Each indicator’s value (in NOTES column), if available and relevant, and each group of indicators value (in EVALUATION column), may give indications towards or against the determination of the clues of environmental damage (or imminent threat of damage) or may provide auxiliary data/information (for a better understanding of the case), depending on the case being investigated.
When looking for clues of environmental damage, depending on the case, indicator’s values and group of indicators may be either:
- FAVOURABLE to the identification of the clues of environmental damage; or
- UNFAVOURABLE to the identification of the clues of environmental damage; or
- AUXILIARY data/information; or
- NOT AVAILABLE data/information (in this case, the possibility/legitimacy/needs/benefits of collecting/requiring further data/information, for the identification of the clues of environmental damage, might be evaluated and expressed); or
- NOT RELEVANT data/information (in this case the indicator should not be considered)
The compilation of the ISPD tables after the screening phase, based on the available data and information, may be preparatory to the identification of the clues of environmental damage.
After compiling the ISPD tables for each component of the ISPD model an evaluation is initially made for each evaluation objective. This is followed by an interim judgement, considering the relative significance of each evaluation objective to the interim judgement.
The outcome of the interim judgement may be either:
- CLUES OF DAMAGE IDENTIFIABLE: the values assumed by the indicators are such as to provide useful data and information for the identification of the clues of environmental damage or rather favourable indicators are determined; or
- ABSENCE OF CLUES OF ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGE: the values assumed by the indicators are such as not to provide useful data and information for the definition of the clues of environmental damage, or rather non-favourable indicators are determined; or
- DATA/INFORMATION TO IDENTIFY CLUES OF DAMAGE NOT SUFFICIENT: there is no sufficient data or information which enable to express a judgement. In this case, the possibility/legitimacy/needs/benefits of collecting/requiring further data/information through further investigations should be evaluated and expressed.
It is possible that a judgement on the existence of clues of environmental damage can be reached even only from indicators relating to the IMPACT and STATE components. In the case that this judgement cannot be achieved due to the lack of sufficient data and information from IMPACT and STATE components, data and information relating to PRESSURE component may be fundamental for identifying the clues of environmental damage. Whereas, as already mentioned, the DRIVER component is mainly useful to identify and verify the causal link between the adverse effects and the occupational activity.
The clues of environmental damage identified and expressed in the final judgement may be of two types (see fig. 4):
- CLUES OF NATURAL RESOURCE (CNR): based on the identification of possible sustained adverse effects on the natural resources, deriving from the combination of the indicators of the STATE component, which represents the baseline of the resource, and of the IMPACT component, indicative of adverse effects caused by the damaging occurrence and damage factors (PRESSURE);
- CLUES OF DAMAGING OCCURRENCE AND DAMAGE FACTORS + NATURAL RESOURCE (CD+CNR): based on the identification of the hazardousness and magnitude of the damaging occurrence and damage factors (through the indicators of the PRESSURE component) in combination with a minimum level of information of adverse effects on the natural resources (through the indicators of the IMPACT and STATE components). In such a case, the combined information level (CD+CNR) may represent a sufficient level for identifying a clue of environmental damage.
The phase of determination of the clues of environmental damage, hence, may be carried out through the investigation on the CNR and/or the CD+CNR.
When the clues are identified, the investigation would continue and the ISPD table may still be used and filled with data and information, otherwise in absence of clues the case is filed as “non-ELD case”. The following fig. 5 shows the procedure described.
Note: evalutation of data and information collected in relation to indicators is a prerogative of the users. No directions is provided for any evaluation of the “Description” columns outputs to be indicated in the “Evaluation” and “Interim Judgement” columns.
Note: the criteria for the evaluation of a single or a group of indicators which may lead to the determination of imminent threat of damage, as well as to clues and evidence of environmental damage, cannot be not provided as a template because it may depend on case by case. However, indicators useful to identify the imminent threat of damage, the clues and evidence of damage have been coloured and dressed with a symbol.