Can an Internal Auditor be involved in the process they are auditing?

T

tmiddled

#1
Hey all,

I work for a building services company that only has 4 employees, and thus we all need to wear a number of 'hats'.

I have been nominated as the Management Representative. As we are such a small company, I will be the only one with a deep knowledge of ISO 9001, and thus will be the internal auditor also. I have searched a few threads, and it seems like this is OK, as long as I do not audit my own work. Have I gathered the right information?

I am also an engineer, and thus am involved in the design work on a number of the jobs. However, I am never in charge of this work. I simply might conduct calculations, analyze requirements etc. Can I still audit this work?

Thanks in advance.

Regards,
Tom
 
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Stijloor

Staff member
Super Moderator
#2
Hey all,

I work for a building services company that only has 4 employees, and thus we all need to wear a number of 'hats'.

I have been nominated as the Management Representative. As we are such a small company, I will be the only one with a deep knowledge of ISO 9001, and thus will be the internal auditor also. I have searched a few threads, and it seems like this is OK, as long as I do not audit my own work. Have I gathered the right information?

I am also an engineer, and thus am involved in the design work on a number of the jobs. However, I am never in charge of this work. I simply might conduct calculations, analyze requirements etc. Can I still audit this work?

Thanks in advance.

Regards,
Tom
Tom,

You can audit any process as long as it is not your work.
You are an engineer, so the engineering work you perform would be off limits.

Stijloor.
 

harry

Super Moderator
#3
I am also an engineer, and thus am involved in the design work on a number of the jobs. However, I am never in charge of this work. I simply might conduct calculations, analyze requirements etc. Can I still audit this work?
Which means that you provide technical inputs only (often for a certain part of the design) and somebody else is in-charge or has ownership of that particular project. As a C&S Engineer, I can accept that because that is the way many of us do things in this business. I am sure an auditor not well versed in this business will have a different opinion.
 
T

tmiddled

#4
Exactly, only providing technical input at various stages of the project. Not actually in charge.

OK, if there is a chance that they might not accept it, we may have to get someone out of our company to be the Internal Auditor. Everyone within our company is an engineer (we outsource installation if it's included in the spec), everyone at some point is involved in different stages of design.

Thank,
Tom
 
J

JaneB

#6
There's often no getting around it in a small company such as yours.

Provided you meet requirements (eg, don't audit work you are directly responsible for)no reasonable external auditor I've dealt with has had a problem with this.
 
S

Sam4Quality

#7
Originally Posted by tmiddled


Exactly, only providing technical input at various stages of the project. Not actually in charge.

OK, if there is a chance that they might not accept it, we may have to get someone out of our company to be the Internal Auditor. Everyone within our company is an engineer (we outsource installation if it's included in the spec), everyone at some point is involved in different stages of design.

Thank,
Tom


I don't think there is a chance that the auditor might not accept it, he would definitely accept it, unless you have audited your own work (the process that you own completely). For example, you cannot audit the Management Representative, because you are the MR and own the responsibility of the same.


Just ensure the basic elements are covered and you should pass this off successfully, without the expense of hiring someone from outside to conduct internal audits. Since you are a family of four :D, and you are the only auditor, why don't you have one more engineer trained to be an internal auditor? Otherwise, who will audit the MR and possibly your own engineering work that you own? Just a suggestion.


Ciao. :cool:


 

Randy

Super Moderator
#9
It depends upon what the standard you're using specifically allows.

ISO 14001 only requires assurance of objectivity and impartiality for example
 
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