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Environmental compliance audit checklist

An environmental compliance audit is an internal check of how a site meets its environmental permits and the rules that apply to it. The auditor goes through a set of questions, answers each from what they see, read and are told, writes down the evidence, and logs every gap as a finding with a class, an owner and a due date. This checklist has 37 questions in eight sections: permits, registers and responsibilities; air emissions and odour; water, wastewater and stormwater; waste handling and disposal; chemicals, fuels and spill control; noise, dust and neighbours; monitoring, records and reporting; and training, emergencies and contractors. Each question says what to look for. Each is answered yes, partly, no or not applicable. The PDF has five landscape pages: three of questions, a findings log with a section score table and a key to the three finding classes, and a worked example of a made-up plant with 37 answers and eight findings. The Excel version scores each section, flags late findings and gaps that have no finding, and draws a chart. It is a general starting point for an internal audit, not legal advice: the requirements that apply to you come from your own permits and local rules.

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Page 1 of the environmental compliance audit checklistFields for site, area, auditor and date above a table of questions on permits, air emissions and water, each with what to look for and boxes for yes, partly, no and N/A.
37 questions in eight sectionsWhat to look forYes, partly, no, N/AFindings logScore by sectionThree finding classesWorked example
Filled-in Environmental compliance audit checklist: an audit of a made-up plant with 37 questions
The same sheet filled in with the worked example (page 5 of the PDF, illustrative numbers). Open full size (opens the picture in a new tab)

When to use it

When to use an environmental compliance audit checklist

  • For a yearly internal audit of environmental compliance, so that you find the gaps before a regulator, a customer or a certification body does.
  • Before an inspection, a permit renewal or an environmental management system audit, to check the evidence is in place.
  • After a spill, a complaint or a change to the site or the process, to check what else may have slipped.
  • When a new person takes over environmental compliance and needs to see where the site stands.
  • Not as a substitute for your permits and the rules that apply to your site, which set what is required.

How to fill it in

  1. 1

    Plan the audit and gather the documents

    Decide the area and the date, and collect the permit register, the latest monitoring reports, the waste records and the spill log. Tell the area owners when you are coming.

  2. 2

    Adapt the questions to your permits and rules

    Read each question against your own permits and local requirements. Add questions for conditions that are specific to the site and mark the ones that do not apply.

  3. 3

    Take the sample in each section

    Each section names a sample to take: the permit register, the drainage plan, two waste transfer notes, one spill kit. Check the evidence, not only the answer you are given.

  4. 4

    Answer from what you see, read and are told

    Mark yes, partly, no or N/A and write what you saw. Use N/A only when the question does not apply, with the reason. Do not use it for something you did not check.

  5. 5

    Log every gap as a finding

    Each partly or no answer becomes a finding with a class (major, minor or observation), an owner and a due date. A major finding is a requirement not met or a risk of harm, and is fixed and reported first.

  6. 6

    Score, report and follow up

    Count the answers by section to see where the site is weakest. Share the findings with the owners, track them to closure and check the fixes at the next audit.

What to check

The 37 audit questions, by section

Eight sections, each with the sample to take. Every question says what to look for. On the sheet each one is answered yes, partly, no or N/A with space for what you saw and a finding number. Adapt them to your own permits and local rules.

Permits, registers and responsibilities

Sample: the permit register and two permits, and ask who owns each condition

  1. 1Does the site hold every environmental permit, licence and registration it needs, and are they in date? Look for: a permit register with expiry dates, and copies of the current permits.
  2. 2Is a named person responsible for each permit condition? Look for: a list of permit conditions with an owner and a check frequency.
  3. 3Are the permit conditions being met? Look for: monitoring records and reports that match the limits in the permit.
  4. 4Are changes to the site, the process or the materials checked against the permits before they happen? Look for: a change checklist that asks the environmental question, and a recent example.
  5. 5Is there a list of the environmental rules that apply to the site, and is it reviewed? Look for: a register of requirements with a review date and an owner.

Air emissions and odour

Sample: walk the emission sources and read the last test report

  1. 6Are all sources of air emissions listed, such as boilers, ovens, extraction, vents and paint booths? Look for: an emission source list and a site plan that agree with what you see.
  2. 7Are emission controls such as filters and scrubbers working and maintained? Look for: maintenance records and pressure or flow readings in the normal range.
  3. 8Are emissions tested or monitored as the permit or the rules require? Look for: test reports, and the date of the next test.
  4. 9Are odour and smoke complaints recorded and followed up? Look for: a complaints log with a cause and an action for each.

Water, wastewater and stormwater

Sample: the drainage plan and one outfall

  1. 10Are all discharges to drains, sewers and the ground known and permitted? Look for: a drainage plan and discharge consents that match it.
  2. 11Are drains marked, and do stormwater drains carry only rainwater? Look for: drain markings, and no stains or residue at outfalls.
  3. 12Are wastewater and discharge tests done and within the limits? Look for: sample results compared with the limits.
  4. 13Are tanks, bunds and oil separators in good condition and inspected? Look for: inspection records, no cracks, and no rainwater or oil standing in a bund.
  5. 14Is water use metered, and is unusual use investigated? Look for: meter readings and a note on any step change.

Waste handling and disposal

Sample: walk the waste areas and read two transfer notes

  1. 15Is every waste stream identified, classified and kept apart as the rules require? Look for: a waste register, labelled containers and separate storage.
  2. 16Are hazardous wastes kept in the right containers, labelled, closed and in a contained area? Look for: closed and labelled containers, a bunded area and dates on the containers.
  3. 17Are waste carriers and disposal sites licensed, and is that checked? Look for: carrier licences and site permits on file, with check dates.
  4. 18Are waste transfer notes or manifests complete and kept for the required time? Look for: signed notes that match the loads, and a retention schedule.
  5. 19Are the quantities and storage times within the limits set for the site? Look for: dates on containers and a storage log.
  6. 20Is waste disposed of only by authorised routes, with no burning, burying or dumping on site? Look for: no sign of it on the walk round, and no unexplained gaps in the waste figures.

Chemicals, fuels and spill control

Sample: the largest store, one spill kit and the spill log

  1. 21Are chemicals and fuels stored where a spill would be contained? Look for: bunds or trays sized for the largest container, and no staining.
  2. 22Are spill kits in place, stocked and known to the people who use them? Look for: kits at the points of risk with an inspection tag, and people who can say how to use one.
  3. 23Are deliveries and transfers of liquids supervised and controlled? Look for: a delivery procedure, drip trays and covers over drains.
  4. 24Are tanks and pipes checked for leaks as the rules require? Look for: leak test and inspection records.
  5. 25Are spills and near spills recorded, investigated and reported when required? Look for: a spill log with causes, actions and any report to the authority.
  6. 26Are refrigerants and other regulated gases tracked, leak-checked and handled by qualified people? Look for: a gas register, leak check records and the qualifications of the people who work on the plant.

Noise, dust and neighbours

Sample: the site boundary and the complaints log

  1. 27Are noise levels at the site boundary within the limits? Look for: measurements, and any noise complaints with what was done.
  2. 28Is dust controlled at its source? Look for: extraction, damping down, a clean yard and no deposits beyond the site.
  3. 29Are complaints from neighbours logged and answered? Look for: a complaints log with dates, causes and replies.

Monitoring, records and reporting

Sample: the reporting calendar and one calibration certificate

  1. 30Are monitoring instruments checked or calibrated as needed? Look for: calibration certificates in date.
  2. 31Are required reports sent to the authority on time? Look for: a reporting calendar and copies of what was sent.
  3. 32Are records kept for as long as the rules require, and easy to find? Look for: a retention schedule, and a record found within a few minutes.
  4. 33Are results reviewed by management, and are results outside the limits acted on? Look for: review minutes and an action log.

Training, emergencies and contractors

Sample: two training records and the last spill drill

  1. 34Do people whose work affects the environment know the rules for their job and have they been trained? Look for: training records for waste handling, spill response and the like, and people who can explain the rule.
  2. 35Is there an emergency plan for spills, fires and releases, and has it been tested? Look for: the plan and the record of the last drill.
  3. 36Are contractors told the site's environmental rules before they start? Look for: induction records that include the rules.
  4. 37Is someone responsible for environmental compliance, with the time and authority to do it? Look for: a role description and an organisation chart.

A filled-in example

Illustrative, not a benchmark

An example: an audit of a made-up plant with 37 questions. The answers and findings are invented.

  • Of 37 questions, 27 were yes, 6 partly, 2 no and 2 not applicable, an overall score of 85.7% on the formula of yes plus half of partly over yes, partly and no.
  • The chemicals, fuels and spill control section scored lowest at 63%, with an empty spill kit at the loading dock and two questions that did not apply.
  • The one major finding was an emissions test that was due in June and had not been done. It has a 30-day date and an owner.
  • Eight findings in all: one major, five minor and two observations. One, the empty spill kit, was closed within a week. The rest are open with owners and dates.

Most of the gaps are in records and labels, not breaches, but a gap in a record is where a breach starts. The answers and findings are invented to show how the checklist works.

Common mistakes

  • Taking the answer without checking the evidence

    Ask to see the record, the label or the kit, not only to be told it is in place. The sample in each section is there for that.

  • Using N/A for what you did not check

    N/A means the question does not apply to the site. A question you did not check is unanswered, and shows as a gap.

  • Findings with no owner or date

    A finding that nobody owns does not get fixed. Give each finding one owner and one date, and report the late ones.

  • Auditing only the paperwork

    Walk the site as well as reading the file. Drains, bunds, labels and spill kits show what the records do not.

  • Treating a good score as the end

    A score is a snapshot. Fix the findings, check that the fixes hold, and run the audit again on a schedule.

Download the template

Free to use: print it, copy it and edit it for your team. Enter your name and work email once to download.

Run this template in LeanSuite

In LeanSuite anyone can flag spills, waste, air and water issues as environment tags on the spot, route each one to an owner and close it with an audit trail.

See it in a 45-minute demo

FAQ

Environmental compliance audit checklist: common questions

  1. An environmental compliance audit is a check of how a site meets its environmental permits and the rules that apply to it. It covers areas such as permits, air emissions, water, waste, chemicals and spills, and records, and produces findings that are fixed and tracked.

  2. Typically permits and responsibilities, air emissions, water and wastewater, waste handling and disposal, chemicals and spill control, noise and dust, monitoring and reporting, and training and emergency preparedness. This checklist has 37 questions across those eight areas.

  3. At least once a year for most sites, and again after a significant change, a spill or a complaint. Your permits, your regulator or a management system standard may set a minimum, so check the ones that apply to you.

  4. In this checklist a major finding is a requirement, permit condition or law that is not met, or a risk of harm to people or the environment. A minor finding is a gap in the system or the records that does not by itself breach a requirement. An observation is an improvement idea.

  5. No. It is a general starting point for an internal audit. The requirements that apply to your site come from your own permits and local rules, so adapt the questions to them and take advice where you need it.

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