Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
team to present the audit i ndings to the site management so that they are fully understood
and to enable management to correct any misunderstandings or misrepresentations. The
closeout meeting thus provides an opportunity to resolve any disagreements between the
auditing team and the mine management or staff. The i nal decision on the signii cance
and description of the audit i ndings rests with the lead auditor, even if the mine manage-
ment disagrees with the i ndings.
The closeout meeting thus
provides an opportunity to
resolve any disagreements
between the auditing team and
the mine management or staff.
Issuing the Audit Report
The client is provided with a written report of the audit i ndings (and/or a summary
thereof). Unless the client states otherwise, the auditee should also receive a copy of the
report as draft for comments. The audit report should follow an agreed content and for-
mat. Any photo-documentation should support critical issues if identii ed. Information
that may be contained in an audit report includes (but is not limited to) the following: (1)
identii cation of the organization audited and of the client; (2) agreed objectives and scope
of the audit; (3) agreed criteria against which the audit was conducted; (4) period cov-
ered by the audit and the date(s) the audit was conducted; (5) identii cation of the audit-
team members; (6) identii cation of the auditee's representatives participating in the audit;
(7) statement of the coni dential nature of the contents; (8) distribution list for the audit
report; (9) summary of the audit process including any obstacles encountered; and (10)
audit conclusions.
The lead auditor, in consultation with the client, should determine which of these items,
together with any additional items, should be included in the report. Normally it is the
responsibility of the auditee to determine any corrective action needed in response to the
audit i ndings. However the auditor may provide recommendations when there has been
prior agreement to do so with the client.
The evidence collected during an environmental audit will inevitably only be a sample
of the information potentially available, as audits are conducted over a limited period of
time and with limited resources. There will therefore be an element of uncertainty inher-
ent in all audit reports. The audit limitations should be stated in the i nal audit reports
so that the users of the results of environmental audits are aware of this uncertainty. The
auditing process, however, should be designed to provide the client with the desired level
of coni dence in the reliability of the audit i ndings.
Finally it is fair to say that it is tempting for some auditors to present a negative and
damaging audit report as the emphasis is generally on identifying non-compliance and
environmental liabilities. This is believed to be a self-defeating attitude. The main thrust
of the audit should be 'Here are some areas where you can improve your environmental
performance' rather than 'Hey I found things at your project that are not as they should
be'. Thus an audit should be viewed constructively, identifying opportunities for improv-
ing environmental performance and thereby enhancing the image of the mining company,
the mining industry, and the regulators.
The main thrust of the audit
should be 'Here are some areas
where you can improve your
environmental performance'
rather than 'Hey I found things at
your project that are not as they
should be'.
12.3 SOMETIMES THINGS GO WRONG
Occasionally a mining project will cause serious impacts that were not predicted in the
EIA. Well known examples include both the Ok Tedi (Papua New Guinea) and Grasberg
(Indonesia) Copper projects, where mine wastes were discharged to rivers in the belief that
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