Virtual EHS Audit

  • virtual audit stock image

Environment Health & Safety

EHS & S

Virtual Auditing and Inspection Consultants

How do you assure compliance when you can’t visit a site to confirm it? Delta-Simons are providing virtual EHS audits for Clients as a solution to this problem, which are adaptable for UK, European and global regulatory compliance programs.

Purpose

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, in-person auditing has largely paused while organisations identify ways to review compliance without breaching social distance guidance. As a result, Delta Simons have developed and conducted virtual auditing for several clients including:

▲    A regulatory compliance audit focussing on legislation and internal standards for a global social networking organisation.  The purpose was to provide assurance to the Global EHS Manager that the site is compliant with relevant legislative and corporate obligations.

▲   A management system gap analysis audit for a global electronics manufacturer. The purpose was to assess the organisation’s alignment to ISO45001 standards in its manufacturing facility

Scope of Works

▲    An introductory meeting to clarify the approach to the ehs compliance audit, including the technology which would be used, taking into consideration both the preferred technology for the virtual audit, and the required security required to protect confidentiality.

▲    Documentation request and review, assessing conformance to compliance regulations by industry.

▲    Opening and closing meetings and interviews with key employees were conducted via video conference, with supporting information and documentation shared via secure File Transfer site, to verify compliance.

Outcomes / Client Benefit

There are significant benefits to virtual auditing, not least that reducing travel impact is in line with most organisation’s sustainability objectives. A virtual audit for compliance is also more time effective as the auditors review documentation remotely which frees up site personnel to do their day job until required to answer the auditors questions. In the long term, it’s unlikely that virtual audits will replace in-person auditing as visual inspection and site tours remain key in understanding operations. But for now virtual auditing can provide a valuable alternative  for evaluating  EHS performance, which allows those with responsibilities for EHS compliance some assurance that systems which were once seen in the flesh continue to function effectively. If you would like to have an informal discussion about how Delta-Simons could support you through virtual auditing or supporting your compliance audit program in other ways please contact the EHS & S team.