Application
This unit describes the skills and knowledge to perform activities associated with the review or internal audit of the environmental performance of a workplace. Personnel work under the guidance of a manager or a lead auditor and the scope of activities performed will depend on their job role, the size of the workplace and complexity of its environmental management system (EMS) and auditing requirements.
This unit applies to environmental site coordinators, environmental managers and senior environmental officers working in all industry sectors. They may also work under the supervision of an environmental scientist or engineer, site manager or workplace environmental manager.
No licensing or certification requirements exist at the time of publication. Relevant legislation, industry standards and codes of practice within Australia must be applied.
Elements and Performance Criteria
Elements describe the essential outcomes. | Performance criteria describe the performance needed to demonstrate achievement of the element. | ||
1 | Plan review or audit activities with manager or lead auditor | 1.1 | Read and interpret legislative and regulatory compliance requirements and workplace policies and procedures |
1.2 | Clarify review or audit objectives, scope risks, constraints and resources available | ||
1.3 | Clarify site, sections, work areas, functions and practices to be reviewed or audited | ||
1.4 | Confirm own role and responsibility for specific review or audit tasks | ||
1.5 | Plan the review or audit activities to minimise workplace disruption and ensure they can be safely conducted within agreed timeframes | ||
2 | Prepare for assigned review or audit activities | 2.1 | Gather and read background information relevant to site, sections, work areas, functions and practices to be reviewed or audited |
2.2 | Scrutinise the review or audit criteria, tools and evidence requirements to enhance own objectivity and attention to detail | ||
2.3 | Identify any technical and equipment requirements for review or audit and if support personnel are required | ||
2.4 | Inform all personnel involved and arrange meetings or appointments | ||
3 | Conduct assigned review or audit activities | 3.1 | Collect a representative sample of site documentation |
3.2 | Collect sufficient information from observations and interviews to provide reliable evidence of environmental performance | ||
3.3 | Work cooperatively with personnel to maximise their ownership of the review or audit and identify opportunities to improve environmental performance | ||
3.4 | Keep accurate records of observations and interview responses | ||
4 | Analyse information and evaluate performance | 4.1 | Analyse information to identify significant performance trends, patterns, gaps and areas of risk |
4.2 | Recognise instances of non-conformance and non-compliance and identify options for improving performance | ||
4.3 | Evaluate performance against specified benchmarks and identify evidence based corrective or preventative actions and improvement strategies | ||
4.4 | Provide recommendations that are supported by evidence based findings | ||
4.5 | Seek manager or lead auditor’s advice when issues or problems are beyond own scope of role or when input from environmental specialists may be required | ||
5 | Report review or audit results | 5.1 | Document results in accordance with standard and workplace procedures and compare with initial objectives |
5.2 | Confirm results with manager or lead auditor | ||
5.3 | Report results to relevant personnel for action in accordance with workplace procedures | ||
Foundation Skills
This section describes those language, literacy, numeracy and employment skills that are essential to performance.
Foundation skills essential to performance are explicit in the performance criteria of this unit of competency.
Sectors
Environmental
Competency Field
Management