How to manage your environmental monitoring data for disaster risk reduction. Environmental disasters are something responsible companies work hard to avoid, with many corporate organisations spending years establishing their reputation as an environmentally responsible brand.
But, environmental disasters do occur, with natural causes and personnel errors listed as the highest cause. So, how are environmental teams managing and developing their environmental monitoring data strategy to protect and prevent future disasters?
Naturally, data is an important tool in case of environmental emergencies as monitoring that data plays a dominant role in assessing the extent of the damage, as well as a foundation for restoration and repair.
In order to assess the extent of responsibility, a validated and reliable source of background data is necessary. It might be completely impossible to draw up the total scope of responsibility of an environmental accident without a solid set of background data, even before site operations began.
Not saying that a company causing an environmental accident shouldn’t be responsible, but without solid background data, the company might be viewed as responsible for more than they should.
Today, in the financial industry, very few companies rely on spreadsheets or internal databases to manage their key financial and economic data. So why would a modern and responsible organisation rely on spreadsheets for environmental monitoring data?
The financial and reputational implications of an environmental disaster are nowadays far away from the small fine of yesterday. Recent examples around the world have shown that an environmental disaster can easily make the company liable for billions of US dollars.
In that light, it is rather insane that companies in this century still rely on spreadsheets to manage the very data that will form the basis for arguments around responsibility, action plans, and progress. A financial manager would require a professional, reliable and tested solution to manage financial data and risks. It is time that the environmental manager demands a comparable solution for monitoring environmental data!
