posted 04 October 1998 04:47 AM               

What is the value of ISO certification, where Assessors fail to implement the standards they are supposed to measure companies against?

How can a company retain registration where;

Of the 4 Management reviews scheduled, only one took place. At that meeting there were 2 attendees (from an organisation of some 2500!)

There is no core purchasing procedure, there is NO supplier assessment carried out (of which there are 6000!!).

There is no core HSPPD procedures.

The internal auditing schedule was not up to date, resources are limited! There is no up to date organisation chart and job descriptions are almost non-existent!

Quality records are not systematically identified and addressed as per the applicable requirements of the standard.

The most outstanding issue however is the fact that at the previous assessment 21 noncompliances were raised. Of these only 9 had been effectively addressed!!

Oh and by the way the assessor raised an "observation" over the fact that there had been insufficient management reviews conducted!!!

The list of non-compliance could go on, however the fact remains that standards are NOT being applied effectively. Cash is King in all businesses and so, it would appear, this is the case in 3rd Party registration companies. The registration firm in this case received some £12,000+ per annum for their services, obviously losing this contract would seriously dent their income.

UKAS are supposed to "Police" the industry (in the UK), but what are they doing? I have heard rumours that they encourage Accredited bodies not to take registrations away, why?

Any comments or concerns?

posted 04 October 1998 08:41 PM               

I will try to address your concerns:

ãWhat is the value of ISO certification, where Assessors fail to implement the standards they are supposed to measure companies against?ä
There is no value to ISO certification. It is to certify that a company meets the requirements of the standard. By the way, it is not certification, it is registration (I think?). If your Quality Management System tells you to build cement life jackets, that is what is what you will build (apologies, Marc).

ãOf the 4 Management reviews scheduled, only one took place. At that meeting there were 2 attendees (from an organization of some 2500!)ä
What did the procedure say!!! Were they in compliance with the procedure, or not?

ãThere is no core purchasing procedure, there is NO supplier assessment carried out (of which there are 6000!!).ä
There is not a requirement that suppliers be assessed, only that they be approved. However, this lack of a procedure is a concern.

ãThere is no core HSPPD procedures.ä Where does it say that these are required!!!

ãThe internal auditing schedule was not up to date, resources are limited! There is no up to date organization chart and job descriptions are almost non-existentä
Schedules are not required. Only that internal audits be carried out as described in the standard and the associated procedures.

As to the rest, you can see that I am skeptical. If the supplier is, in fact, this sloppy (pardon), I suggest that the complaint be submitted to the registrar. Document and submit the complaint.