External certification and auditors
Integrated management and compliance systems, in plain English.
About certification
Benefits of certification
Certification status allows you to tender for work where it is a prerequisite. Certification has wide marketplace recognition and can give you “preferred supplier” status and a competitive advantage.
The external audit body
The 3rd party external audit is done by an accredited audit body, which is responsible for issuing System Certification.
The external auditor
- Examines your management procedures and records
- Assesses compliance to the Standard/s and regulatory requirements
- Checks that your system is fully in use and is appropriate to your needs
- Provides a written report, identifying observations and improvements
- If satisfied, recommends your business for Certification
- Prepares a Scope of Registration (the certificate capability statement).
In year 1 the audit body does a preliminary audit (Stage 1) followed by the certification audit (Stage 2). Typically, surveillance audits are conducted annually thereafter. Major recertification audits are performed every 3 years.
The importance of
audit body accreditation
Your certification or inspection body should be accredited by the Joint Accreditation System of Australia and New Zealand (JAS-ANZ), or other international accreditation forum bodies (IAF) including UKAS, DAkkS, IAJapan, and IAS. This means your audit body has been monitored and approved independently and that it acts with integrity when certifying or inspecting for conformity.
Third-party accreditation is recognised globally as the highest and most credible level an audit body can obtain.
Check the JAS-ANZ register – is your audit body accredited?
Open http://www.jas-anz.org/register and go to the JAS-ANZ Register for Accredited Bodies.
Some Australian and multi-national audit bodies
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