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Jakość - Normalizacja - Certyfikacja
Dodatek promocyjno-reklamowy do RZECZPOSPOLITEJ.
20 czerwca 2007 r.
po polsku
The requirements of the new ISO/IEC 17021:2006 standard for the units which certify management systems
New quality of certified services?
The statement of Karol Hauptmann, the manager of Polish Accreditation Centre
 Certification of management systems carried out by certifying units on the basis if the requirements of international standards are the foundation for stating certification as an essential element of supporting international goods exchange.
The condition which is necessary to achieve the aim is the comparable level of reliability of certificates issues by different certifying units. Unfortunately, together with the increase in the amount of units and the amount of certificates issued for organization management systems, the quality of products and services produced by the suppliers with the certified management systems does not increase, in popular belief. European accrediting units, including Polish Accreditation, despite regular, periodical evaluations of certification processes in terms of the supervision over the accredited units, did not finally manage to prevent from the unbeneficial perceiving of management systems certification.
Certifying units obtained in 2006 a new tool which allows re-projecting and implementing into their structure the management system which suits the current approach in the domain. A new standard has appeared ISO/IEC 17021:2006 "Conformity evaluation - The requirements for the units which carry out audits and certification of the management systems". It replaced the standard applied up to this time EN 45012:1998 and guides ISO/IEC no 62 and no 66. A new standard shall also be used as a criterion in the processes of accreditation, supervision and subsequent evaluation of the management system certifying units.
In the provisions of ISO/IEC 17021 standard, not only the checked solutions from the hitherto prevailing normative documents were included, but also a wide range of fundamental changes and supplements resulting from the long-term practice of their application, were introduced. The directions of the changes indicate the rules of impartiality, competence, responsibility, openness, confidentiality and reaction to complaints, which all the requirements have been taken from. The introduction of rules to the standard, non-auditable rules, is the reflection of the new approach in which the goals to be achieved are determined. The mentioned rules are the goals for the units certifying management system activity and shall be applied as guidelines for undertaking decisions in the unpredictable situations. The rules are universal enough so that they can be applied for every type of activity in terms of the evaluation of conformity carried out by the units of the so-called third party, independently from the producer and receiver of products and services.
Is the necessity of adjusting the management systems and certification programs of certifying units for the certification rules and resulting from it requirements a chance for the increase of " ISO 9001 certificates" importance, and indirectly a chance for a better quality of products and services supported with the certified management systems? The answer to the question can be obtained by means of tracing the most essential changes and supplements which were introduced to EN ISO/IEC 17021 standard.
For the management systems certification to enjoy the trust of all the interested sides, the certifying units shall first of all be impartial in its actions and decisions. The terms of impartiality have been widened, and the threats for impartiality have been specified.
The management of the unit will have to declare in public, that the meaning of impartiality is understood, that it manages potential interest conflicts and assures the objectiveness of evaluation. The impartiality shall be protected by an independent committee which represents the business of the key parties interested in certification, which at least once a year shall make the review whether the rules of impartiality are met in the process of auditing and certification. It shall have the right to inform authorities or accrediting units in case when the unit management does not regard its remarks concerning impartiality.
Much attention was paid to the threats coming from the connections of the certifying unit with consultations carried out by consulting organizations and physical persons. The term of consultation was specified and the term of units connected with the term of connections, which might threat impartiality, was replaced. It was allowed to carry out consultations by the unit contract auditors under the condition that the management system shall include the solutions which help to manage the potential conflict of business. And so, the ones that shall prevent from the conflict of business, include, inter alia, the requirements of making external notes concerning the provision of consultation services for every unit employee and external auditor as well as the requirement of giving by the unit customer, in his application for certification, information on using consultations with regard to the management system.
The requirements of keeping the entries which document the process of calculating the time of audit as well as justification to the applied calculation method contradict to dishonest price competitiveness. The guidelines concerning the process of calculating the time of auditors work which is currently valid still stay in force.
In terms of the requirements concerning competences of the unit personnel, stress was placed on the analysis of needs and stating the criteria for every certification program as well as for criteria connected with technical knowledge on products and processes realized in terms of the management system of the organization audited by the unit. It shall require the verification of the criteria applied with qualification of auditors for the evaluation of management systems in different domains of economy and services.
Another essential changes concern the certification process. Four types of audits have been identified: certifying audit, audit in supervision, audit of repeated evaluation as well as special audits: to widen the scope of certification and audit with the so-called short term of notifying the organization. The obligation of a two-stage certification audit is the newness. The results of the first stage shall be documented but not necessarily in a formal report and handed over to the unit customer. The gap between the first and the second stage of audit shall be dependent from the time needed for the customer to solve the questions indicated in the arrangements of the first stage, as potential inconsistencies in the second stage. The second stage shall confirm the implementation, including the efficiency, of the organization management system and constitute for one of the basis for the certification decision. The certificate issued by the entity shall be valid for three years from the date of making the decision on the certification. The certificate shall also include the information on its expiration date. The first audit in supervision shall be carried out within 12 months from the last day of the second stage of certifying audit. The simplicity of the requirements aims at strengthening the supervision over the certified management system, increasing the entitys responsibility for reliable and regular collection of evidence of consistency with the requirements and acting against the unsuitable usage of certificates.
And so the alternative was introduced concerning the implemented management system in the certifying unit. The system is supposed to support and show the fact of meeting the requirements of EN ISO/IEC 17021 standard as well as to be consistent with the requirements of ISO 9001 standard or with general requirements for the management system. The choice is up to the unit, while the specificity of action of the certifying units has been taken into account in EN ISO/IEC 17021 standard.
Coming back to the question raised at the beginning of the article, it can be said that all the changes are going towards widening the responsibility of the certifying unit for the quality of services provided. EN ISO/IEC 17021 standard shall be a good tool to improve the state of meeting the listed six rules of carrying reliable and objective management systems certification for accreditation unit, which is Polish Accreditation Centre. The openness of the unit as well as the concentration on the demands of all the parties which directly or indirectly use the management systems certification in their activities, supported with the competences of impartial personnel, gives the opportunity that trust towards certification shall increase. Polish Accreditation Centre shall consequently support the process by means of verifying if the requirements have been met in the process of accreditation and supervision over the units which certify management systems. n
01-382 Warszawa, ul. Szczotkarska 42
tel. 022 355-70-00, fax 022 355-70-18
www.pca.gov.pl
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