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In this section are listed the most recurring questions concerning CERTIFICATION and ACCREDITATION:

 

The Organization seeking the certification of its Quality, Environmental and Safety Management System according to ISO Standards shall grasp the contents of the relevant Standard and learn its requirements. Consequently it will be possible to identify what has already been done inside the Organization and what has to be implemented or acquired to meet the requirements. In this proceeding the Organization may turn for help to a consulting firm, whose in-depth knowledge of the Standard will provide a strong support for assessing the System and drawing up the necessary procedures to regulate the processes.

 

 Once the company System has been set up and supported by documentary evidence, it is time to contact a Certification Body. Certiquality will forward to you a form for data collection, which is meant for quantifying an offer. Otherwise the application for an offer can be made by visiting the web-site and inquiring the file “estimate”.

 

Which are the stages of the certification proceeding?

Certiquality’s certification proceeding provides that the enterprise submits an application once it has set up a Quality System according to ISO 9001 Standard, properly documented by a Quality Manual fitted with the necessary procedures. On receipt of the application, along with the required records and the Quality Manual, the papers forwarded are gone through and any non-conformity found is reported to the enterprise. Unless major shortcomings are detected, the application is accepted and a pre-audit may be arranged for the sake of spotting any non-conformities, and so allowing the enterprise to improve its Quality System and to estimate accordingly the most suitable time for the audit inspection. The audit inspection, whether or not preceded by a pre-inspection, includes an in-depth survey to ascertain that the company procedures tally with the requirements of the relevant Standard, and that the procedures are actually complied with. The outcome is recorded in an assessment report, where the inspection results and the identified non-conformities are listed. The enterprise must submit a schedule of the necessary corrective actions, and prove that all such actions have been carried out or scheduled. Certiquality’s auditors are all fully qualified in the line of business taken into account, with a significant working expertise and a long-standing knowledge of Quality System assessment. The Technical Commission sets forth its view as to granting the certification, and sets the deadline for the first surveillance inspection. The certified enterprise must undertake to maintain its operation in line with the requirements of the relevant Quality Standard, and to record all customer complaints and the ensuing corrective actions, monitoring their effectiveness.

 

What is the meaning of surveillance or maintenance inspection?

The Certification Body performs a periodical monitoring of the company’s certified Quality System, in order to ascertain that all certified requirements are steadily complied with as time goes by. Surveillance inspections are carried out accordingly, by mutual consent with the enterprise.

 

What is a System certification?

The certification bears witness to the effectiveness of an Organization’s set-up and its Quality, Environmental and Safety Management System.

 

What is the meaning of Product certification?

Product certification testifies that a product meets the requirements specified and listed in a reference Standard. Consequently Product certification refers to as many reference Standards as the kinds of products to be certified. Product certification entitles the manufacturer to affix on the product packaging the seal of conformity, showing the logotype of the Certification Body.

 

What is the meaning of Integrated Management System?

An integrated Quality, Environmental and Safety Management System testifies the will to run a service on a level of excellence, in view of a continual improvement. An integrated System fosters as well maximum efficiency of the service provided, ruling out useless overlappings and diseconomies. Besides, the implementation of an integrated System is made easier by the common roots of ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 Standards, and their almost identical layout. Certiquality acknowledges and rewards by a certificate of excellence the dedication of the Organizations aiming at attaining, through the integrated certification, an ever increasing level of efficiency, although for the time being this top reward attracts indeed just a restricted number of enterprises.

 

 The accreditation by the appointed Bodies (SINAL, SIT and SINCERT) according to the European Standards EN 45011 and EN 45012 vouches for the fairness, independence and expertise of a Certification Body. Accreditation is a free will decision by the Certification Bodies wishing to prove and testify their commitment towards the fairness, clearness and professionalism of their dealing. The accreditation is granted separately for each individual line of business (see list of Certiquality’s accreditations) and therefore it is essential to check beforehand whether the selected Body is accredited for the assessment and certification of the range of activities carried out by the enterprise seeking certification.

 

Besides vouching for the expertise and independence of the Certification Body, the accreditation is frequently required as a condition for being admitted to take part in a tender. Moreover, the certificates issued by accredited Bodies are also acknowledged and accepted abroad, depending on specific agreements of mutual recognition.