How to Select an Environmental Consultant?

It is important to understand that a business is not simply about making money any more. It is a venture that involves humans working at a site for hours and it is the responsibility of the owner of the business to ensure that his employees have a safe working environment. Gone are the days when one could simply rent a place and move in people and start working. If there is an accident on the site and the cause is traced back to the lack of knowledge about the surrounding and environment, then it can have serious legal consequences. This is where an Environmental Consultant comes in. Here are a few ways to select an environmental consultant:

Check Qualification

Check whether the environmental consultant is registered. Interview him to know whether he has adequate experience in the field. Unlike other jobs, this kind of work entails field knowledge. A thorough practical knowledge about water conditions, soil conditions- including the chemicals that seep into the water and its iron content; air pollution and their subsequent effects on a particular site is required.

Work Experience

Ask the consultant whether he has experience in your field of work. A consultant who has mostly worked in the field of hazardous chemicals, for example, in chemical laboratories, might not have sufficient knowledge about the kind of soil required to build a windmill. Specific knowledge goes a long way in the detection of subtle anomalies in the surroundings.

Determine the Scope Of Work With Your Consultant

  • Next, the consultant should be adept in both technical and legal issues- sometimes a seemingly proper site might have legal entanglements which needs to be sorted out before the work starts. He should also be knowledgeable about engineering problems on a site as well as the extent of technology that can be used on it. He should also know about government rules and regulations regarding specific kind of constructions. Only a perfect understanding of all the aspects would enable him to make the correct deductions.

  • Never choose a consultant on the basis of fees that he charges. Environmental risk assessment involves more than a basic survey and lower charges might just make you land up with an inexperienced consultant. This is one area of business which should be above profit and loss. Try to get the best person suited for the job, irrespective of how much he charges.

Conduct interviews

A good way of deciding which environmental consultant to settle upon is to analyze the kind of questions he or she is asking. An experienced consultant will ask detailed questions, not just about the present condition of the site, but about the previous developments in the area as well. He will ask for data and analyze them and try to draw specific conclusions, ruling out any possibility of ambiguity.