The Audit Procedure
Our auditors are selected to meet the requirements of your particular sector. Your company’s activity, location of premises, size and complexity are all taken into account. On receipt of your application form, we will contact you to agree dates for the following:
A detailed, on-site audit of your company’s documented system against the company’s working practices and the ISO standard. Findings of the audit are documented. If there are any areas of concern to the auditors, the following may be raised:
- Major non-conformance – which must be rectified before certification can be recommended by the lead auditor.
Certification is valid for a three-year period and monitored by a registered auditor at regular intervals. All visits to your company are by appointment, thereby ensuring availability of relevant personnel. At the end of three years your organisation will need to be re-assessed. Fees for this will be kept to a minimum and discussed with you in advance.
Please note: All audits are performed on the basis of sampling. If discrepancies are not discovered, there is no guarantee that they do not exist.
Amendments or extensions to the initial certified scope are possible, for example, to include additional offices or new areas of business. Audits for this ‘extension’ can be carried out with minimum disruption to your organisation, often by allocating extra time around the time of a routine surveillance visit. Please let us know about any changes by contacting us by telephone, email or a letter.
In the event of an audit which results in a recommendation to defer registration to the relevant standard (or at a later stage if notified that a certificate is to be withdrawn), a written appeal may be sent to Epsilon Consultants (IOM) Limited.
All appeals will be heard by an Appeals Panel selected from the Governing Board. Your company has a right to object to any member forming part of the chosen panel. The Governing Board will then select a different panel. If the appeal is upheld, the findings of the auditor will be overruled. If the auditor is found to be correct, your company will be required to pay for a partial or full re-audit and the cost of the appeal. Such appeals are exceptionally rare.