Re: Internal Auditor - Experience and Training
Dear Friend,
If you have established an EMS according to ISO-14001, then I would expect that the internal audit is conducted by auditors qualified to conduct the internal audit (as per qualifications prescribed in ISO-19011) according to ISO-19011. A certification body is supposed to seek objective evidence of (a) competence, experience, training and independence of auditors (e.g. including any reference to ISO 19011and/or to programmes for the registration of audit personnel);(b) auditing procedure and methodology, in particular the extent of the audit (e.g.including any reference to ISO 19011) and (c) references and standards (e.g. ISO 19011) (Text in Italics is adapted from IAF FG 66_2) during the Stage II Certification audit of the organization. If the auditors carrying out the internal audit are not qualified as given above, you may run the risk of certification auditor questioning the validity of the internal audit. Since internal audits can be carried out by "external" qualified auditors, I would, in a situation like yours, invite qualified auditors from outside the organization to conduct the "internal" ISO-14001 audit. I have been practicing this for the last eight years as I do not have any qualified ISO-14001 auditor to carry out internal audit of my ISO-14001 certified organizations (2 persons and 10 person organizations).
With best regards,
Ramakrishnan