Related Topics
Professional Engineer Inspection
Professional environmental engineers are qualified according to the "Professional Engineer Act" and must pass the national examination to obtain their qualifications. They also need more than two years of practical experience in environmental engineering before they can officially perform their duties. According to the Air Pollution Control Act, Water Pollution Control Act, and Soil and Groundwater Pollution Remediation Act, if a manufacture process (change) reaches a certain level or a new factory (site) is established, the permit documents must be certified by a professional environmental engineer.
To ensure that professional environmental engineers fulfill their professional knowledge and responsibilities, the Ministry of Environment has formulated the "Regulations Governing Certification by Professional Environmental Engineers". These rules stipulate the responsibilities of professional environmental engineers in performing certification tasks, requiring them to conduct on-site inspections of pollution control facilities (measures) and related records, and participate in planning and design activities before certification. Additionally, the work drafts prepared during the certification process must include the inspection results and on-site photos taken by the certifying professional engineers.
The purpose of establishing professional environmental engineers is to leverage their professional capabilities to verify whether the pollution control facilities set up by industries are consistent with the application documents, and to ensure that these facilities comply with relevant laws or pollution control principles and practices. This is to ensure the functionality of the facilities, protect public interests, and maintain environmental quality.
Therefore, the agency has established the "Standard Operating Procedures for Environmental Protection Engineer Certification Inspections", mainly aimed inspections for large-volume certifications, previously disciplined, or newly licensed professional engineers. Statistics show that from 2021 to 2023, environmental protection agencies nationwide inspected 648 certification cases. Common deficiencies found include errors in mass balance calculations, incorrect or missing documentation, failure to note special conditions of the plant in work drafts, and non-compliance with environmental engineering principles.
To improve certification quality, prevent environmental pollution, and enhance industries compliance, the agency has proposed three major improvement plans:
- Central and Local Government, Strong Execution Capability
The central government uses intelligent screening to select cases, then central governments cooperate with local governments to conduct inspections, covering about 10% of certification cases.
- Utilizing Modern Instruments, Complete Technological Capability
Scientific instruments are used to assist inspections, making the certification process more rigorous and thorough.
- Holding Experience Share Meetings, Enhancing Professional Capability
Irregular experience exchange meetings for the environmental protection agencies or inspection committee members are held to share certification inspection experiences and adjust inspection strategies, improving inspection accuracy. - Broad Composition of Inspection Committees, Comprehensive Professional Capability
Inspection committees consist of practicing professional engineers, experts, scholars, and law enforcement personnel from various sectors, enhancing the breadth and depth of inspections.
The quality of environmental engineering professional environmental engineer certifications affects whether pollution control equipment (measures) can effectively handle (control) pollutants. The agency conducts annual inspections to ensure that pollution control facilities (measures) comply with relevant laws or technical principles, preventing environmental pollution and maintaining public living quality.
- Data Source: Division of Environmental Enforcement
- Publish Date: 2024-08-27
- Update Date: 2025-02-26