and supports their achievement.

1. Has a cross-functional task force been created to develop environmental strategy for the entire organization that includes representation from legal, operations, engineering, environment, health and safety, risk management, financial, personnel and training, and marketing?
2. Has the task force been charged with defining the environmental policy statement, determining specific measurable goals and target dates, assigning responsibility and authority for environmental management, and monitoring progress toward specified goals?
3. Does the task force pursue a long-term perspective through periodic meetings to scrutinize the progress of environmental management and evaluate current applicability of stated objectives?
4. Are benchmarking and other types of analyses employed, such as customer surveys, focus groups, and diagnostic reviews, to identify opportunities for improvement and set objectives in the environmental area?
5. Has a detailed diagnostic review of internal operations compared to external industry-wide initiatives been executed to establish targets, objectives, and priorities?
6. Has the effectiveness of resources dedicated to achieving the goals and objectives to date of the University’s environmental management program been assessed?
7. Are environmental records and record-keeping practices reviewed to determine the University's ability to comply with regulatory requirements?
8. Has an environmental policy been developed based on business strategy, and open, two-way channels used to communicate environmental policy to stakeholders?
9. Are senior executives engaged actively and visibly in promoting the University environmental policy and supporting the strategy throughout the University?
10. Are journals and other resources issued by environmental regulatory agencies monitored to identify any necessary adjustments to current operating procedures or environmental strategy?
    
    

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