The primary objectives of the EHS compliance audits was to assess whether operations and activities at each facility were i) in compliance with the host country’s HSE regulatory requirements and the clients corporate best practice standards, and where non-compliances were identified, to ii) recommend corrective actions along with the associated costings, timeframes and assignment of responsibilities to rectify the non conformances.

The onsite audits lasted between two to four days, depending on the size and complexity of the operation. On day 1 the local EHS management team provided SLP auditors with a brief facility presentation summarizing the facility operations, EHS programs and known issues or opportunities for strengthening the facility’s environmental, health and safety performance. This was followed by an orientation tour to familiarise SLP’s auditors with the layout and processes at each facility and to identify areas of the facility which required further detailed examination.

Additional targeted inspections were conducted a necessary and interviews held with representatives of the EHS Management Team. The company EHS documentation compiled at SLP’s request was checked to verify that all the appropriate EHS permits, licenses and permissions were in place for the facilities operations and that all emissions, discharges and waste disposal activities conformed with regulatory criteria.

A detailed EHS audit report was prepared for each facility which identified the non compliances and root causes (ranked by significance) and made recommendations with respect to the corrective actions required to address the non conformances including budgetary estimates, timescales and apportionment of responsibilities. The report was issued to facility management and corporate headquarters in the US.