Hot topic

In the last issue (issue 7) of INform we gave readers the following ‘hot topic’ poser: ‘How can the value and reputation of accredited certification be improved?’ Hot, indeed - readers seem to feel strongly about this subject and responses flooded in. See below for a selection of letters from readers around the world

The users of management system certificates should be educated about the accreditation process. Many users of third party certificates are oblivious to the accreditation process. Organizations that require their suppliers to have some type of certification should educate their employees so that they are responsible for following up with suppliers on how to identify valid, accredited certificates and scrutinize the certificates for scope, validity and coverage, in addition to being accredited.

A process which enhances transparency should be created. The accreditation bodies should be required to maintain an online, real-time database of the organizations certified by certification bodies, under their oversight. The database should list not only valid certificates, but also those that have expired and those who have been suspended and/or revoked. This could be easily accomplished by making the certification bodies responsible for entering and maintaining the data. Eventually, this database could be elevated to the International Accreditation Forum level, making it a de facto worldwide database.

Certification bodies should encourage their suppliers to quantify business performance improvements from the implementation of management system standards. It would force them to be continually be able to justify to top management the reasons for implementing and maintaining the system.

Certification bodies should stop the practice of hiring freelance auditors. If certification bodies hire whoever is available to do an audit, without training, soon the market will start asking: why bother with selecting a certification body if they all use the same pool of auditors?

Sidney Vianna
DNV Certification, Long Beach, CA

It’s very simple really. ISO standards uniformly require management commitment. if ISO standards are registered for a company and there is little evidence of the management system being used as a management system then accreditation should be pulled. ISO says management will manage using the standard. If this is not found to be effectively implemented and other management tools are being used then obviously having two systems is just a burden on the company so help the company out and lift the certification burden to the ISO standard to which they are accredited. 

George Herold

Accreditation bodies need to ensure that their certification bodies are independent, and should require certification bodies to stop advising or training their own certification clients. This ongoing conflict of interest will result in even more customers losing confidence in system certification.  

John Broomfield

Quality Management International

Pennsylvania, US

The next hot topic question is: ‘How can organizations get the maximum value from an internal audit?’ Email Amy Holgate on e: aholgate@irca.org and make yourself heard (please include your professional role and your country of residence).