Are You Ready for an Audit | Leather Working Group

Question 1

General facility details

No

Yes

Does your facility have a specific manufacturing facility?

Is your company a leather manufacturer?

Can you provide the exact geo reference number for your site?

Question 2

Operating Permits

No

Yes

Do you have all the required operating permits, are they up to date and do you comply with them?

Question 3

Tannery Data

No

Yes

If you process from raw, do you manage the use of chrome and can you produce an accurate mass balance for the chrome in leather and waste materials?

If you buy semi processed material do you source the majority of the material from LWG rated sources?

Question 4

Traceability

This will not affect your LWG rating but it will help you in other areas.

No

Yes

Can you trace your material back to the slaughterhouse or do you have a system for marking individual hides or skins to identify the exact source?

Question 5

Environmental Management Systems

No

Yes

Do you have a documented, effective and active environmental management system, either an in-house system or third party verified?

Have you conducted an “Aspects and Impacts Analysis” as part of your EMS?

Question 6

Restricted Substances

No

Yes

Do you have RSL specifications for all your customers and are they up to date?

If your customers don’t have a specification do you have your own?

Do you conduct third party testing of your production?

In the event of an RSL failure do you have a procedure for a corrective action plan with evidence?

Question 7

Energy Consumption

No

Yes

Do you measure your energy consumption per unit area of material produced?

Question 8

Water Usage

No

Yes

Do you meter the water in and out of your manufacturing facility?

Do you measure the water usage per unit area of material produced?

Question 9

Air Emissions

No

Yes

Have you created an air emissions inventory (a detailed record of all emission points)?

Are there functioning emission control devices on very exit point?

Can you confirm that you do not conduct any unregulated burning or incineration on site?

Do you have a full VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds) inventory for all chemicals used on site?

Question 10

Waste Management

No

Yes

Do you have a documented waste management procedure?

Have you created a full list of all wastes created on-site and their disposal route?

Are all your waste disposal agents licensed by the authorities, and is all the waste including barrels disposed of legally?

Can you confirm that you do not stock-pile any wastes on site?

If waste is used as fuel on site, has it been tested for gaseous emissions and contaminant residues in burnt material?

Question 11

Effluent Treatment

No

Yes

Is all the waste water treated to meet legal requirements, either in your own site or in a third party CETP or METP?

Do you or your third party measure the following waste water parameters at least four times per year?

BOD
COD
Suspended Solids
Nitrogen (Kjeldahl or Ammonia)
Chromium VI

If the facility irrigates using waste water has this been tested and approved by a third party or relevant expert?

Question 12

Emergency Plans

No

Yes

Where VOC is present has a work place VOC exposure assessment been conducted?

Where relevant (beamhouse and waste water) has a hydrogen sulphide risk assessment been undertaken?

Are Hydrogen Sulphide detectors present in high risk areas like the beamhouse and waste water treatment plants?

Question 13

Housekeeping

No

Yes

Is the site clean and tidy?

Are walkways clearly marked and free of obstruction and trip hazards?

Is work in progress neatly stored in marked areas?

Are chemicals stored in an orderly manner?

Are machines cleaned and maintained?

Are the moving parts of machines guarded?

Is protective equipment provided and worn by the staff?

Is electrical wiring and distribution boxes safely secured?

Question 14

Manufacturing Processes

No

Yes

Are manufacturing processes documented and controlled?

Is process critical measuring equipment maintained and calibrated regularly?

Are staff adequately trained and inducted?

Question 15

Beamhouse Processes

No

Yes

Are manufacturing processes documented and controlled?

Is process critical measuring equipment maintained and calibrated regularly?

Are staff adequately trained and inducted?

Question 16

Post Tanning Processes

No

Yes

Are manufacturing processes documented and controlled?

Is process critical measuring equipment maintained and calibrated regularly?

Are staff adequately trained and inducted?

Question 17

Finishing Processes

No

Yes

Are manufacturing processes documented and controlled?

Is process critical measuring equipment maintained and calibrated regularly?

Are staff adequately trained and inducted?

Question 18

Complaints and Public Relations

No

Yes

Are odours and noise measured and is there a complaints procedure?