[co-author: Jace Pohlman]
Environmental, Health, and Safety (EHS) audits can come in many varieties: regulatory agency inspections (scheduled or surprise), internal company requirements, maintenance of certifications, or during an acquisition or sale. Even with a scheduled audit, stress will run high. Although the best preparation for an audit is yearly preparation, there are some ways you can prepare right before the audit.
In this three-part VS Insights series, we will walk through an EHS audit from pre-audit to post-audit, providing tips and tricks along the way.
Pre-Audit Preparation
Why Perform an Internal Audit?
Internal audits allow your business to ensure compliance with many different EHS regulations that protect workers as well as the surrounding land and community. In addition, internal audits are a chance for cannabis businesses to improve in areas they may not have considered, including creating a culture of compliance amongst employees and management.
Audits also allow cannabis businesses to stay up to date on the legal requirements for their business. This is particularly important in the cannabis industry, where rules and laws can change daily. Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, having a consistent audit schedule can help your business avoid regulatory fines for non-compliance and save money from correcting deficient operations.
Why Might a Cannabis Facility Receive an Outside Audit?
Various federal, state, and local agencies have jurisdiction over cannabis agencies. Those EHS-related agencies include the following:
- OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) – protects workers
- EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) – federal environmental agency
- State environmental agencies
What Areas of Focus Will an EHS Audit Include?
- Air quality
- Risk assessments
- Spill prevention and control
- Emergency planning – fire safety
- Industrial hygiene
- Solid and hazardous waste
- Water discharges
- Air emissions – emergency generator, solvents
- Storage tanks
- Chemical reporting
- Powered industrial vehicles
- Hazard communication
- Personal protective equipment
- Fire protection – flammables storage
- Respiratory protection
This list does not include all types of audits. Single audits frequently cover multiple topics.
Pre-Audit Tips
-
Determine the Scope
-
Stay Prepared
-
Inform Personnel
-
Stay “Audit-ready”
Audit day can be a stressful experience for all involved. We hope these preparation tips give you an idea of what auditors are looking for and how to have your cannabis business as ready as possible.
[View source.]