CSA Z773-17 (R2022)

Preface

This is the second edition of CSA Z773, Environmental compliance auditing. It supersedes the previous edition published in 2003.

This Standard was developed to provide a consistent approach to conducting environmental compliance audits. This Standard is intended to ensure the validity, reliability, comprehensiveness, overall quality, and usefulness of these audits to audit clients.

This new edition updates the Standard to include current industry practices in place at the time of publication.

CAN/CSA-ISO 19011:12, Guidelines for auditing management systems was used as a source for this Standard. Many of the guidelines in CAN/CSA-ISO 19011-12 are generic in nature and are therefore applicable to an environmental compliance audit. Annex D of this Standard sets out the relationship between this Standard and CAN/CSA-ISO 19011:12.

This Standard can assist with meeting requirements of Clause 9.1.2 %u2014 evaluation of compliance for CAN/CSA-ISO 14001:16, Environmental management systems %u2014 Requirements with guidance for use.

Scope

1.1 General

This Standard establishes the principles and practices of an environmental compliance audit. It is intended to provide a consistent framework and minimum requirements for conducting ECAs to ensure that the ECAs address regulatory, as well as site-specific requirements.

1.2 Application

This Standard may be applied to any organization, its sites or operations, or processes or parts thereof, regardless of size or sector. The Standard may be applied to ECAs conducted by internal personnel or by external auditors.

1.3 Limitations

This Standard does not include a specific audit protocol. This Standard does not attempt to provide direction for the decision-making that can follow an ECA. These business decisions are based on case- specific details that cannot be generalized for the purposes of this Standard. Decisions of this nature are best addressed on a case-by-case basis, in consultation with the appropriate environmental, legal, and business counsel.

1.4 Terminology

In this Standard, "shall" is used to express a requirement, i.e., a provision that the user is obliged to satisfy in order to comply with the Standard; "should" is used to express a recommendation or that which is advised but not required; and "may" is used to express an option or that which is permissible within the limits of the Standard.

Notes accompanying clauses do not include requirements or alternative requirements; the purpose of a note accompanying a clause is to separate from the text explanatory or informative material.

Notes to tables and figures are considered part of the table or figure and may be written as requirements.

Annexes are designated normative (mandatory) or informative (non-mandatory) to define their application.