ISO Audits

ISO Standards

How should organisations prepare and implement a certification audit for standards like BS EN 1090 or ISO 9001.

Well, for ISO 9001, the first step involves a desktop or stage one audit where an evaluation is conducted to assess if the existing quality system and related documentation is properly set up. Following on from this is a stage two audit.

A stage two audit involves interviewing nominate employees involved in the quality system to ascertain how the system operates in practice. This audit aims to assess how long the QMS has been in operation and whether or not employees involved in it properly understand and maintain compliance with the standard being audited.

Providing the stage one and two audits are satisfactory, the auditor carrying out the evaluation confirms this with the certification authority and in around 2 weeks to 3 months time, an accreditation certificate will be issued to the successful organisation

After initial certification has been conferred, an organisation is then subjected to ongoing repeat assessment in order to retain their certification status. About a year after initial certification, certification bodies introduce a surveillance process. This process monitors whether management reviews and internal audits are being performed correctly and whether the QMS is operating as required.

And finally comes recertification. This process involves an assessment of how thoroughly the philosophy of ISO 9001 has been integrated in the organisation over a 3-year period and the preparation it is undertaking for the next certification period.