Certification Process
1. Request a Quote
We will issue you an Application Form for completion. This allows you to confirm information about your organisation and the standards you require Certification for. We need to understand the scope of your management system including operational activities, number of staff and operational locations.
2. Stage 1 Audit
The purpose of the Stage 1 Audit is to evaluate your readiness to proceed to a Stage 2 Audit which will be a more in-depth audit. We review your management system documentation and evaluate your site(s) to help plan for the Stage 2 Audit. If your appointed auditor is happy to recommend moving forward to Stage 2, they will do so in the audit report and may report some actions to address prior to that audit. If they do not feel your management system is in a position to move forward to the Stage 2 then they will advise on the areas that require addressing. We will then need to repeat the Stage 1 Audit to reevaluate your readiness. If you fail a Stage 1 Audit you may want to consider obtaining additional help from a consultant.
3. Stage 2 Audit
Your Stage 2 Audit must take place within 6 months of a successful Stage 1 Audit. We evaluate your system in practice to ensure that you meet all requirements of the respective Standard(s) and are implementing your management system effectively.
4. Certification Issued
If you successfully complete your Stage 2 Audit, the auditor will make a recommendation to grant certification. This recommendation will be reviewed by a competent person to make the final certification decision. If the certification decision is positive, you will receive a certificate confirming the scope of your management system and the dates of achievement which is valid for three years pending successful surveillance audits.
5. Ongoing Surveillance
Surveillance audits are carried out annually to ensure continuous compliance with the relevant Standard(s) and to demonstrate improvement of your management system. Surveillance audits will typically not cover every aspect of your management system but will cover key management system processes as well as sampling operation processes. The areas of the management system to be audited will be defined as part of your Audit Plan.
6. Recertification Audit
Recertification Audit’s are required in the third year of certification and will be a comprehensive audit aligned with your original Stage 2 audit. An independent decision will again be granted to confirm or revoke certification.
ISO 9001
ISO 14001
ISO 45001
