ENVIRONMENTAL ADVICE - 24.08.2020

How to find a competent advisor

A recent case saw a consultant being fined for providing a client with poor advice. If you’re looking to employ someone who is supposedly an expert in their field, how can you ensure they are competent?

In court

A self-employed health and safety consultant has recently been fined £1,400 for giving inaccurate advice. It was clear that he didn’t know what he was talking about and shouldn’t have been claiming to be a competent advisor.

With environmental legislation potentially being an even more complex area of law, it’s vital that any advisor you engage is capable of providing sound guidance. So how can you avoid the cowboys?

Why do you need a consultant?

Environmental consultants provide advice to companies on a range of issues, such as efficient manufacturing, dealing with hazardous waste, sustainability initiatives, compliance, renewable energy, and water, air, and soil quality. Consultants can be useful in saving you time and resources, or in dealing with issues where you just don’t have the expertise.

Note. Most consultants have their own areas of speciality, such as due diligence, gaining planning permission, cleaning up contaminated sites and permitting and compliance.

Know what you want

Tip. Before you speak to an environmental consultant, carefully consider what you actually need help with and what you can take care in-house. Then create a detailed outline of the work that needs to be done by the specialist and what you want the result of the work to be.

Where to look

There are a number options available to aid your search.

The ENDS Directory (see The next step ) is a comprehensive list of consultants and advisors. You can search it on the basis of speciality and location. Another online search option is the Environment Analyst (see The next step ). Again, this includes detailed listings of individuals and organisations that should be able to support you.

Tip. Another good option is to speak to your colleagues to see who they use and if they are willing to provide a recommendation.

Check them out

Interview potential consultants to find out how they work, their areas of expertise and to build a rapport before any work starts. If your project demands knowledge of dealing with land remediation, for example, make sure the consultant has similar experience.

Tip. Ask how many sites they have worked on and how long the process took. Ask them to provide examples of previous clients and projects. Experienced environmental consultants usually ask detailed questions about your business, site, and the specific project.

For links to the ENDS Directory and Environment Analyst, visit http://tipsandadvice-environment.co.uk/download (EN 15.03.07).

You can find consultants online via sites such as the ENDS Directory and Environment Analyst. Another good option is to ask your colleagues who they use. Make sure you know what you need help with and check that the consultant has experience in similar projects and business sectors.

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