HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 13 Handout 12-04-19 Operations PAGE 10 1 MARCH/APRIL 2018
A CULTURE OF CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT:
The Environmental AuditingProgram
cross-departmental knowledge.Well
defined best management practices
t are often recommended and revealed
during the audit process.
As the EAP looks ahead to the future,
Michele Farmer is confident that
or one aspect will remain constant, "the
culture of continuous improvement
( I i,* is rooted in proactivity and due
I diligence."The work we perform at
_ t OCSD is done with the community
in mind; the EAP helps OCSD
achieve its mission of protecting
public health and the environment.
Michele and all those who take part
in the EAP receive a sense of purpose
and satisfaction in knowing they are
Michele Farmer(Laboratory and Ocean Monitoring);Jim Colston(Environmental Services doing the right thing.
Administration);Lisa Frigo(Laboratory and Ocean Monitoring);Ron Coss(Laboratory and Ocean
Monitoring) As Director of Environmental
OCSD's Environmental Auditing environment by providing effective Services,Jim Colston acknowledges
Program (EAP) is an essential wastewater collection, treatment,and that"The success of the EAP
element of the Environmental recycling," stated Michele Farmer, program is found in the
Services Department's environmental Principal Environmental Specialist determination of all those involved
compliance strategy. The purpose and EAP program manager, to continue to understand that
of this program is to provide "standardization of structure and their work is essential in meeting
independent verification that all open communication are essential the goals of OCSD. Commitment,
communication, and a desire to
divisions comply with the required components to the audit process."
improve compliance are what drives
environmental laws, regulations,and policies. In essence, audits help Three recently completed audits the EAP forward." So, thank you
ensure OCSD adheres to permits were of the Waste Discharge to the Environmental Services
and regulations as well as policies and Requirements (WDR),Air Quality, Department for designing a robust
procedures to avoid violations and and Stormwater programs. The program that exceeds expectations
ultimately enforcement actions by subject matter experts for these and enables OCSD's mission to
regulatory agencies. audits are Dindo Carrillo, Randa be upheld.
AbuShaban, and Michelle Breiter,
The EAP has established a culture respectively. However, the EAP
that emphasizes continuous is not delegated to one person or
improvement, strong agency-wide department, but instead envelops all
cooperation, and effective lines of departments, promoting agency-wide
communication. This is through joint efforts to remain proactive.
support from management and a There are three areas of findings from
wealth of institutional knowledge an audit: compliance, conformance,
held by subject matter experts. and best management practices.
Proactivity and due diligence are Since the focus of the EAP remains
key messages of the EAP. "The tethered to continuous improvement,
program reveals that all of us here all findings are reviewed to improve
at OCSD have the same mission: each compliance area. Staff work
To protect public health and the together to solve problems and share
PIPELINE I ORANGE COUNTY SANITATION DISTRICT