On July 11, 2010, an article titled “EHS Audits—Have We Lost Our Way?” was published in EHS Journal.[1] It has since elicited a number of quite thoughtful and extensive comments and much general discussion. The premise of the article was that perhaps environmental, health, and safety (EHS) audit programs have evolved, particularly in the United
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Establishing how often to carry out environmental, health, and safety (EHS) audits at sites and facilities considered to be part of the auditable universe can be a trying exercise. Auditing high-risk operations too infrequently can lead to unwanted surprises because of the lack of oversight and governance. On the other hand, auditing too frequently can
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Environmental, health, and safety (EHS) audits are an effective compliance assurance tool for many organizations. They are designed to verify whether sites, facilities, and operations are meeting the expectations of applicable regulatory requirements, corporate policies and standards, and good risk management practices. As such, EHS audits are an important part of corporate governance. The audit
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Over the past thirty years, impressive advances have been made in information technology. Today, the tablet computer—most notably the iPad—provides EHS auditors with a powerful tool to improve the EHS audit process. This article reviews Elm Consulting Group’s use of the iPad for EHS auditing. Elm’s experience has shown that the iPad can improve audit accuracy while increasing overall audit efficiency by 15 to 20 percent.

EHS audit program managers often ask, “How do I know if my program is working?” This article explores the possible metrics that could be used to determine success or failure. As with most things in life, the answer is not obvious and can be quite complex. Let’s take a look at six common metrics that are often touted as valid measuring sticks