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PD CEN CLC ISO IEC TS — Conformity Assessment Competence Requirements for Auditing and Certification of Environmental Management Systems (PD CEN CLC ISO IEC TS 17021-2:2016)
PD CEN/CLC/ISO/IEC/TS 17021-2:2016 — Requirements for Bodies Providing Audit and Certification of Management Systems — Part 2: Competence Requirements for Auditing and Certification of Environmental Management Systems
🌱 PD CEN/CLC/ISO/IEC/TS 17021-2:2016 is a British Standards Institution (BSI) Published Document (PD) implementing the international Technical Specification ISO/IEC/TS 17021-2:2012 (identical to CEN/CLC/ISO/IEC/TS 17021-2:2016). It is Part 2 of the ISO/IEC 17021 series “Conformity assessment – Requirements for bodies providing audit and certification of management systems”, specifically setting out the knowledge, skills and competence requirements for personnel auditing and certifying environmental management systems (EMS), providing the basis for certification bodies to staff qualified EMS audit teams.
💡 The effectiveness of certification depends heavily on audit team competence. ISO/IEC 17021-2 combines general audit competence with the specific professional competence requirements of the management system in question (here, environmental management), ensuring that auditors know both “how to audit” and “EMS subject-matter expertise”.
1. Standard Overview and Series Positioning 📌
This article is the summary review for the “PD CEN CLC ISO IEC TS” prefix of the BSB223 batch. The document in this batch is PD CEN/CLC/ISO/IEC/TS 17021-2:2016 (identical to ISO/IEC/TS 17021-2:2012). It is issued by BSI as a Published Document, superseding the withdrawn PD ISO/IEC/TS 17021-2:2012. ICS classification is 03.120.20 (product and company certification, conformity assessment).
| Batch Prefix | Standard | Title | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| PD CEN CLC ISO IEC TS | PD CEN/CLC/ISO/IEC/TS 17021-2:2016 | Conformity assessment – Requirements for bodies providing audit and certification of management systems – Part 2: Competence requirements for auditing and certification of environmental management systems | Identical to ISO/IEC/TS 17021-2:2012 |
The ISO/IEC 17021 series sets general requirements for management-system audit and certification bodies (CBs) in Part 1 (ISO/IEC 17021-1:2015) and provides competence requirements for specific management systems in subsequent parts. This document is the environmental management system (EMS) competence part, interfacing with the ISO 14001 environmental management system standard and the ISO 19011 audit guidelines.
⚠️ This document is a Technical Specification (TS)/Published Document (PD) and belongs to the part-specific competence requirements of the ISO/IEC 17021 series. It is normally used as the technical basis for certification body accreditation and auditor competence assessment; it does not itself impose requirements directly on the audited organization.
2. Competence Requirements Framework 🔧
The document is built on the core model “competence = knowledge + skills + personal behaviour”, specifying the knowledge and skill requirements for EMS auditing and certification personnel, mainly including:
| Competence Dimension | Main Content | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Environmental management knowledge | EMS principles, methods, terminology | ISO 14001 clause requirements |
| Environmental science knowledge | Environmental media and pollutants | Air, water, soil, noise, solid waste |
| Environmental law knowledge | Environmental laws and regulations | Emission standards, permits, EIA |
| Environmental technology and processes | Pollution prevention and cleaner production | Wastewater treatment, abatement, efficiency |
| Audit methods and skills | Audit planning, conduct, reporting | On-site audit, evidence collection, nonconformity judgement |
| Personal behaviour | Impartiality, independence, confidentiality, communication | Auditor code of conduct |
2.1 Audit Team Competence
The certification body shall ensure that each EMS audit team has overall competence: the team leader should be capable of leading the audit, and the combined knowledge and skills of the team members should cover the audited organization’s environmental areas, processes and regulatory requirements. Technical experts may be brought in to supplement specialist competence where necessary.
2.2 Competence Evaluation and Maintenance
Certification bodies shall establish competence evaluation procedures, evaluating personnel competence through evidence such as education, training, work experience, audit experience and performance evaluation; and shall maintain and enhance competence through continuing professional development, with periodic re-evaluation.
🚨 Competence evaluation should not rely only on certificates or years of service, but should be based on actual audit performance evidence; in particular, environmental regulatory compliance judgement requires that auditors master and correctly apply the applicable legal requirements.
3. Key Technical Requirements 🔥
3.1 Environmental Management System Subject-Matter Knowledge
Auditors should understand the planning, implementation, checking and improvement requirements of an environmental management system (ISO 14001), understand core concepts such as the life-cycle perspective, environmental aspect identification and evaluation, compliance obligations and environmental performance evaluation, and be able to identify significant environmental aspects in the context of the audited organization’s activities, products and services.
3.2 Environmental Law, Regulation and Compliance Evaluation
Compliance evaluation is the key difficulty of environmental auditing. Auditors should possess knowledge of environmental laws, regulations, standards, permits and other requirements (such as industry codes and contractual commitments), and be able to verify the audited organization’s identification of compliance obligations and evidence of conformity evaluation.
3.3 Environmental Monitoring and Pollution Prevention Technology
Auditors should master the basic principles of the main environmental monitoring methods and pollution prevention technologies, including wastewater, waste gas, noise, solid waste, soil and groundwater pollution treatment, as well as environmental emergency response and cleaner production, in order to evaluate the effectiveness of the audited organization’s environmental control measures during the audit.
✅ Under this document, certification bodies can build a credible competence evaluation system for EMS audit teams; audited organizations also find it easier to understand audit focus points, increasing the added value of EMS certification.
4. Engineering Application Points 🛠️
- 📋 Certification body competence management: establish competence criteria, evaluation and re-evaluation procedures for EMS auditors, maintaining competence profiles.
- 🔍 Audit team configuration: configure audit teams according to the audited organization’s industry and environmental risks, bringing in technical experts when necessary.
- 🎓 Personnel training and qualification: design EMS auditor training courses and examinations based on the competence requirements.
- 🛡️ Accreditation review: accreditation bodies review the certification body’s competence management system under this document and the relevant accreditation rules.
- 📊 Continuing professional development: establish auditor CPD programmes tracking regulatory and standard updates.
5. Frequently Asked Questions ❓
❓ Q: What is the relationship between this document and ISO/IEC 17021-1?
A: ISO/IEC 17021-1 sets the general requirements for management-system audit and certification bodies; this document (Part 2) is the environmental management system (EMS) competence part and is used together with Part 1.
A: ISO/IEC 17021-1 sets the general requirements for management-system audit and certification bodies; this document (Part 2) is the environmental management system (EMS) competence part and is used together with Part 1.
❓ Q: Does the document impose requirements on audited organizations?
A: No direct requirements. It specifies the competence requirements of certification bodies and auditors, which indirectly influence certification quality and audit experience for audited organizations.
A: No direct requirements. It specifies the competence requirements of certification bodies and auditors, which indirectly influence certification quality and audit experience for audited organizations.
❓ Q: How is audit team competence determined?
A: Through the combination of team members’ knowledge, skills and personal behaviour covering the audited organization’s environmental areas, processes and regulatory requirements; technical experts may be added when necessary.
A: Through the combination of team members’ knowledge, skills and personal behaviour covering the audited organization’s environmental areas, processes and regulatory requirements; technical experts may be added when necessary.
🔍 Q: What is the main basis of competence evaluation?
A: Evidence such as education, training, work experience, audit experience and performance evaluation, emphasizing actual audit performance rather than certificates alone.
A: Evidence such as education, training, work experience, audit experience and performance evaluation, emphasizing actual audit performance rather than certificates alone.
❓ Q: What is the most difficult part of environmental auditing?
A: Usually environmental compliance evaluation – it requires auditors to master the applicable laws, regulations and standards and to verify the organization’s identification of compliance obligations and evidence of conformity.
A: Usually environmental compliance evaluation – it requires auditors to master the applicable laws, regulations and standards and to verify the organization’s identification of compliance obligations and evidence of conformity.