ISO 17021-2-TS 2012 Competency evaluation tool for certification bodies Sample only Will be shortly be available for purchase via www.complianceresourcelibrary.co.uk

1. Environmental Competence Criteria
&
Evaluation
ISO-TS-17021-2-2012 & EA 7-04
Sample document only pages 1 through 10 30 pages in total

2. INTRODUCTION
The purpose of this document is to determine the approval of ISO 14001 auditors and related staff by a series
of environmental questionnaires and criteria in accordance with the requirements of ISO17021:2011 ISO-TS-
17021-2 and EA 7-04.
This form is to be used in conjunction with technical area competency evaluations when approving personnel
for ISO 14001 certification activities.
CONTENTS
The questionnaire consists of three sections generally designed to establish:
 General environmental knowledge
 Expected competency for limited, low, medium and high risk EMS sectors incorporating ISO
14001:2004,ISO –TS 17021-2
 EA7-04 Compliance of environmental management methods and techniques
OUTPUTS
The questionnaires are to be used as part of an interview process and demonstration of compliance with
ISO17021:2011 ISO-TS-17021-2, EA 7-04 (or written test under supervision of WCS Ltd representative) to
approve, or extend an auditor’s scope for ISO14001 audits.
It is the responsibility of the interviewer or examiner to decide which questions to choose within each section,
(there is certain overlapping between sections which should help to check the consistency of the answers).
Auditors are expected to be competent in all relevant areas, any ‘don’t know’ answer of a whole question
would prevent them from approval until knowledge is confirmed following an additional interview or test.
Small variations or missing details are allowed, providing the auditor shows good understanding of the matter
discussed. Answers are recorded (a copy of this form which is highlighted can be used). Evaluation is made by
the interviewer based on comparison with the master answer list. Expert’s advice should be considered in the
case of large discrepancies or any doubts and disputes.
This questionnaire will be reviewed at least annually by the Head of Certification or an authorised competent
person in order to keep it up-to-date with any significant changes in legal and other requirements.

3. Section 1 Basic general environmental knowledge
The following questions are designed to enable an auditor to demonstrate a basic understanding and
knowledge of environmental principles – it is suggested you select one or two of these questions.
1.1 Question 1 Describe a minimum of three negative effects that the built environment may have on
the natural environment.
Answers:
 Land use (impacts on flora and fauna, wildlife habitats)
 Transportation and vehicles
 Emissions of CO2, NOx, CO
 Particulate emissions PM10 and PM2.5
 Discharge to controlled waters
 Statutory nuisance
 Wastes including hazardous wastes
 Discharge of trade effluent
1.2 Question 2 Describe two natural and two anthropogenic sources of carbon dioxide in the carbon
cycle
Answer:
 Natural: Decay of plant and animal matter, volcanic eruptions, forest fires, evaporation from
the oceans
 Intensive agriculture such as palm oils
 Anthropogenic: combustion of organic materials such as wood etc.) burning of fossil fuels
such as coal
1.3 Question 4 What are the key environmental concerns of sending waste to landfill?
Answer
 Resource consumption
 Pollution of the local environment
 Soil contamination
 Greenhouse gases emissions such as C02, CO, CH4 & CFC’s
 Harbouring of disease vectors e.g. rats, flies
 Nuisance issues e.g. noise, odour and litter
 Land use
1.4 Question 5 Explain the principle of ‘Producer Responsibility’ Legislation?
Answer
 Manufacturers and importers of products have a responsibility for the environmental
impacts of their products throughout the life cycle including upstream impacts associated
with the selection of materials, impacts from manufacturer’s production processes and
downstream impacts from the use and disposal of the products
 Examples include Packaging Waste & WEEE
 Producers have to finance the collection and treatment (recycling, reprocessing or recovery)
of the products placed on the market at their end of life.

4. Section 2 Environmental Management Methods and Techniques
Sections 2 and 3 of this document refer to the complexity categories described in IAF MD5 2013 as detailed
below. EA code cross references are included in annex 1 of this document to provide clarity with regards to the
complexities within in sub sector classification

7. SECTION 2:
The following questions are design to enable an auditor to demonstrate their understanding of the requirements of ISO: 14001 and compliance with ISO TS 17021-2
including related compliance with EA7-04.
1. Auditors should be able to demonstrate an understanding of all criteria in the low to limited sectors as described below
2. Auditors that are deemed competent for higher risk EA code specific auditing activities should be able to demonstrate relevant knowledge applicable to medium
and high risk complexity as appropriate.
3. Other personnel involved with certification activities should be able to demonstrate knowledge of the principal criteria in the low to limited complexity section
detailed in clause 7
4. Those personnel involved with the certification decision making process should be conversant with the level of complexity appropriate to the complexity of the
certification audit documentation
5. The output from this evaluation should be documented in annex 1 of this document auditors are expected to identify an appropriate level of the criteria in the (
Low- Limited sectors) and answer an equally appropriate number of the criteria in the medium and high categories respectively before being considered for
approval
*Notes
1 Some criteria are common to all sectors as defined in IAF MD 5
2 The nuclear industry and nuclear fuel reprocessing have been omitted from the scope of this knowledge test
Evaluation criteria in respect of ISO 14001
and ISO-TS-17-21-2-2012
Definitions for the typical expected
criteria for Low and Limited complexity
Commercial & Industrial processes as
defined in IAF MD5:2013
Definitions for the typical expected
criteria for medium complexity
Industrial processes as defined in IAF
MD5:2013
Definitions for the typical
expected criteria for high
complexity
Industrial processes as defined in
IAF MD5:2013
Clause Environmental terminology
ISO-TS-17-21-2-2012 Clause 5
The following terminology is considered generic across the ranges of complexity but where indicated additional
knowledge is expected
Further details of terminology those highlighted in orange are common
to medium and high complexity, those in green generally apply to high
risk but may be applicable to medium as well
5.1.&
5.2
Auditors must score or answer
an appropriate selection of
answers in accordance with the
guidance in this procedure
Emissions
 Air
 Land
 Controlled waters
 Radiation
Emissions
 Flue gas desulphurisation
 Fugitive releases
 Solvent emissions directive
 Dioxins
Odour abatement technologies
 Packed chemical
scrubbers
 Thermal incinerators
 Odour masking

8.  Ionising radiation
Abatement technologies
 Odour
 Dust emissions
 GHG
 Fugitive releases
Biodiversity
 Aquatic life
 Indigenous protected species
 Plant life
 Aquatic and terrestrial
invertebrates
 Amphibians
Climate change
 Global warming potential
 Kyoto protocol
 EU ETS
 Emission trading
 CRC
 Climate change levy
 BREEAM
Greenhouse gases
 CO2
 CFC’s
 FGAS
 Nox
Effluent
 Discharge to sewer
 Water authority consents
Wastes
 Non-hazardous wastes
 Hazardous wastes
 Clinical wastes
 WEEE directive
 Waste hierarchy
 PAH’s
 PM 10
 PM 2.5
 VOC’s
 PAH
 SOx
Climate change
 EU ETS Permitting
 FGAS Regulations
 ISO 14065
Water treatment and best available
techniques such as
 DAF ( Dissolved air flotation)
 Settlement ponds
 Aeration
 Tertiary and secondary
treatment
 Polymers
 Ferric & aluminium sulphate
 Flocculation
 De-watering
 Reverse osmosis
 Ph.
 COD
 BOD
 Suspended solids
 Heavy metals Hg, Cd, As, Co
 Pesticides
Wastes
 Leachate
 Landfill gas
 Landfill tax
 Site restoration
 Pest control
Legislation and regulation
 Odour dispersion
modelling
 Odour thresholds
Ionising radiation
 High activity sealed
sources
 Special waste

9.  Duty of care
 Waste legislation
 Landfill tax
 Reuse
 Recycling
 Producer responsibility
obligations
 Waste management licensing
 EWC and SIC codes
Noise
 Noise levels in dB
 Statutory limits
 Statutory nuisance
 Occupational limits
Legislation and regulation
 LAPPC permitting
 PPC permitting
 OPRA operator pollution risk
analysis
 Regulatory notifications and
reporting
Interviewer to highlight those questions answered by the candidate in Yellow Satisfactory Y/N ( delete as required)
Clause
5.3
Environmental monitoring
techniques
Emissions to air
 Mass balance strategies
 Fuel and energy usage metering
 Waste management strategies
 Water usage and metering
 LAPPC and IPPC Permitted
conditions and parameters
Emissions to land
 Waste transfer notes
 Waste recovered
 Waste recycled
 Renewable energy utilised
Emissions to air
 Mass balance strategies
 EU ETS reports and data
 PPC permit parameter
reports
 Annual emission results
Emissions to land
 Soil sampling
 SPMP plans
 Site restoration
 Pesticides
Emissions to air
 CEMS
 QAL1, 2 & 3 standards
 EU ETS
Controlled waters
 Waste water auto
sampling equipment and
data logging
 V notch waste water
flow measurement
 Mcerts effluent
monitoring
Interviewer to highlight those questions answered by the candidate in Yellow Satisfactory Y/N ( delete as required)
Clause
5.5
Environmental aspects of design Question What criteria might a
company use when determining the
Candidates should be able to describe the principal elements defined in
the relevant documents for specific industry sectors detailed below

10. significance of its environmental
aspects?
Answer
 Environmental matters and
concerns, legal issues, concerns of
interested parties (internal and
external)
 The scope of its environmental
management system
 The inputs and outputs associated
with its current products and
services, planned or new
developments, new or modified
activities products and services
 Emissions to air, releases to water,
releases to land, use of raw
materials and natural resources, use
of energy, energy emitted, waste
and by products, physical attributes
of the site,
 Normal and abnormal operating
conditions
 Foreseeable emergency situations
 Aspects that it can control or
influence
 emergency situations.
The link below refers to the document library for prescribed processes. A
sample of the principal documents are embedded in the next section, but
others may be required by searching the main link below as required
Note*Please add any other sectors assessed
http://eippcb.jrc.ec.europa.eu/reference/
BAT
• BREF Documents industry specific as detailed below
http://eippcb.jrc.ec.europa.eu/reference/esb.html
Links to a selection of typical BAT reference documents
 Waste water
http://eippcb.jrc.ec.europa.eu/reference/cww.html
 Large combustion plant
http://eippcb.jrc.ec.europa.eu/reference/lcp.html
 Chemical sectors
http://eippcb.jrc.ec.europa.eu/reference/lvoc.html
 Cement Lime and plaster
http://eippcb.jrc.ec.europa.eu/reference/cl.html
 Paper and pulp
http://eippcb.jrc.ec.europa.eu/reference/pp.html