Complaint #005 Accreditation Procedures

Details of Complaint:

Appeal regarding issuance of CARs

Certification Body in disagreement with Major Corrective Action Request (CAR) raised by a SAI auditor

Actions Taken:

This was an appeal of a categorization of a non-compliance related to auditor training adequacy as Major rather than Minor, at a surveillance audit in November 2001.

(A Major CAR needs to be addressed more promptly than a Minor and, if not addressed, can lead to suspension or withdrawal of accreditation. Corrective action plans and verification of their implementation are allowed half as much time for Major as for Minor CARs. )

SAI reviewed all the outstanding documentation from all past audits about the organization and also interviewed the various auditors who had evaluated the firm’s compliance. The problem was indeed found to be persistent, and thus it was proper to elevate it, when unaddressed, from a minor to a major non-conformance.

Staff also checked to see that the documented SAI procedures for defining the level of a corrective action request were followed, and found that they had been.

Therefore, the appeal was denied, the Major CAR stayed.

A corrective action plan was confirmed to be implemented at of the March 2002, surveillance audit.