65 appropriate. This creates a risk of internal dispute over how to proceed and of delays in remediation. Some enterprises may have formalized processes for specific adverse impact that is a particular risk for their operations—for instance, if a pollutant escapes into a waterway or if an employee is injured. The risk of such an issue-specific approach is that there is no clear process available when a less foreseeable impact occurs. It is therefore generally preferable to have in place agreed processes for the remediation of adverse human rights impact arising in any area of operations, even if this requires more than one type of process (for instance, for direct employees and for external stakeholders). In many instances, the most effective and efficient way to provide for remediation processes is through an operational-level grievance mechanism. A grievance mechanism is not just an internal administrative procedure for handling impact or grievances. Whereas an internal procedure is typically passive, i.e., waiting for problems to arise and then responding, a grievance mechanism is active: it aims to facilitate the identification of grievances and address them as early as possible. It does so by ensuring it is known to, and trusted by, those stakeholders for whom it is intended. The key processes provided by the mechanism are public, as are the general timelines it provides for handling grievances and the ways in which individuals can register their concerns. There is transparency of communication with complainants and accountability to them for the provision of a fair process. A grievance mechanism of course also requires some internal procedures, but these are just part of the larger process it provides. Grievance mechanisms and criteria for their effectiveness are discussed further under Guiding Principles 29 and 31. Q 66. What kinds of “legitimate processes” could provide remediation other than those of the enterprise itself? There may be one or more kinds of State-based mechanisms that are appropriate for providing remediation if the enterprise cannot or should not do so itself. These obviously include the courts and may also include State ombudsman or complaints offices (sometimes specific to an industry), a labour standards office, a National Contact Point (in States that have signed up to