Certification Criteria Junior Certified Environmental Auditor (Jr
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
CERTIFICATION CRITERIA JUNIOR CERTIFIED ENVIRONMENTAL AUDITOR (JR. CEA) IMPORTANT The Québec Association of Environmental Auditors (QAEA) offers the title of junior certified environmental auditor (Jr. CEA) to persons wishing to specialize in environmental auditing soon after completing their studies, but who do not meet the criteria for full CEA certification. Specific criteria and a specific process for Jr. CEA certification have therefore been established and are presented in this document. A physical person who meets all the junior certification criteria and successfully completes all the steps in the certification process is granted the Jr. CEA title. A person holding this title has licensure to practise; moreover, through mentorship, the time it takes to obtain full certification can be reduced. The certification criteria for the full CEA title (not junior) are published in a separate document which may be consulted on the QAEA website. D017 (V0) Certification Criteria – Jr. Certified Environmental Auditor Page 1 of 14 Revision: 2017-03-28 CERTIFICATION CRITERIA JUNIOR CERTIFIED ENVIRONMENTAL AUDITOR (JR. CEA) 1. PURPOSE AND SCOPE This document contains the criteria used by the Québec Association of Environmental Auditors (QAEA) to determine whether a person may obtain the title of junior certified environmental auditor (Jr. CEA), and determine whether a Jr. CEA may submit an application for full certification at the end of a mentorship whose duration varies according to the person’s profile and experience. 2. ENVIRONMENTAL AUDITING AND APPLICABLE STANDARDS 2.1. Scope of environmental auditing Environmental auditing is a multidisciplinary activity, and an environmental auditor is, first and foremost, a generalist in the environmental field. It is defined as a systematic verification designed to determine whether the activities of a person or organization are in compliance with the environmental requirements prescribed in national or international standards, codes, guidelines, regulations or laws, or by an environmental management system. Environmental auditing generally comprises, but is not limited to, the following areas: Environmental compliance auditing Environmental management system (EMS) auditing QAEA certification does not grant exclusivity of practice in environmental auditing. But it does meet market needs in terms of qualifications, compliance with standards, protection of the public, credibility of certified professionals and fostering of good practices. Certification—along with broad distribution of the CEA directory—helps guide the market. 2.2. Recognized standards Environmental auditing is governed by standards, guidelines and legal requirements regarding its practice and subject matter. Among other things, an environmental audit should be conducted in accordance with the following standards: D017 (V0) Certification Criteria – Jr. Certified Environmental Auditor Page 2 of 14 Revision: 2017-03-28 CERTIFICATION CRITERIA JUNIOR CERTIFIED ENVIRONMENTAL AUDITOR (JR. CEA) CSA Z773-17, Environmental Compliance Auditing; ISO 19011:2011, Guidelines for auditing management systems; ISO 14001-2004 and ISO 14001-2015, Environmental Management Systems: Use Requirements and Criteria;1 ISO/IEC 17000: 2004, Conformity assessment — Vocabulary and general principles; ISO 14050:2009, Environmental management – Vocabulary. The standards define the various terms and expressions used in environmental auditing. Depending on the context and the country or region where the environmental audit is conducted, some other standards may apply, for example: ASTM International Standards Association standard, E2107-06 (Reapproved 2014), Standard Practice for Environmental Regulatory Compliance Audits (www.astm.org/Standards/E2107.htm); Numerous compliance audit protocols adopted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (see for example: www.epa.gov/compliance/audit-protocols); Regulation (EC) No. 1221/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 November 2009 on the voluntary participation by organisations in a Community eco- management and audit scheme (EMAS); (eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/en/ALL/?uri=CELEX:32009R1221. Identification and understanding of the applicable standards and legal requirements are therefore an important aspect of the environmental auditor’s work. 3. JR. CEA COMPETENCIES The Jr. CEA title granted by the QAEA confirms that its holder has, over the course of a rigorous certification process,2 demonstrated the competencies needed to participate in or conduct environmental compliance audits, and participate in or conduct EMS audits. 1 The QAEA will continue referring to the 2004 version of ISO 14001 throughout the transition to the September 2015 version. The transition is expected to last three years, i.e. until 2018. In Canada, the standard has been approved by the Standards Council of Canada and is numbered CAN/CSA-ISO 14001:16. 2 The QAEA’s process is in accordance with ISO/IEC 17024:2012. The QAEA is a certification body accredited by the Standards Council of Canada. D017 (V0) Certification Criteria – Jr. Certified Environmental Auditor Page 3 of 14 Revision: 2017-03-28 CERTIFICATION CRITERIA JUNIOR CERTIFIED ENVIRONMENTAL AUDITOR (JR. CEA) However, the Jr. CESA may not direct an audit team or be the sole signatory of the audit report. Because the QAEA is accredited to perform the Certification of Persons, the Jr. CEA title may be used in any jurisdiction that recognizes ISO/IEC standard 17024:2012. 4. SUMMARY DESCRIPTION OF PROCESS FOR CERTIFICATION AND ANNUAL MAINTENANCE The certification process is conducted by the QAEA’s Certification Committee, which reports directly to the Board of Directors. The certification criteria are listed in Section 5. Here are the main steps in obtaining Jr. CEA certification from the QAEA: 1) Application and payment of fee The person must submit an application on the form prescribed by the QAEA and pay the applicable fee. That person then becomes a certification applicant. The information on the form enables the QAEA to determine whether the applicant meets the certification criteria. 2) Analysis of certification application The Committee checks that the application is complete and that it will show whether the applicant meets the certification criteria. If so, the applicant becomes a certification candidate. During this step, the Committee also evaluates the application in terms of organization and quality of written communication. 3) Examinations Each candidate must then take a written examination lasting about 90 minutes, which will test the person’s basic technical knowledge in environmental auditing. 4) Exam correction by the Committee 5) Approval of new junior certified members by the QAEA Board D017 (V0) Certification Criteria – Jr. Certified Environmental Auditor Page 4 of 14 Revision: 2017-03-28 CERTIFICATION CRITERIA JUNIOR CERTIFIED ENVIRONMENTAL AUDITOR (JR. CEA) Principal Steps in the Annual Junior Certification Process Steps March April May June July August Sept. Posting of schedule and forms on AQVE.COM Submission of applications Analysis of applications Written examination Exam correction Approval of results and notification of candidates The process is described in detail in the certification application form. 5. JR. CEA CERTIFICATION CRITERIA To be accepted as candidates for junior certification, applicants must prove that they have one of the following five profiles: A (jr). Appropriate undergraduate degree Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in an appropriate discipline (engineering, natural sciences or environmental science) Successful completion of the core QAEA training or equivalent OR B(jr). Undergraduate degree Bachelor’s degree or equivalent Successful completion of the core QAEA training or equivalent OR D017 (V0) Certification Criteria – Jr. Certified Environmental Auditor Page 5 of 14 Revision: 2017-03-28 CERTIFICATION CRITERIA JUNIOR CERTIFIED ENVIRONMENTAL AUDITOR (JR. CEA) C (jr). Appropriate undergraduate and graduate degrees Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in an appropriate discipline (engineering, natural sciences or environmental science) Master’s or higher in an appropriate field Successful completion of the core QAEA training or equivalent OR D (jr). Undergraduate degree plus graduate degree in an appropriate discipline Bachelor’s degree or equivalent Master’s or higher in an appropriate discipline (engineering, natural sciences, environmental science) Successful completion of the core QAEA training or equivalent OR E (jr). College diploma (DEC) College diploma (DEC) or equivalent Successful completion of the core QAEA training or equivalent Applicants who have attended an institution outside Canada must include their Évaluation comparative des études effectuées hors du Québec provided by the Ministère de l’Immigration, de la Diversité et de l’Inclusion du Québec, unless they already belong to a recognized professional order in Québec. See: www.immigration-quebec.gouv.qc.ca/en/living-quebec/education/comparative- evaluation.html. The core continuing training is described in Appendix B. D017 (V0) Certification Criteria – Jr. Certified Environmental Auditor Page 6 of 14 Revision: 2017-03-28 CERTIFICATION CRITERIA JUNIOR CERTIFIED ENVIRONMENTAL AUDITOR (JR. CEA) 6. MENTORSHIP 6.1. Description The main feature of junior certification is the mentorship, during which the Jr. CEA must complete the required number of audits and acquire experience with a view to obtaining full certification (not junior).