WHAT IS WFER?
The Waste Facility Environmental Review Process (WFER) is a method
of ascertaining information on waste facilities and transporters that may be
used by each waste generator as the basis for their risk assessment and eventual
use of a waste facility or transporter. The development of the Waste Facility
Environmental Review Process has been sponsored by the Western Canadian Auditing
Roundtable (WCAR). WCAR is composed of internal Health, Safety and Environmental
Auditors from major Western Canadian companies.
Twelve WCAR members formed a task force to develop a questionnaire and process
to gather the data necessary so that each of us could perform our own risk assessment
of waste companies. While waste companies may take title to our wastes and indemnify
us, both the legislation and civil precedents still leave the generator subject
to risk of expensive remediation. A generator ‘owns’ wastes from cradle
to grave. Performing risk assessments on the waste facilities that we use forms
part of our due diligence. Establishing due diligence not only aids in defending
against litigation, but if done well, helps companies avoid getting into a situation
were litigation is considered.
The WCAR task force members, using our own protocols as a base, hired a consultant
to combine these plus other relevant industry practices to develop the ‘best
practices’ questionnaire. Following wide consultation with waste industry
companies and environmental associations, the draft was upgraded and then tested
at three pilot waste facilities. Final improvements were incorporated into the
questionnaire and a consultant’s guidance manual developed. We believe
that the questionnaire is clear and understandable from the generator (assessor),
waste facility and verifying consultant’s points of view.
The WFER Process has been introduced to industry at seminars in Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver, Halifax, and Toronto. Over 500 waste generators, transporters, receivers, environmental consultants and regulators attended these seminars. As well as the WCAR task force, over 40 endorsing companies, the Canadian Petroleum Products Institute and the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers have endorsed the WCAR WFER process. Waste receivers have over 50 completed WFERs to date.
The WCAR Waste Facility Environmental Review process
involves:
A standard questionnaire that has been developed based on the current best practices
of the members of WCAR.
Each waste
facility location or transporter completing the questionnaire.
Waste facility or transporter engaging an independent third party to verify
the accuracy of the questionnaire. Verification involves a site visit, signing
a Code of Ethics and following of the verification steps outlined in the Consultant’s
Manual.
Waste facilities or transporters own the completed document and are free to
share their questionnaire with those generators they choose (not just WCAR companies).
Each waste generator evaluating the waste facility or transporter based on the
information contained in the questionnaire and their own internal risk standards.
This evaluation should be documented. The evaluation may include a site visit
and additional financial or other information.
All parties communicating their successes and issues with the process to WCAR for improvement of the process.
The completed
and verified questionnaire is ‘owned’ by the facility and can be used
as a business development tool for other generators, many of whom have attended
our seminars and endorse this process. The WFER is valid for three years or
a significant change in operations.
To aid in the implementation of the process, WCAR has sponsored a WFER
Help Desk to answer WFER completion questions and has created
this web site to provide information on the process, to list those companies
endorsing the process and those facilities with completed WFERs. As part of
WCAR’s commitment to improving the process, WFER Version 2 has just been
released.
Completion of a WFER is now an integral part of endorsing company’s Waste
Facility Assessment Process.
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Click here to go to WFER Help Contacts |