1.3.2. Social Impact of Infrastructure

Public infrastructure is closely related to quality of life: better roads reduce accidents and improve public safety, good quality water systems reduce the level of diseases, waste management improves health, etc. In the same way, the long-term stability and success of societies rely on a healthy and productive population. A society that faces unrest, poverty and disease is unlikely to develop in the long term.

Audit suggestion! Furthermore, infrastructure is important for connecting societies and communities to vital services. Take a look at this audit conducted by the Office of the Auditor General of Canada, which looks at how the transportation links to the Northern communities that are scattered around on complicated terrain and bad weather conditions are guaranteed.

Health impacts can be negative, such as diseases caused by air, water and noise pollution. But infrastructure can also have a positive impact on human health, such as safer traffic and less accidents due to new transport infrastructure.  

Audit suggestion! Take a look at this audit conducted by the Government Accountability Office of the United States of America. The audit looks at whether drinking water at childcare facilities – where lead can enter the water from plumbing materials and fixtures within the building – is safe.

In terms of the security of infrastructure, we commonly talk about energy security, which deals with how secure the supply and transmission of energy, be it electricity, oil, gas or heat, is in any given country. The most common analysis done in terms of energy security is whether there is enough energy production to ensure peak consumption, even if one or more of the biggest producers is, for example, out of order due to maintenance. Auditors can also look at how much energy is lost in transmission or how vulnerable the supply of energy is to political disputes. The latter is especially important for imported energy.

With IT solutions being widely used in all commodity networks, the topic of cybersecurity becomes more prominent.

Audit suggestion! Take a look at this audit conducted by the Dutch Supreme Audit Institution, which looks at the cybersecurity of the water system. They conclude that further improvements should be made to defend the critical water systems.