What is an Environmental Risk Assessment?
An Environmental Risk Assessment (ERA) is a scientific process that identifies and evaluates the likelihood of a business to threaten the environment, in particular to living organisms, natural habitats, and ecosystems.
We feature 3 of the best environmental risk assessment templates you can download for free and customize based on your business needs. Conduct more efficient environmental risk assessments on-site. Spend less time recording risks and more time fixing them.
Importance of Performing Environmental Risk Assessments
Mining, manufacturing, and construction industries are the main contributors of water, air, and soil pollution. Key contributing activities include improper disposal of chemicals, heavy usage of air polluting equipment and machinery, asbestos handling, soil contamination and industrial noise.
Employers should carry out thorough risk assessments and inspections to develop a good Environmental Management System (EMS) and ensure that businesses operate without any contributing factors that may cause harm to the environment.
6 Steps to an Effective Environmental Risk Assessment
An environmental risk assessment template can be used by risk managers and policy makers to document any non-conformances and potential environmental hazards caused by the business and its workers.
Here are 6 critical steps to performing a successful ERA:
- Problem Formulation - the most critical step where risk managers define the scope of an ERA by identifying what needs to be protected from harm
- Hazard Characterization - examining the potential environmental hazards present in the workplace
- Exposure Characterization - identifying what and who is at risk
- Risk Characterization - combining hazard and exposure characterization results and then assessing the risk
- Documentation - record the results of the assessment and implement precautions
- Monitoring - reviewing the assessment at regular intervals
Using Technology to Improve Environmental Risk Assessments
Performing an ERA can be a cumbersome process requiring significant documentation and on-site gathering of evidence. This is where technology and modern mobile applications can assist.
iAuditor is the world’s #1 form building app which converts your risk assessment forms into powerful mobile inspection applications. iAuditor’s intuitive mobile application enables assessors to capture high-quality data including photo evidence faster and easier. Detailed reports are generated instantly on-site and automatically saved online.
To save you time, we have built these environmental risk assessment templates you can download immediately to start using. All templates are 100% customizable - no programming skills required. iAuditor is free to use for small teams and offers advanced features for premium subscriptions - view pricing and features.
