CEM CEM Environmental Auditing & Site Assessment 2

Question 1

What is the concept of 'audit privilege' in environmental auditing?

Accepted Answer

Legal protection of voluntary audit findings from disclosure in enforcement proceedings

Answer

Audit privilege laws in some US states protect voluntary environmental audit reports from being used as evidence in civil or criminal enforcement proceedings, encouraging self-disclosure.

Question 2

In environmental auditing, 'audit scope' refers to:

Accepted Answer

The boundaries and extent of the audit including sites, activities, and time period covered

Answer

Audit scope defines the physical boundaries, organizational units, processes, activities, and time periods that will be examined during the audit.

Question 3

A 'findings' section of an environmental audit report typically includes:

Accepted Answer

Observations of both compliance deficiencies and positive practices with supporting evidence

Answer

Audit findings document both non-conformances and positive observations, supported by objective evidence, to give a balanced and accurate picture of facility performance.

Question 4

Which of the following best describes a 'de minimis' finding in an environmental audit?

Accepted Answer

A minor deviation with negligible environmental impact that does not require a corrective action plan

Answer

De minimis findings represent trivial deviations or technical violations with no meaningful environmental impact, typically noted for informational purposes without formal corrective action.

Question 5

The EPA's Strategic Environmental Management Program encourages companies to conduct voluntary environmental audits primarily because:

Accepted Answer

Voluntary disclosure of violations discovered in audits may result in reduced penalties

Answer

EPA's Audit Policy provides significant penalty reductions (up to 100% of gravity-based penalties) when facilities voluntarily discover, disclose, and correct violations found during audits.

CEM - Certified Environmental Manager Practice Test

CEM - Certified Environmental Manager Practice Test

CEM CEM Environmental Auditing & Site Assessment 2