Program for Certification of Responsible Care® Certified Auditors

BACKGROUND

The Board of Environmental, Health and Safety Auditor Certifications (BEAC) and the American Chemistry Council (ACC) have signed a joint Memorandum of Understanding to facilitate implementation of ACC's Responsible Care Management System® (RCMS®) third-party certification requirement.  Responsible Care® is an award-winning initiative through which ACC members and partners demonstrate their commitment to the health, safety and security of employees, communities and the environment.  Under the MOU agreement executed between ACC and BEAC, BEAC provides programs in the following three areas, (1) Responsible Care® auditor certification, (2) RCMS® Audit Service Provider approval, and (3) Responsible Care® Training Course Provider recognition.  This document describes the procedures required to become a BEAC Responsible Care® Certified Professional Environmental, Health and Safety Auditor. 

BEAC CERTIFICATION

The BEAC Responsible Care® CPEA certification is an attestation of an auditor’s education, EHS auditing experience, auditor training, personal and professional skills and attributes, and adherence to the BEAC Code of Ethics.  The Responsible Care® CPEA certification criteria has been developed to ensure that the third party Certification process of the American Chemistry Council’s (ACC) Responsible Care® Management System sustains public confidence and acceptance by defining the minimum qualifications and training requirements for auditors involved in Responsible Care® certification audits.  The Responsible Care® certificated auditor process has been established to ensure that the auditor’s qualification and training process will be administered consistently and fairly, and to prevent potential conflicts of interests that might influence an auditor’s findings or recommendations or public perceptions of the legitimacy of the certification audit results.

BEAC’s evaluation and certification of a Responsible Care® Certified Auditor are based upon the auditor meeting ACC’s RCMS® and BEAC’s criteria for certification.  BEAC is not liable or responsible for ensuring that a certified Responsible Care® auditor conducts Responsible Care® audits properly.  If problems arise with the manner in which a certified Responsible Care® auditor conducts him/herself, BEAC should be notified immediately.  The Ethics Committee will be assigned responsibility for review and corrective actions, if necessary, in accordance with BEAC’s defined processes.  BEAC shall not offer recommendations on which certified Responsible Care® Certified Auditors should be used to conduct Responsible Care® audits.  BEAC will maintain a list of all certified Responsible Care® Certified Auditors and this list will be made available to appropriate parties on the BEAC website.

CRITERIA FOR BEAC CERTIFICATION

Individuals seeking Responsible Care® auditor certification must demonstrate that they have complied with all requirements defined in RCMS205.XX, Responsible Care® Certification Auditor Qualification and Training Requirements.  This document is provided on the ACC Responsible Care® Toolkit website at the following link:  http://www.responsiblecaretoolkit.com/certification.asp.

A summary of the requirements is provided below – please refer to RCMS205.00 for specific requirements that must be observed:

1.      Education - Auditor shall have a Bachelors Degree or higher (equivalency review can be requested).

2.      Training - Auditor shall provide evidence of at least 40 hours training in the past 3 years.  As part of this training, the auditor shall successfully complete an ACC qualified Responsible Care^â course in accordance with “Responsible Care^â Certification Auditor Course Requirements” (RCMS206.XX).

3.      Character References - Auditors shall provide (2) written character references in accordance with the ACC designee’s certification application procedure.

4.      Experience:

●       General Work Experience – The applicant will be required to demonstrate 4 years relevant work experience.  Relevant work experience shall be considered verifiable experience gained during the last ten (10) years and shall be defined as experience that develops skills and understanding in at least two of the areas described below:

§  Implementation of Responsible Care® programs;

§  Environmental, Health and Safety (EH&S) science and technology;

§  Work experience gained by actual hands on roles in the chemical process industry and/or EH&S services;

§  Product Stewardship, Transportation or Distribution of chemical products;

§  Requirements of EH&S laws, regulations and related documents; and

§  EH&S/ Responsible Care® management systems and standards or related auditing procedures, processes and auditing techniques.

●       Specific Work Experience - Work experience qualification shall not be satisfied by experience solely in management systems and auditing.  Clear evidence of work experience, such as in the chemical industry, or EH&S fields that provides an understanding of these issues, shall be required.

●       Auditing – To be considered for initial certification, each applicant must have performed at least 4 EHS-related management system audits consisting of at least 20 total days within the past two years. 

5.      Certification Exam – In addition to satisfying all the requirements described above, the individual must successfully pass the six-hour BEAC Responsible Care® certification examination to become a certified Responsible Care® Certified Auditor. 

6.      Conditional Responsible Care® Auditor – Applicants who cannot meet all the Auditing Experience or Certification Exam requirements as defined above, can apply for “Conditional Responsible Care® auditor” status.  To qualify, a “Conditional Responsible Care® auditor” must have (1) successfully passed the required certification exam OR (2) completed four management system audits.    A “Conditional Responsible Care® auditor” designation will allow the individual to serve on a RCMS® audit team until the end of 2005.  The individual must obtain their Responsible Care® Auditor Certification by the end of 2005 or they will not be allowed to participate on future RCMS® audits.  Individuals granted the interim, conditional standing must accurately reflect their professional status at all times as “Conditional Responsible Care® auditor”.  A “Conditional Responsible Care® auditor” cannot serve in the lead auditor role without prior written approval of the audited company and BEAC.

In providing information to satisfy the above requirements, each applicant must certify that all of the information provided is true and correct.  Each applicant must give BEAC permission to contact listed references, present and past employers, and to verify any and all information contained in their application.  In addition, each applicant must state that they have read and agree to abide by the provisions of the BEAC Code of Ethics and the qualification criteria set forth in the Responsible Care® Certified Auditor program.

BEAC RESPONSIBLE CARE® AUDITOR CERTIFICATION PROCEDURES

Individuals who wish to obtain BEAC’s Responsible Care® certification must complete the BEAC Responsible Care® Certified Auditor Application.  This application is presented on the BEAC website.

These materials should be submitted along with fee payment to:

                        BEAC Program Director

                        247 Maitland Avenue

                        Altamonte Springs, FL 32701-4201

                        Phone:  (407) 831-7727 / Fax:  (407) 830-7495

The application will be reviewed by BEAC for submittal of all required information and payment of applicable fees.  Once the application is complete and fees paid, BEAC staff will provide the application to the BEAC Certification Committee for review and approval.  If the Committee determines that all required information meets BEAC and Responsible Care® requirements, the individual will be conditionally certified pending successful completion of the BEAC Management System examination.  Upon passing of the exam, the Certification Committee will make a recommendation to the BEAC Board to award the individual the BEAC Responsible Care® Certified Auditor certification.  The Board will make the final determination.

Any individual not approved – either at time of initial application or after the exam – will receive from BEAC written comments of their deficiencies.  If the deficiencies are addressed within five years of the original application date, no additional application fee will be required.  Should the deficiencies be addressed after five years from the original application date, it will be considered a new application. 

FEES

Individuals seeking Responsible Care® auditor certification must include appropriate payment with their application.  The application fee is non-refundable and covers the cost of BEAC’s approval process, including the cost of the examination.  The total application fee is $395 – if the individual is already a BEAC certified auditor in another designation, the fee is $245.

LEAD AUDITOR

The individual serving in the “Lead Auditor” role for the Responsible Care® audit, shall satisfy one of the following to be eligible to serve as a lead auditor.

●       Shall have participated in at least 6 audits within the past 2 years, totaling 20 days, and covering EH&S management systems and/or the Responsible Care Management System®.

●       If a lead auditor candidate's audit experience does not satisfy above requirements, the candidate shall be allowed to demonstrate competence by participating in at least two RCMS® audits within the past year, totaling 10 days, and by receiving a documented positive recommendation on both audits from the Lead Auditor.

It is the responsibility of the ASP to ensure that their lead auditor for each audit comply with this requirement.  The ASP is required to state the lead auditor’s name and to confirm that the lead auditor meets these requirements in their attestation letter to BEAC required before each RCMS® audit.  (Reference BEAC’s RCMS® Audit Service Provider Program document.)

MAINTENANCE OF AUDITOR CERTIFICATION

All Responsible Care® Certified Auditors must continually meet the Auditing and Continuing Professional Development (CPD) requirements outlined below.  Responsible Care® Certified Auditors shall provide evidence of continued qualification to BEAC every two (2) years.  A copy of BEAC’s Audit and Continuing Education form is presented on their website.

1.      Responsible Care® Certified Auditors shall participate in the equivalent of at least four (4) Responsible Care® audits every two (2) years;

2.      Responsible Care® Certified Auditors shall successfully complete at a minimum 40 total hours of CPD every two (2) years;

3.      Feedback on individual auditor’s performance may be provided by the audited organization to the Audit Service Provider.  This feedback, at the discretion of the audited organization may be provided to BEAC.  If necessary, based on significant and repeated negative feedback, BEAC may review an Auditor’s eligibility for Responsible Care® audits.

REMOVAL OF CERTIFICATION STATUS

BEAC reserves the right to revoke the auditor certification based upon the individual failing to comply with BEAC’s Code of Ethics and Standards of Conduct or with Responsible Care® Certified Program requirements as provided in this document.  BEAC will communicate any removal of the certified auditor’s status in writing.  Any disputes with BEAC’s decision can be communicated to BEAC as defined in the Complaints and Disputes section below.

COMPLAINTS AND DISPUTES

Complaints and disputes against BEAC, staff, and agents associated with the Responsible Care® Certification Program shall be submitted in writing to BEAC.  BEAC will process the complaint/dispute in accordance with its defined processes which are managed by the Ethics Committee.  The Ethics Committee decision will be communicated in writing to the Responsible Care® Certified Auditor or applicant.  The certified auditor or applicant can appeal the decision and request a hearing with a panel appointed by the BEAC Board.  All decisions of the hearing panel will be final.

ACC TECHNICAL OVERSIGHT BOARD (TOB)

Acting on behalf of the ACC, the TOB reserves the right to monitor BEAC’s performance in accordance with its obligations as defined in the MOU executed between ACC and BEAC.  If BEAC fails to administer its Responsible Care® auditor certification in accordance with ACC criteria - based upon the recommendation of the TOB - ACC may revoke BEAC’s authority to certify Responsible Care® Certified Auditors.

INDEMNIFICATION

The Responsible Care® Certified Auditor applicant agrees that BEAC, its directors, employees, or agents will not be liable or responsible for any aspects of the BEAC certified auditor’s audit performance.  The applicant agrees to indemnify BEAC, its directors, employees, and agents from and against any and all loss, damage or liability resulting from demands, claims, suits, or actions associated with the performance of a Responsible Care® certification audit or from the certified auditor application process.  The indemnity provided shall include, but not be limited to court costs, attorney’s fees, costs of investigation, costs of defense, settlements, and judgments associated with such demands, claims, suits or actions.  The indemnification shall survive the cancellation, termination, completion, or expiration of the auditor certification. 

WAIVER OF RIGHTS

The Responsible Care® Certified Auditor applicant agrees that the decision of BEAC regarding its application for certification or removal of certification is final.  Applicant specifically waives any and all potential claims regarding BEAC’s action on its application or removal of certification.  Applicant releases BEAC, its directors, employees, and agents from any and all liability associated with the certified auditor application or certified auditor process.

CONFIDENTIALITY

The materials submitted by the certified auditor applicant to BEAC for use in the evaluation will not be copied or distributed to any party outside of BEAC’s Certification Committee.  The application and all original supporting materials will be maintained indefinitely in a confidential file in the BEAC headquarters for the sole purpose of this approval process.  BEAC acknowledges that the applicant reserves any and all rights to the materials, and BEAC will not reproduce or transmit the materials in any form by any means without prior written permission of the applicant.