CSA Preface
This is the first edition of CSA Standard CAN/CSA-ISO 14015, Environmental management — Environmental assessment of sites and organizations (EASO), which is an adoption without modification of the identically titled ISO (International Organization for Standardization) Standard 14015:2001 (first edition, 2001-11-15).
The ISO 14000 family of Standards was developed by environmental experts from around the world, under the auspices of the ISO Technical Committee 207. Canada plays a major role in this area. The Secretariat of ISO/TC 207 is held by CSA on behalf of Canada’s member body in ISO, the Standards Council of Canada, and the Chair of TC 207 is Canadian.
Canadian stakeholders participate actively in the development of the ISO 14000 family of International Standards through CSA’s national consensus development forums. The CSA Technical Committee on Environmental Auditing and Related Investigations (EARI) is the source of Canadian experts for the ISO 14010 Standards. This Technical Committee provides expert input to the Canadian Advisory Committee to ISO/TC 207/SC 2 (CAC/ISO/TC 207/SC 2). In consultation with the EARI Technical Committee, CAC/ISO/TC 207/SC 2 is responsible for developing and submitting coordinated Canadian responses, comments, and voting actions on ISO/TC 207/SC 2 documents and helping to establish the Canadian position for delegates to take in international meetings.
In proposing this International Standard for adoption as a National Standard of Canada, the CSA Technical Committee on EARI has approved the technical content of this Standard and supports it on a continuing basis, providing interpretations, updates and revisions, reaffirmations or withdrawals, as appropriate for Canadian stakeholders.
This Standard was reviewed for Canadian adoption by the CSA Technical Committee on Environmental Auditing and Related Investigations (EARI), under the jurisdiction of the Strategic Steering Committee on Environment, and has been formally approved by the Technical Committee. A list of members of the Technical Committee is available upon request. This Standard has been approved as a National Standard of Canada by the Standards Council of Canada.
Scope
This International Standard provides guidance on how to conduct an EASO through a systematic process of identifying environmental aspects and environmental issues and determining, if appropriate, their business consequences.
This International Standard covers the roles and responsibilities of the parties to the assessment (the client, the assessor and the representative of the assessee), and the stages of the assessment process (planning, information gathering and validation, evaluation and reporting). The process for conducting an EASO is shown in Figure 1.
This International Standard does not provide guidance on how to conduct other types of environmental assessment, such as:
a) initial environmental reviews;
b) environmental audits (including environmental management system and regulatory compliance audits);
c) environmental impact assessments; or
d) environmental performance evaluations.
Intrusive investigations and site remediation, as well as the decision to proceed with them, are outside the scope of this International Standard.
This International Standard is not intended for use as a specification standard for certification or registration purposes or for the establishment of environmental management system requirements.
Use of this International Standard does not imply that other standards and legislation are imposed on the client or the assessee.
