Was the Environmental Assessment Adequate? - Mining and the Environment: From Ore to Metal - page 507

to approval by the auditee. It should be realized that the i ndings of an audit that does not
include a site visit will be qualii ed as it will not be possible for the auditor to verify much
of the information that is provided. Only a site visit can provide a true impression of the
magnitude and the environmental setting of the mine operation. The on-site component of
an environmental audit is also an intensive period of collecting and evaluating specii c data,
and of critically reviewing applied management practices ( Case 12.1 ).
An opening meeting is necessary to: (1) introduce the members of the audit team to the
site management; (2) review and coni rm the scope, objectives and audit plan and agree
on an audit timetable; (3) provide a short summary of the methods and procedures to be
used to conduct the audit; (4) establish the ofi cial communication links between the audit
team and mine site management; (5) coni rm that the resources and facilities needed by the
audit team are available; (6) coni rm the time and date for the closing meeting; (7) promote
the active participation of mine personnel in the audit; and (8) review relevant site, safety
and emergency procedures for the audit team, of special importance for any mine visit.
Interviews with mine personnel at various levels provide an understanding of employees
environmental awareness and commitment to existing environmental objectives, employees
qualii cations in relation to job-specii c environmental and social tasks and to obtain subjec-
tive information. Frequently, staff will take the opportunity provided by an interview to
identify issues which they believe are not being adequately addressed by the mine manage-
ment. An experienced auditor will ask open-ended questions and will listen attentively.
Another critical component of the audit is the review of the environmental monitoring
program. The audit should test whether the monitoring programme adequately measures
the true nature and extent of all emissions to land, water and air. The mine monitoring pro-
gramme, therefore, is a central focus of any audit plan, which seeks to ensure that the environ-
mental management programme provides effective feedback on the extent of compliance and
that results are systematically reviewed to identify any breach of compliance or a trend that
may signal an impending breach. The monitoring programme for a project, often included
in the EIA, is usually subject to approval by the regulating agency, as one of the functions of
the monitoring programme is to demonstrate compliance with both the environmental condi-
tions of the approved mine plan and with regulatory requirements. The review of past mon-
itoring records provides the audit team with the opportunity to comment on the relevance
of collected data, past trends and the adequacy of the programme. Recommendations can be
made to either add or delete monitoring parameters or locations, or to modify monitoring fre-
quency. Monitoring programmes may not necessarily be restricted to regulatory requirements,
but may extend to issues which are not subject to compliance. Conformance with company
internal policies is one example of beyond compliance management.
A closeout meeting allows the audit team to clarify outstanding issues while provid-
ing initial feedback to the mine management. The main purpose of this meeting is for the

An experienced auditor will ask
open-ended questions and will
listen attentively.

CASE 12.1
Mining and Auditing

Few mine managers would question the merits of envi-
ronmental auditing. However, in today's world of corporate
responsibility, audit requirements may seem excessive.
Depending on circumstances, the operations may be subject
to (1) external and internal ISO audits; (2) corporate audit-
ing (also external and internal); (3) government audits; (4)
audits related to specifi c industry codes, such as the Cyanide

Code; and (5) other external audits such as may be required
by the Equator Principles Financial Institutions. The subject
matter of these audits also varies and may range from
health and safety, systems and compliance to environmental
and social performance. Since these various audits are for
different purposes and audiences, they are also uncoordi-
nated, occurring at different times in the year. On the other

hand, the audits cover many of the same issues and rely
on much the same information. Clearly, audits require much
time and attention from management and staff. However,
there is scope for rationalization. As suggested by one mining
executive, there may be merit in scheduling all audits to be
carried out either together or sequentially during a two or
three weeks 'audit season' each year.