Campus EPA Audit Scheduled for March

The Risk Management/Environmental Safety and Health And Safety (RM/EHS) office announced that West Georgia will be the first of three universities in the state to conduct a voluntary self audit in compliance of the “College and University Compliance Initiative.” 

Theresa Jablecki-Kreil, director of RM/EHS

The initiative between the Board of Regents and the US Environmental Protection Agency allows UWG facilities and operations to be voluntarily audited and violations disclosed to the EPA.  In return, the EPA has agreed to substantially reduce or waive the fines and penalties that would normally be assessed. 

UWG, Georgia Tech and Georgia Perimeter College will be the first three USG institutions audited in this initiative. Risk Management will facilitate the audit, relying on input and assistance from Campus Planning & Facilities and other key departments on campus. It is a win-win situation said Theresa Jablecki-Kreil, director of RM/EHS.

"By participating in this program, the University System of Georgia will develop a highly knowledgeable, diverse group of environmental auditors,” said Jablecki-Kreil. “They will have visited other USG campuses and can assist in addressing concerns if their institution does not have a stand alone environmental office on campus.”

To avoid the fines and penalties, UWG will be obligated to develop and implement corrective measures to resolve any identified violations.

A team of auditors will conduct the comprehensive, multimedia environmental audit of all campus facilities and operations March 31 through April 4.

Areas likely to be of interest to the auditors will include academic buildings, teaching and research laboratories, chemical storage areas, printing and publication facilities, maintenance and grounds departments, housing facilities, food services and other areas where compliance issues may potentially exist. 

Targeted compliance topics auditors may address are the handling, storage and disposal of chemicals and hazardous wastes, air quality issues, waste water discharges, fuel storage tank maintenance, Right-to-Know training compliance, training and policy and procedure documentation, among a number of others.

The five-member audit team will have individuals from a private firm and the university system. Two of the auditors are members of Woodard and Curran, a Maryland firm selected by the BOR to lead the audit. Woodard and Curran has successfully lead a number of other EPA self-audit programs in the past several years, primarily in the northeastern United States.

Other auditors will be technical experts from other USG institutions. All auditors will be following the same protocols used by EPA enforcement inspectors to evaluate UWG for compliance in each of the EPA regulatory program areas.

In the coming weeks, RM/EHS will continue working with all UWG departments to prepare for the audit.  Please contact RM/EHS at (678) 839-6277 or email us at safety@westga.edu with any questions or requests for assistance.