2.1. Scope of environmental site assessment

Transcription

1 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 certified environmental site assessor (CESA), and determine whether a CESA is in compliance with the QAEA rules for annual maintenance and three-year renewal of certification. 2. ENVIRONMENTAL SITE ASSESSMENT AND APPLICABLE STANDARDS 2.1. Scope of environmental site assessment The QAEA recognizes that environmental site assessment is a multidisciplinary activity and therefore cannot be tied to a single profession. Nevertheless, activities falling entirely within the scope of a professional corporation may only be performed by members of that profession. An environmental site assessment may consist of several phases. Phase I is a systematic process by which an assessor seeks to determine if a property or a particular site is or may be subject to actual or potential contamination. Phase II consists of a systematic and iterative process in which a CESA attempts to characterize or determine the concentrations or quantities of problematic substances present and to compare these levels with the thresholds set out in a law or elsewhere. Following these two phases, the CESA may recommend and carry out decontamination and rehabilitation work of varying complexity. This often takes place in a Phase III. QAEA certification does not grant exclusivity of practice, but it does meet market needs in terms of qualifications, compliance with standards, protection of the public, credibility of CESAs and fostering of good practices. Certification along with broad distribution of the CESA directory helps guide the market. D004 (V0) Certification Criteria Certified Environmental Site Assessor Page 1 of 12

2 2.2. Recognized standards Environmental site assessment is governed by standards, guidelines and legal requirements regarding its practice and subject matter. Among other things, an environmental site assessment should be conducted in accordance with the following standards: CAN/CSA Z768 (R2012) Phase I Environmental Site Assessment; CAN/CSA Z769 (R2013) Phase II Environmental Site Assessment; Guide de caractérisation des terrains, Publications du Québec, 2003; Guides d échantillonnage à des fins d analyses environnementales, CEAEQ (several volumes and dates; see: Depending on the context, country, region (state, province, township, etc.) or even the municipality where the environmental site assessment is conducted, some other standards may apply, such as the U.S. standard ASTM E , Standard Practice for Environmental Site Assessments: Phase I Environmental Site Assessment Process. The standards define the various terms and expressions used in environmental site assessment. Identification and understanding of the applicable standards and legal requirements are therefore an important aspect of the environmental site assessor s work. 3. CESA COMPETENCIES The title of CESA, granted by the QAEA, confirms that its holder has, over the course of a rigorous certification, annual maintenance and three-year renewal process, 1 demonstrated the competencies needed to conduct environmental site assessments, oversee environmental site assessments, and sign off on reports. 1 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. D004 (V0) Certification Criteria Certified Environmental Site Assessor Page 2 of 12

3 Because the QAEA is an accredited certification body, the CESA title may be used in any jurisdiction that recognizes ISO/IEC standard 17024: SUMMARY DESCRIPTION OF PROCESS FOR CERTIFICATION, ANNUAL MAINTENANCE AND THREE-YEAR RENEWAL The certification process is conducted by the QAEA s Certification Committee, which reports directly to the Board of Directors Initial certification The certification criteria are listed in Section 5. Here are the main steps in obtaining CESA 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. The person then becomes an 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 then studies the application. If it is complete and shows that the applicant meets the certification criteria, the applicant becomes a candidate for certification. During this step, the Committee also evaluates the application in terms of organization and quality of written communication. 3) Examination The candidate must then undergo a short telephone interview that serves to evaluate the candidate s oral communication skills, and a three-hour written examination designed to evaluate technical skills. 4) Exam correction by the Committee 5) Approval of new certified members by the QAEA Board D004 (V0) Certification Criteria Certified Environmental Site Assessor Page 3 of 12

4 The certification criteria are used in the first two steps to ensure that the applicant has the necessary academic background and experience. The process is described in detail in the certification application form Certification term and renewal The initial certification has a term of three years and four months from September 1 of the year of certification, and has an annual maintenance process. The certified member must renew the certification every three years and continue to follow the annual maintenance process Maintenance and renewal The criteria for maintenance and renewal are listed in Section 6. Certified members must keep a log of professional and development activities in connection with their title. To maintain certification, CESAs must pay their annual dues AND send the QAEA a form reporting on their professional and development activities. Any member who fails to provide this form annually may be struck from the rolls. To renew certification after three years, CESAs must pay the renewal fee AND send the QAEA a form reporting on their professional and development activities. The maintenance and renewal requirements must have been met throughout the three-year period. Any certified member who fails to provide the form or meet the maintenance and renewal criteria may be struck from the rolls. Moreover, since these criteria can change from one year to the next, CESAs must consult them regularly on the QAEA website and make the necessary adjustments to their practice. The QAEA process also includes a program for inspecting certified members who are renewing. An investigator mandated by the QAEA visits a number of CESAs to check the information provided on the renewal form and collect supporting documents Schedule The schedule for the certification, annual maintenance and three-year renewal process is as follows: D004 (V0) Certification Criteria Certified Environmental Site Assessor Page 4 of 12

5 MASTER SCHEDULE STAKE- HOLDERS Certified members Applicants and candidates Certification Committee Board PRINCIPAL ACTIVITIES Annual maintenance Three-year renewal Certification application Annual examination Preparation of exams Analysis of applications Correction of exams Inspections Adoption / New certified members Approval / Renewals QAEA Fiscal year S O N D J F M A M J J A 5. CERTIFICATION CRITERIA Reminder: Certification criteria are used to determine whether or not an applicant has the academic background and experience needed to be a candidate for certification. To obtain the CESA title, the candidate must successfully complete all the steps described in Section 4.1, including the written examination. To be accepted as candidates for certification, applicants must show that they have one of the following four profiles: A. Appropriate undergraduate degree ü Bachelor s degree or equivalent in an appropriate discipline (engineering, natural sciences or environmental science) ü At least five years of appropriate work experience in environment ü Participation in at least eight full environmental site assessments for a total of at least 40 days ü Successful completion of the core QAEA training or equivalent OR D004 (V0) Certification Criteria Certified Environmental Site Assessor Page 5 of 12

6 B. Undergraduate degree ü Bachelor s degree or equivalent ü At least six years of appropriate work experience in environment ü Participation in at least eight full environmental site assessments for a total of at least 40 days ü Successful completion of the core QAEA training or equivalent OR C. Appropriate undergraduate and graduate degrees ü Bachelor s degree or equivalent in an appropriate discipline (engineering, natural sciences or environmental science) ü Master s or higher in an appropriate field ü At least four years of appropriate work experience in environment ü Participation in at least eight full environmental site assessments for a total of at least 40 days ü Successful completion of the core QAEA training or equivalent D. Undergraduate degree plus graduate degree in an appropriate discipline OR ü Bachelor s degree or equivalent ü Master s or higher in an appropriate discipline (engineering, natural sciences, environmental science) ü At least five years of appropriate work experience in environment ü Participation in at least eight full environmental site assessments for a total of at least 40 days ü 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 https// D004 (V0) Certification Criteria Certified Environmental Site Assessor Page 6 of 12

7 Successful completion of the Université de Sherbrooke graduate-level microprogram in environmental auditing is equivalent to one year of experience. A minimum of four years of appropriate work experience is nevertheless required, regardless of the applicant s profile. Site assessment days are days dedicated to one or more of the following activities: supervision, management, preparation, execution, research and assessment report writing. Ø For more details on appropriate work experience, see Appendix A. Ø The core continuing training is described in Appendix B. 6. MAINTENANCE AND RENEWAL CRITERIA To meet the criteria for annual maintenance and three-year renewal of certification, CESAs must, over the three-year period, accumulate a minimum amount of professional activity relevant to CESA work and a minimum number of hours of professional development. As indicated in 4.2, CESAs must keep a log of their professional work and development activities. These activities do not have to be distributed over each of the three years in the period, but CESAs should be able to show that they are active on an ongoing basis. RELEVANT PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES Professional practice: hours OR Environmental site assessments: 6 assessments and 30 days Each phase of an environmental site assessment counts as one assessment. 2 Professional practice: professional work as a consultant or for contract givers, when such work involves direct supervision of activities related to environmental site assessment. D004 (V0) Certification Criteria Certified Environmental Site Assessor Page 7 of 12

8 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT 45 hours (1 certification) or 60 hours (2 certifications) Conferences, symposia, seminars: unlimited Training sessions: unlimited Association meetings: recognized maximum 5 hours Organized conference tours: recognized maximum 2 hours Committees: recognized maximum 10 hours Author presentations: recognized maximum 10 hours Publishing of articles: recognized maximum 10 hours Development of training material: recognized maximum 20 hours Dissemination of training: recognized maximum 20 hours Professional development activities must be linked to the practice of environmental site assessment as defined herein, or deemed relevant by the QAEA. D004 (V0) Certification Criteria Certified Environmental Site Assessor Page 8 of 12

9 APPENDIX A APPROPRIATE WORK EXPERIENCE Appropriate work experience means professional activity in more than one of the following areas: Environmental technologies and sciences Technical and environmental aspects of facility operations Hydrogeology, geology, biology, geography and land-use planning Application of environmental laws and regulations Audit and assessment methodologies and techniques In sectors such as: Private sector Institutional sector (teaching and research) Non-governmental organizations Public and parapublic sectors Where the individual acts in the capacity of: Auditor or assessor Inspector Specialist Advisor Planner Scientist In the following specialized fields: Environmental site assessment, Risk assessment Environmental consulting Environmental law Impact assessment Environmental monitoring Environmental protection Development and application of laws and regulations R&D Environmental technologies Teaching of environmental sciences While acquiring their work experience, candidates must demonstrate the following qualities and personal skills: D004 (V0) Certification Criteria Certified Environmental Site Assessor Page 9 of 12

10 Ability to clearly express concepts and ideas, both orally and in writing Good interpersonal skills: tact, diplomacy and ability to listen Ability to remain independent and objective Work methods and organization that will produce results in an efficient manner Ability to identify objective evidence and to determine root causes of the problems identified Good judgement Respect and sensitivity for the local context D004 (V0) Certification Criteria Certified Environmental Site Assessor Page 10 of 12

11 APPENDIX B CORE CONTINUING TRAINING Core continuing training refers to specific knowledge that applicants are expected to have acquired, either during their education or through specific training delivered by a recognized organization. Core continuing training consists of both mandatory content and content that is deemed optional. Mandatory content Methodological and operational aspects Background and types of audits Environmental site assessment as a profession Environmental site assessment General principles Objectives and phases of an environmental site assessment Legal aspects Environment law (municipal, provincial, federal and international) Professional law Theoretical and practical content of environmental site assessment Investigation Characterization Risk analysis Report Site rehabilitation Case study Simulation of an environmental site assessment Hours (for information only) 3.5 hours 11 hours 12 hours 7 hours D004 (V0) Certification Criteria Certified Environmental Site Assessor Page 11 of 12

12 Optional content Environmental law Principles Concept of environment Nature of environmental law Environmental law and management Application mechanisms Preventive Remedial and punitive Environmental law Federal legislation Provincial legislation Professional law Concept of professional liability Sources of professional liability Protection against liability Duties of an environmental auditor Case study Hours (for information only) 35 hours total D004 (V0) Certification Criteria Certified Environmental Site Assessor Page 12 of 12