OUR SERVICES :: 
• Environmental audits
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The environmental audit is an assessment of the environmental performance of a project, a facility or a unit. The audit allows objective information to be collected, evaluated and communicated efficiently. Sogreah Magelis develops independent site specific environmental audits that are systematic, documented, periodic, and which provide objective evaluations. The audit is a management tool that can be used for monitoring and improving performance, assessment of compliance with policy objectives and regulatory requirements and for implementing Best Practice Guidelines. The environmental audit may involve sampling, testing, analyses and confirmation of the practices and procedures of an operation. Sogreah Magelis verifies that these practices and procedures comply with criteria prescribed by legislation, accepted international industry standards, or your internal policies. |
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• Regulatory compliance audits
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In close association with lawyers, Sogreah Magelis develops specific audits for determining facility compliance with environmental and other applicable legal requirements, rules or laws. The compliance audit can be performed to assess conformity and adherence with corporate environmental policies, contracts, ordinances and statutes. The audit establishes the compliance status of a site at a given time. An action plan is prepared that ranks priorities to reduce financial risk. Monitoring processes are also developed, to ensure continued compliance (or continuous improvement towards compliance) with environmental legal requirements. |
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• Environmental design reviews
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The Environmental Design Review is performed by a Sogreah Magelis process expert and is undertaken for new projects at the design stage or for existing facilities. The review is particularly useful in the early stages of a new project as potential environmental impacts can be identified and addressed in the design stage. Therefore, costs of impact mitigation are minimized in the operation phase of a project. The principal steps in the review are as follows: • Identify environmental issues from review of engineering documents, operational documents and interviews with operators and/or design teams; • Evaluate the different environmental impact reducing technologies and options from an economic and technical point of view; and • Recommend alternative impact reducing measures either through design, or operation. |
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• Due diligence audits for mergers, acquisitions and closures
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Prior to purchasing an industrial site or carrying out a merger it is important to assess potential environmental liabilities. The Due Diligence audit is a key decision making tool for assessing potential liabilities and minimising financial risk. Environmental due diligence audits can be focused on cleanup costs or non-compliance investments. Depending on financial risks, additional items are also assessed, such as the environmental context, human resources, health and safety and hazard identification. At the international level, language barriers, local regulations and practices, business customs, and a general lack of information can be major constraints for effective due diligence audit performance. Sogreah Magelis is committed to address these issues with due diligence teams formed with both European and local experts. Our global experience includes studies in more than 150 countries for multinational companies and Sogreah Magelis’ team is trained to perform audits with tight deadlines. Sogreah Magelis has developed tools to assess potential environmental liabilities, including survey checklists, questionnaires, and financial software. Concise report formats help communicate the value and the risks of the asset under consideration - (properties/ infrastructure/ equipment). The environmental due diligence includes 2 steps: • Phase I Audit: A preliminary review of potential environmental issues or liabilities for a property, for ecosystems, for health & safety, etc... Typically, a Phase I audit includes a review of records and a visual examination of the property. The purpose is to identify potential concerns. • Phase II Audit: When the Phase I Audit has identified potential environmental liabilities, a Phase II Audit is recommended. The Phase II Audit entails analyzing soil, water and/or air for potential contaminants identified by the Phase I Audit and a financial evaluation of liabilities. |
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• Historical and documentary studies
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For potentially contaminated industrial sites, the historical study provides a good understanding of the site history and chemicals used on the site. Therefore the environmental investigation programs and the development of the environmental action plans can be optimized. In performing the Historical Study, Sogreah Magelis consults the private archives of the site operator and if necessary public archives, including analysis of aerial photographs (when available) to clarify the chronological order of building construction. An investigation program is then defined and a cartographic representation of potentially contaminated zones prepared. |
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• Site assessments
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Further to an environmental audit and/or a historical study of a potentially contaminated site, an investigation program is defined for each of the sensitive environmental aspects identified (soil, groundwater, surface waters and air quality). The following tasks may be performed during a site assessment: • Identification of underground networks systems from site layout drawings and confirmation using a detecting device; • Installation of groundwater monitoring wells and sampling of groundwater; • Performance of soil sampling (using drilling equipment, mechanical digger or manually using a hand auger); • Selection of the most representative samples with the aid of a Photo-Ionization Detector to detect volatile organic compounds, a multi-detector for other compound dissolved in water and various field tests to identify the presence of HAP, hydrocarbons, PCBs, etc. • Analysis of samples. The analysis is performed by an approved laboratory and the chemicals analysed are those identified as potential contaminants from current or past site activities; • Assessment of the analytical results in order to characterise the contamination and to determine appropriate monitoring methods and/or rehabilitation methods. Sogreah Magelis has established a quality assurance system for each phase of site assessment studies. |
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• Health and ecological risk assessments
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Health & Ecological Risk Assessments are performed to estimate the risk to human health and the environment from contaminated sites. The main steps for these assessments are the following: 1.Characterisation of the nature and extent of contamination 2.Hazard identification and dose-pathway assessment 3.Analysis of exposure and effects Risk management establishes rehabilitation objectives, design and action plans. Sogreah Magelis has developed innovative concepts e.g. Generic Health Risk Assessments for assessing health risk from the development of urban and leisure areas on abandoned industrial areas. Physical changes as well as chemical contamination can cause “stress” to ecosystems. Sogreah Magelis has developed integrated evaluation methods using modelling of flood plains, estuaries, etc, to assess impacts on sensitive mediums such as mangroves and wetlands. |
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• Remediation projects - management of polluted soil and groundwater
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The need for site remediation is based on site assessment, health risk assessment or ecological risk assessments. The remediation plan defines the objectives in terms of target contamination levels and identifies the most suitable means of performing the remediation. Sogreah Magelis can perform technical and economic feasibility studies to assess the suitability of different remediation technologies for specific remediation projects. The most suitable remediation technologies are selected based in a number of constrains, which include the physical and chemical characteristics of the contamination, characteristics of the soil and groundwater, geology, hydrogeology, project location and target remediation levels. Examples of remediation technologies are as follows: • Soil-vapor extraction • Remediation of vadose zone by air injection • Pump and treat (in situ extraction and treatment) • Air sparging for groundwater treatment • Bio-remediation • Bio-pile method • Reductive dechlorination of volatile organic compounds • Thermal desorption • Soil washing (treatment and separation) • Containment • Solidification • Etc. Sogreah Magelis provides engineering solutions that aim to optimise the remediation process through design, planning and cost control. Health & safety and technology controls are principal actions to ensure solutions satisfy both regulators and stakeholders. |
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• Environmental baseline studies
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Environmental Baseline Studies (EBS) are performed prior to the development of industrial facilities to enable future environmental status to be compared to the reference date. Sogreah Magelis specialises in the management and performance of EBS studies for the industries worldwide and the methods and tools reflect travel and access constraints. A multidisciplinary EBS team is created for each assignment and can comprise geologist, hydro-geologists, biologists, marine biologists and socio-economists depending on the scope and specific aspects of the study. For example, the following tasks are usually performed: • Sampling of surface water and groundwater, the groundwater samples are taken from drinking water wells if present in the area. • For coastal and offshore studies, sediment samples are taken with a grab and characteristics of benthic communities are established. • Characterisation of the socio-economic context of the area. • Identification and characterisation of the flora and fauna. Geographic Information System (GIS) is commonly used by Sogreah Magelis to report data. |
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• Environmental impact assessments
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Environmental Impact Assessment is the process of assessing the predicted environmental impacts that result from a project and the identification of options to avoid or minimise these impacts. The main purpose of the assessment is to identify key issues early in the life of a project to assist Project Management and Authorities in the decision making process, so that potentially adverse impacts can be addressed before final approval made. Sogreah Magelis performs EIA according to the following methodology: • Identify sensitive components of the environment within the project area and its surroundings. • Identifying in design, construction, operations and decommissioning where adverse environmental impacts may occur, and to consider measures to avoid, mitigate or ameliorate these effects. • Develop a basis for contingency planning. • Identify environmental regulations which may affect the development. • Assist planning and operations by recommend procedures and practices to be followed during construction and operation to ensure that environmental effects are mitigated or minimised. • Provide guidance on environmental management programmes, including compliance monitoring, auditing and contingency planning. |
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• Atmospheric emission and air quality studies
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Regulations regarding atmospheric emission characteristics and the ambient air quality near air emission stacks are becoming increasingly stringent. To ensure compliance with regulations atmospheric emission and air quality studies are performed at design stage or for Environmental Impact Assessment. Typical applications include: IPPC authorisations, stack height determination, odour modelling, environmental impact assessments and safety and emergency planning. Sogreah Magelis performs air emission studies using international recognized models (Cf. Modelling). Therefore, stack design, location of discharges, treatment efficiency are tested to comply with guidelines or standards. All results are mapped with iso-concentration contouring. |
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• Assistance in implementing environmental management systems (ISO 14001)
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The Environmental Management System (EMS) is a tool for financial risk management. Sogreah Magelis can provide assistance for the implementation of your EMS and will assist you in selecting the most suitable system. Sogreah Magelis offers integrated Health-Safety and Environment Systems for a consistent management approach: • ISO 14001 standard. An EMS provides order and consistency for organisational efforts to address environmental concerns through the allocation of resources, assignment of responsibilities and ongoing evaluation of practices, procedures and processes. • OHSAS 18001 standard to improve health and safety performance. Procedures are established for the ongoing identification of hazards, the assessment of risks and the implementation of necessary control measures. Frequent audits will allow system monitoring with permanent improvement. |
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• Industrial hazard evaluation (Hazid, Hazop)
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Sogreah Magelis can provide expertise to perform, lead, assist or advise clients in the performance of HAZOP and HAZID studies. The HAZard and OPerability (HAZOP) and HAZard IDentification (HAZID) studies are process risk assessment tools performed for new design or existing installations. These studies are part of safety studies performed in order to obtain operating permits from authorities or they can be part of risk management programs. The HAZID study identifies external hazards, facility hazards and health hazards and is a precursor for more detailed study. The aim is to identify the major accident hazards and flag areas of concern. The HAZID is performed as a group task using guidewords to assist the team in considering all possible hazard sources. The HAZOP study assesses the risk of process deviations. Deviation scenarios are established and the probability and consequences estimated using either qualitative or semi-quantitative methods enabling the risk to be calculated. The HAZOP is performed by a multi-disciplinary team comprising a HAZOP leader (safety specialist), process engineers, instrumentation engineers, production engineers and operators. |
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• Oil Spill Contingency Plan
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The Oil Spill Contingency Plan (OSCP) is an operational document that provides the information necessary for crisis management teams to respond to an oil spill for a specific facility. Sogreah Magelis can prepare OSCPs for upstream and down stream oil and gas facilities (offshore and onshore) and marine port facilities. We prepare concise documents with the view to ease of use in the crisis situation. Typically we provide an “action book” and a “document book”. The action book outlines a description of facilities, identification of environmentally sensitive areas, a summary of sea and weather condition including current movement, identification of spill scenarios, strategy for response, estimation of spill movement for different scenarios, response team job definitions, spill notification procedures, action check lists for response team members, contact details (authorities, assistance, client, stakeholders and shareholders…). The document book provides all technical documents and reference documents that may need to be consulted by the response team. |
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• Modelling
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SOGREAH MAGELIS has the expertise to perform diverse modelling. Examples are as follows:
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• Socio-economic studies and sustainable development
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Companies are exposed to diversity of culture, social impacts and issues as ethics and accountability. There is a need for companies to increase the transparency of these globalised activities and to look at their social responsibility and other ethical issues. Benefits for businesses that address their social responsibilities can include: • Obtain licence to operate • More understanding of the environment in which a business operates • New business opportunities • Better employee morale, increased productivity and improved ability to attract and retain high level staff Enhanced reputation Social issues are linked to other issues such as environmental responsibility, health and safety, corporate governance, community relations or human resources. Understanding the breadth of social issues, and coordinating responses is a new challenge. Sogreah Magelis has developed evaluation methods for adequate mitigation measures and societal action plan. This methodology includes the following 7 steps: 1.Field preparation of stakeholders inventory 2.Key stakeholders identification 3.Key stakeholders ranking 4.Stakeholders profile preparation 5.Risk assessment using risk & probability methods 6.Mitigation plan for each critical stakeholder 7.Action plan including communication, monitoring, performance evaluation, etc. |
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• Training
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Sogreah Magelis offers on site environmental and safety training sessions to its clients. The main objective of our courses is to provide training in knowledge and skills for environmental related work. Training courses can be prepared to meet client specific needs. • Examples of training that can be provided are: • Establishing strategies and tools for identifying and implementing environmental objectives • Methods for performing environmental impact assessments • Methods for performing environmental monitoring • Methods for performing safety studies (HAZOP and HAZID) • Establishing strategies for emergency response • Selection and use of specific emergency response equipment (e.g. Oil spill response equipment) |
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