Free Access PECB.ISO-14001-Lead-Auditor.v2026-09-01.q39 Practice Test (Page 7)

Question 26

An organisation (ABC) plans to carry out a second-party audit of the environmental management system of a supplier (XYZ). Both, ABC and XYZ, have a certified Environmental Management System (EMS) to ISO
14001 by the same certification body.
Which one of these statements is correct?

A.ABC should not ask permission from the certification body to carry out the audit to XYZ.

B.ABC should request to see a copy of the last certification body audit report from XYZ.

C.ABC should invite, as an observer, an auditor of the certification body when it carries out the audit to XYZ.

D.ABC should inform the certification body that it is planning to audit XYZ.

Question 27

A multi-level shopping centre is open every day to the public from 09:00-21:00 hours. During an external audit of the centre to ISO 14001, you establish that there are 40 vending machines that are permanently switched on. Thirty of them do not sell perishable foodstuffs. You also note that there are eight escalators in the complex that run constantly during public access. When asked about environmental performance improvement objectives, the Centre Manager says that there are plans to increase the natural daylight by installing more skylights thus saving on lighting costs, but the estimated budget for this has not yet been approved by the board.
You: I note that energy consumption is a significant environmental aspect in the centre. How do you mitigate the impacts of this?
EMS Manager: We try to reduce our energy costs by negotiating a better deal from the energy company. We are considering changing to one that only supplies electricity from renewable sources.
You: What steps have you taken to reduce overall consumption?
EMS Manager: We conducted awareness training for staff. For example, turning off lights in staff areas not being used.
You: I see that the escalators account for the highest usage of energy. Are there any objectives to try and reduce this?
EMS Manager: No, it would be too costly to change them.
You: How do you measure electricity consumption?
EMS Manager: We have meters installed in each floor of the centre. We take readings every hour and we plot the consumption graph for every staff shift.
You continue the interview and find that energy consumption has increased steadily over the past five years.
Select the two statements that are true.

A.The escalators are switched on permanently.

B.The vending machines are switched on permanently.

C.The organisation should take action to address its energy consumption.

D.The organisation ' s energy supplier sources renewable energy.

E.The Centre Manager is trained in energy awareness.

F.The centre staff are responsible for energy consumption in the staff areas.

Question 28

During a second-party audit at a paper mill, you find that the EMS Manager conducted the environmental risk process. In the environmental aspects register, aspects were listed by emissions to air, releases to water, releases to land and other aspects such as energy consumption and waste disposal. They were categorised as either significant or not significant.
The EMS Manager had an action plan only for significant aspects.
Match each of the following statements of your concerns to a clause of ISO 14001.

Correct Answer:

Explanation:
* Risks and opportunities were not considered in the determining of environmental aspects: 6.1.1
* A neighbouring generating station was not considered to be an interested party: 4.2
* Deforestation through timber use was considered to be a significant environmental impact: 6.1.2
* The paper mill incorporates the use of recycled paper in its production process: 8.1
* The EMS Manager decided to decrease the number of internal audits in the programme: 9.2.2
* The technical department was working on improving the biodegradation characteristics of the finished product: 6.1.4 In accordance with ISO 14001:2015, audit concerns regarding risk management, stakeholder context, operational controls, and lifecycle planning map to specific requirements:
* Clause 6.1.1 (Actions to address risks and opportunities): Mandates that an organization establish, implement, and maintain processes to determine risks and opportunities related to its environmental aspects, compliance obligations, and other issues.
* Clause 4.2 (Understanding the needs and expectations of interested parties): Requires the identification of relevant interested parties, such as neighboring facility operators or local communities, and their specific needs and expectations.
* Clause 6.1.2 (Environmental aspects): Dictates the identification and evaluation of environmental aspects and associated environmental impacts (e.g., raw material extraction and resource depletion like deforestation) from a life-cycle perspective.
* Clause 8.1 (Operational planning and control): Encompasses operational requirements, raw material selections (such as substituting virgin timber with recycled paper content), and controlling processes according to environmental criteria.
* Clause 9.2.2 (Internal audit programme): Regulates the establishment, maintenance, and modification of internal audit frequency, methods, and programme schedules.
* Clause 6.1.4 (Planning action): Mandates planning actions to address significant aspects, compliance obligations, and risks/opportunities, including incorporating life-cycle improvements into product design and technical development.
References: ISO 14001:2015 Clauses 4.2, 6.1.1, 6.1.2, 6.1.4, 8.1, 9.2.2, and CQI-IRCA ISO 14001 Lead Auditor Curriculum (EMS Standard Clauses and Scenario Mapping).

Question 29

You are leading a recertification audit of XM, a manufacturer of cosmetic products. After the initial certification, XM moved to another site.
After the opening meeting, you are visiting the new site with the production manager (PM). The dialogue is as follows:
You: It seems that you are doing some work in the right-hand corner of the site.
PM: Yes, when we moved to this site, there was a very old, three-story building; it was almost empty, and we decided to demolish it and build a new office for the administrative personnel. DEMO services are doing the job, which is almost over.
You: Do you know what the old building was used for?
PM: I was told that it was a warehouse for chemical storage, including a laboratory and toilets for the personnel. It also had a chimney. I do not know what for.
You: Did you consider it necessary to refer to some parts of the EMS for this work?
PM: No, we were busy moving all the equipment and materials to the new site. We did not have time to care about something that was going to disappear.
Which four audit trail issues would you follow?

A.DEMO ' s environmental policy

B.XM ' s contract with DEMO to conduct the work

C.XM ' s supervision of DEMO when doing the work

D.DEMO ' s quality policy

E.Business information on DEMO

F.Environmental impacts related to the demolition

G.Audit DEMO ' s head office personnel

H.Regulatory approval for DEMO ' s activities

Question 30

During discussions with the individual(s) managing the audit programme of a certification body, the EMS Manager of the client organisation asks that only one auditor is used for the audit duration to save on travel expenses.
Which combination of the following responses should the individual(s) managing the audit programme make?
Select two.

A.Advise that the audit team make-up is a decision for the Certification Body.

B.Advise the EMS Manager that his request can be considered for future audits.

C.Suggest that the EMS Manager choose another Certification Body.

D.Advise that the contract has already been signed and cannot be revised.

E.Suggest asking the Certification Body management to consider the request.

F.Advise that a remote audit could be conducted instead of an on-site audit.

Correct Answer: A,E

The correct answers are A and E .
A). Advise that the audit team make-up is a decision for the Certification Body - Correct For a certification audit, the Certification Body is responsible for determining the audit team composition.
This includes deciding the number of auditors, required competence, audit duration, technical expertise, impartiality, and ability to cover the full audit scope. The client may express a preference or raise a concern, but the client cannot dictate the audit team structure simply to reduce costs.
E). Suggest asking the Certification Body management to consider the request - Correct The request may be passed to appropriate Certification Body management for review. The Certification Body can consider whether the request is possible without compromising audit duration, competence, impartiality, coverage of the audit scope, or certification requirements. However, any change must remain under the Certification Body's control.
The other options are not appropriate:
B). Advise the EMS Manager that his request can be considered for future audits - Incorrect This avoids the current request rather than addressing it properly. The Certification Body may consider the request now, but only through its own competent review process.
C). Suggest that the EMS Manager choose another Certification Body - Incorrect This is unprofessional and unnecessary. The correct approach is to explain the Certification Body's responsibility and review the request appropriately.
D). Advise that the contract has already been signed and cannot be revised - Incorrect A signed contract does not automatically prevent changes. Changes may be possible if reviewed and approved by the Certification Body, provided audit integrity is maintained.
F). Advise that a remote audit could be conducted instead of an on-site audit - Incorrect Remote auditing cannot simply be substituted to reduce travel expenses. The use of remote audit methods must be justified and must still allow the Certification Body to achieve the audit objectives. For many certification audit activities, especially where operational controls and site conditions must be verified, on-site evaluation may be necessary.
Therefore, the best two responses are A and E .

Question 26

Question 27

Question 28

Question 29

Question 30

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