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The road to excellent operations is paved with internal audits. Guy Beards, Wiltshire College Alan Cumber, Institute of Cancer Research Richard Woods, Kings College London Sara Kassam, University of East London . Our journeys. What we will cover. Why audit? Principles of auditing
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The road to excellent operations is paved with internal audits Guy Beards, Wiltshire College Alan Cumber, Institute of Cancer Research Richard Woods, Kings College London Sara Kassam, University of East London
What we will cover • Why audit? • Principles of auditing • Scenarios and following the audit trail • Templates to share Remember: there is no right or wrong way of auditing! You need to find a style that suits your institution but there are key things that should be covered.
Why audit? • Engage people within the organisation. • Collection of evidence. • Continual improvement of environmental performance. • Evaluate compliancewith law and commitments • Inform Senior Management (Management Review)
Principles of auditing • Ethical conduct • Fair presentation • Due professional care • Appropriate level of detail • Independence from management pressure • Systematic (no important issues missed) Auditors are there to help the auditees!
Horizontal vs Vertical auditing Horizontal Vertical Audit trail Covers a small range in greater detail Adds value and “homes in” to particular areas Particularly good for identifying improvement objectives • Checklist approach • Covers a wide range of topics in one go. • Suitable for first audits • Essential for evaluating legal compliance
Adding value by following an audit trail Audit photo Audit trail 4.3.1 Significant impact? 4.4.6 Operational Control? 4.4.7 Emergency 4.4.1 Responsible person(s) Preparedness? 4.4.2 Evidence of training 4.4.4Documentation 4.4.3 Communication 4.3.3 Continuous Improvement?
Scenarios – over to you! Watch the following four scenarios, what would you include in your audit trail? With thanks to Toby Jones (UEL), Emma Leacock (ICR) and Tariq Kassam (University of Kent)
Build a great audit team • Train your team together with other universities/colleges • Use people with different skills • Include managers and operators • Keep your team informed (and fed!) • An auditee makes a great auditor • Offer IRCA certification as a transferrable skill.
Templates to share • We’ll share our documents online (EAUC website) • We encourage you to go away and think about how the forms can be modified to meet own requirements. • Introducing the Peer Auditing exchange
The value of peer auditing • Gaining expertise without cost • A new pair of eyes • Sharing experience • Exchanging ideas • Instant authority of the “outsider”
Take home messages • Auditing is not scary! • Use auditing as a tool throughout EMS development, not just at the end. • There is no perfect way to audit – develop a system that works for you and your organisation. Top Tip: Shadowing audits is invaluable, either in a different department e.g. health and safety or in another organisation.
Your next steps – making the most of your EAUC Membership… • Resources - visit the dedicated environmental management systems EAUC resource bank section • Training - offered with discounts for EAUC Members: • Introduction to Environmental Management Systems, location: TBC, 19 April 2012 • Environmental Management Systems (EMS) Auditing, location: Rodbaston Hall, South Staffordshire College, 22 May 2012 - 24 May 2012 • Recognition - want recognition for your auditing efforts - enter the 2012 Green Gown Awards continuous improvement category. Entries open summer 2012 • Measure and improve - sign up to LiFE for a whole institution approach to sustainability www.thelifeindex.org.uk. EAUC Members receive a significant discount Membership matters at www.eauc.org.uk