Offshore Facilities pre start-up Audit Questionnaire

Emission control, effluent and waste management

General

What legislation applies to waste/emissions and effluents?

  What standards govern environmental protection?

  Is there specific permits/licences related to your facilities?

Is there any soil or ground water contamination?

  Is there a soil or ground water monitoring programme?

-   at the facility audited?

-   at all waste storage/treatment and disposal sites?

  What are the longer-term plans for the facility?

-   does this include site clean-up and/or restoration?

Is there an emergency response plan?

  What pollution control and prevention systems are available/in place?

  Is it allowed to use dispersants?

-   is approval from authorities required

-   are special procedures required?

Are disposal treatment/facilities company or third party owned and operated?

  Do they comply with regulatory guidelines?

  Do they comply with Group guidelines?

-   how frequently are they inspected?

-   how frequently are they audited?

Is it necessary to report spills (what size)?

  What is method of reporting?

  What happens with incident reports?

  Which department monitors spills?

Is there a record of spills?

  Have there been any major spills?

  Has there been a major spill above 6000 bbl?

  How was containment of these spills managed?

Are there any complaints on noise, smell, other effects from facility staff?

Is there a group co-ordinating environmental protection?

  What are the reporting relationships to:

-   the line

-   management?

What instructions are given regarding interviewee's role in relation to the environment?

  What training has he/she been given on specific environmental matters?

What is the programme for environmental inspections?

  Who participates in inspections?

  Is the programme adhered to?

Emission control

Has there been an inventory of emissions?

  Has the effect of emissions been quantified?

  Has a plan been created for control of emissions?

  Have longer term legal liabilities been addressed?

Is there a corporate emission management plan?

  Are emission streams monitored?

  Are there targets for emission limits?

-   are they measurable?

-   are the targets adhered to?

  Is it clear who can authorise deviations?

Effluent segregation

Is there a system for categorising effluents, inventorising and presenting performance indicators?

Does the system differentiate between:

  Entirely oil-free water;

  Domestic sewage;

  Accidentally oil-contaminated water (AOC);

  Continuously oil-contaminated water (COC);

  Stripped sour water;

  Water contaminated with acids;

  Water containing solids, emulsifying agents, etc.;

  Firefighting/cooling water;

  Run-off water?

Does the entirely oil-free water only include:

  Boiler blowdown;

  Cooling water return/blowdown;

  Rain water from offices, warehouse, parking lots and domestic areas?

Is the domestic sewage water in a separate system discharged into:

  A public sewer system;

  A public bio-treating facility;

  Septic tanks which are approved by local authorities;

  A company owned bio-treater?

Is the AOC water collected in a liquid filled system?

  Is the AOC water discharged via an oil holding basin or an oil trap?

  Does the AOC water include:

-   cooling water or condensate which may become contaminated with oil;

  Does the AOC include rain water from:

-   manifold areas with maximum of three valves;

-   oil-free processing areas;

-   pipe tracks;

-   tank farms;

-   roads within process plot area;

-   marshalling yards;

-   other areas not specified under oil-free and COC areas?

Is the COC water collected in a separate liquid filled system?

  Is the COC water routed via an oil separator (e.g. CPI) and oil holding basin before discharge?

  Does the COC water include:

-   oily process water which did not undergo steam stripping;

-   oily condensate;

-   cooling water blowdown which may be polluted with oil;

-   cooling water and seal water from pump glands;

-   water from laboratory and analyser houses;

-   drain water from tank bottoms not subject to stripping;

-   ballast water;

  Does the COC water include rain water from:

-   loading areas;

-   process areas where oil spillage is expected;

-   pump manifolds;

-   manifold areas with four or more valves?

Are water streams containing H2S or light hydrocarbons stripped?

  Does the stripped sour water flow through an interceptor first?

-   before discharge to AOC system or secondary treating?

Are chemically contaminated streams treated in secondary treatment systems?

  Are water streams contaminated with acids via a neutralisation pit?

Are streams with impaired gravity separation kept out of COC?

  Are such streams treated and disposed of separately?

Is the fire water discharged via the oil-free, AOC or COC systems?

Is there an overall plan indicating all the various catchement areas?

Have there been any excess discharges from sumps?

  How were they detected and controlled?

Have there been any liquid sprays from HP or LP vent?

  Deliberate or due to process upsets?

Waste management

Is there a corporate waste management plan?

  Are waste streams monitored?

  Are there targets for waste limits?

-   are they measurable?

-   are the targets adhered to?

  Is it clear who can authorise deviations?

Have all wastes been inventorised?

  How are new wastes identified?

  Are wastes streams categorised for?

-   physical properties?

-   chemical properties?

-   toxicological properties?

  Are waste streams categorised in terms of health and environmental hazards?

-   is this information used to determine disposal options?

-   to safeguard occupational health?

Is waste segregated?

  What facilities are used to segregate waste?

  Are there control values for waste streams?

-   what happens if control values are exceeded?

  Is there a waste manifest system for off-site haulage and disposal?

How is sewage treated and disposed of?

How is kitchen domestic waste disposed of?