Basic information
Management Systems Certification means increasing the credibility of product suppliers or service providers with clients and state authorities.
The basic certification and surveillance audit procedure
The pre-audit:
- Verifies the precondition of MS compliance with the requirements of the relevant standards
- Verifies the readiness of the organization for the certification audit
Certification audit
1. Stage 1 audit
Purpose
- To become familiarized with the scope of the activities of the company being certified (production or services)
- To verify the conformity of the documented management system with the requirements of the relevant standards
- To verify the correctness of the certification scope, applicable exceptions, key processes etc.
The output of the stage 1 audit is:
- The record from the audit team meeting (indicating any weaknesses)
- A proposal of the date of the stage 2 audit
2. Stage 2 audit
- To verify whether the implemented management system meets the requirements of the relevant standard, the management system policy and legal and other requirements
- To verify the level of the management system implementation
The output of the stage 2 audit is:
- The record from the final meeting of the audit team (indicating any deficiencies)
- The recommendation of the audit team that the certificate be issued (or not)
- The Audit Report
Classification of deficiencies (valid for all types of audits)
Minor nonconformity
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The audit team records a deviation and the client shall determine a corrective action
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The audit team will check by the subsequent surveillance audit the removal of this deviation
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Exposure of a deviation does not affect the positive recommendation to certification
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Exposure non-systemic non-conformity does not affect the positive recommendation to certification
Major nonconformity (non-compliance with any requirement of the relevant standard, non-compliance with legislation))
The recertification audit is always started at least before the expiry of the original certification
if the RCA is completed within 6 months of its initiation, the validity of the subsequent certification is linked to the certification decision
if the RCA is not completed within 6 months, a Level II audit must take place and the validity of the certification cannot be linked to the original certification decision
Follow-up surveillance audits after re-certification are usually carried out within 12 months of the previous audit given in the 3-year audit plan.
Surveillance / re-certification audit verifies that:
- Certified system is continuously maintained, monitored and improved
- There is the compliance of management system with regulatory and legislative requirements (feedback to the client)
Subsequently this audit confirms the compliance (or non-compliance) with the certification requirements.
The audit team
The approach focused on a satisfying of the clients needs and their expectation, is the main principle of the audit team, while maintaining the compliance with requirements of the relevant standard for the management system.