What happens during an inspection

Inspections are used to assess if the rules are being followed. They are a snapshot of the operations on a site at the time of the inspection or for the time period a report or data is detailing.

On this page

• What happens during an inspection
• Environmental Compliance Inspections Explained (Video)
• How long inspections take
• Related topics

What happens during an inspection

When inspectors are planning where to inspect, they may consider many factors, including:

• Risk to human and environmental health
• Past non-compliance
• Geographic location
• Length of time since the last inspection

Inspections can be:

• Scheduled
• In response to a complaint or incident
• Announced
• Unannounced

They are typically done during regular business hours but could occur after hours if there’s a spill or other emergency. Inspectors also do off-site assessments of submitted data and reports, which can be done at any time with or without notice.

During an on-site inspection, inspectors will:

• Observe the facility and site operations
• Review plans
• Examine containers, spills, discharges, waste generation and equipment used to control emissions

The inspector may also:

• Ask questions
• Take notes and photographs
• Collect samples

On-site inspections may focus on the entire facility or just one or two specific areas.

Environmental Compliance Inspections Explained – Transcript

Welcome to Compliance 101 brought to you by the B.C. Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy. We’re going to run you through a basic overview of who we are, what we do and why.

The Compliance section is within the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy and includes environmental protection officers or inspectors. You might be wondering what we mean by compliance.

Well, compliance is just another way of saying following the rules. When you follow the rules, you’re “in compliance” with those rules. We check to make sure the rules in the Environmental Management Act and the Integrated Pest Management Act are followed. We’ll get into how we assess compliance later on.

So, each of the acts set out rules, and it’s our job to ensure those rules are met. There are many ways we help people follow the rules, which include providing educational materials and doing outreach.

If compliance can’t be achieved in this way, we have a system in place to assess the actual or potential level of environmental, human health or safety impacts.

We also look at previous instances of not following the rules and their willingness and ability to follow them. So, if you’re a company that has had the same issues many times and aren’t interested in fixing the problem, you’ll receive a more severe response than a company who has never broken the rules and is eager to make things right.

When inspectors are planning where to inspect, they may consider many factors including:

• Risk to human and environmental health
• Past non-compliance
• Geographic location
• Length of time since the last inspection

Inspections can be:

• Scheduled
• In response to a complaint or incident
• Announced
• Unannounced

They are typically done during regular business hours but may be after hours if there’s a spill or other emergency.

Inspectors also do off-site assessments of submitted data and reports, which can be done at any time with or without notice.

During an on-site inspection, inspectors will:

• Observe the facility and site operations
• Review plans
• Examine containers, spills, discharges, waste generation and equipment used to control emissions

The inspector may also:

• Ask questions
• Take notes and photographs
• Collect samples

On-site inspections may focus on the entire facility or just one or two specific areas. Site inspections may take a few hours to a day or two depending on facility size, how complex the site is and the number of rules to be assessed.

Inspection reports, which summarize the results of the inspection and compliance status, will be sent by the inspector by email or hardcopy once completed in our online system.

The possible outcomes of an inspection include:

• Notice: Confirms that no non-compliances were noted during an inspection
• Advisory: Advises of non-compliances found during an inspection
• Warning: In addition to advising that a non-compliance was found during the inspection, it also warns of possible escalating enforcement action if the non-compliance continues
• Administrative penalty: Is given in instances where a warning is considered not sufficient to deal with the impacts of the non-compliance. Financial penalties up to a maximum of $75,000 per non-compliance per day can be given
• Administrative sanction: Is the suspension or cancellation of a permit or approval, which means that the non-compliant party no longer has authorization to discharge
• Referrals for investigation: Is done when known or likely health impacts are severe, and there are indications of obstruction and ongoing non-compliance

These reports are made available online to the public after a review period and are found in the Natural Resource Compliance and Enforcement Database.

How long inspections take

Site inspections may take a few hours to a day or two depending on facility size, how complex the site is and the number of rules to be assessed.

Related topics