Monitoring program design for data‐limited marine biogenic habitats: A structured approach

Activism seeking to improve labor conditions in global supply chains has led many transnational corporations to adopt codes of conduct and to monitor suppliers for compliance. Drawing on thousands of audits conducted by a major social auditor, the authors identify structural contingencies in the institutional environment and program design under which codes and monitoring are more likely to be associated with improvements in conditions. At the institutional level, suppliers improve more when they face greater risk that nongovernmental organizations and the press will expose harmful working conditions. They also improve more when their buyers have experienced negative publicity for supply chain labor abuses. At the program design level, suppliers improve more on average when audits are pre-announced, when auditors are highly trained, and especially when both elements are present. Extended analysis of variations across violation types reveals nuances to these findings. For instance, pre-announced audits were followed by greater improvement in occupational safety and health practices but not child labor practices. These findings can inform strategies for improving supply chain working conditions.

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An operational and scientific monitoring program (OSMP) for the Prelude and Ichthys fields: a case study from the Browse Basin

The APPEA Journal ◽

10.1071/aj13053 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 54 (2) ◽

pp. 480

Author(s):

David Souter ◽

Steve Rogers ◽

Jamie Oliver

Keyword(s):

Oil Spill ◽

Monitoring Program ◽

Baseline Data ◽

Australian Institute ◽

Monitoring Programs ◽

Oil Spill Response ◽

Fit For Purpose ◽

Gas Fields ◽

Structured Approach

An OSMP is the principle tool for determining the extent, severity, and persistence of environmental impacts from an oil spill. The OSMP developed for the Shell Prelude and Inpex Ichthys gas fields has 13 operational monitoring programs (OMPs) and 12 scientific monitoring programs (SMPs) reflecting the complexity of the environment in which the developments are located. A partnership of organisations led by the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) will provide specialist expertise to help implement the OSMP. This unique multi-disciplinary partnership, comprising AIMS, CSIRO, University of Western Australia, Curtin University, WA ChemCentre, and Monash University, guarantees capability and capacity, reducing the level of risk incurred by individual organisations within the partnership. Fundamental to the success of any OSMP is the existence of adequate, fit-for-purpose baseline data against which post spill observations can be compared to determine the extent and severity of the spill and assess effectiveness of oil spill response. In addition, we believe adequate baselines with sufficient temporal resolution are essential for OSMP credibility and maintenance of the scientific reputations of partners. In committing capability to the OSMP implementation, AIMS and its partners have adopted a risk-based approach to assessing the adequacy of existing baseline data, to identify knowledge gaps, and assess the significance of those gaps and the feasibility of filling them. This extended abstract describes the structured approach taken to analyse the various risks and to develop a balanced suite of environmental baseline studies to address these risks.

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