Foreword

Introduction

1Scope

2Normative references

3Terms and definitions

4Principles

5General requirements

5.1Legal and contractual matters

5.2Management of impartiality

5.3Liability and financing

6Structural requirements

7Resource requirements

7.1Competence of personnel

7.1.1General considerations

7.1.2Determination of competence criteria

7.1.3Evaluation processes

7.1.4Other considerations

7.2Personnel involved in certification activities

7.3Use of individual external auditors and external technical experts

7.4Personnel records

7.5Outsourcing

8Information requirements

8.1Public information

8.2Certification documents

8.3Reference to certification and use of marks

8.4Confidentiality

8.5Information exchange between a certification body and its clients

9Process requirements

9.1Pre-certification activities

9.1.1Application

9.1.2Application review

9.1.3Audit programme

9.1.4Determining audit time

9.1.5Multi-site sampling

9.1.6Multiple management systems standards

9.2Planning audits

9.2.1Determining audit objectives, scope and criteria

9.2.2Audit team selection and assignments

9.2.3Audit plan

9.3Initial certification

9.4Conducting audits

9.4.1General

9.4.2Conducting the opening meeting

9.4.3Communication during the audit

9.4.4Obtaining and verifying information

9.4.5Identifying and recording audit findings

9.4.6Preparing audit conclusions

9.4.7Conducting the closing meeting

9.4.8Audit report

9.4.9Cause analysis of nonconformities

9.4.10Effectiveness of corrections and corrective actions

9.5Certification decision

9.6Maintaining certification

9.7Appeals

9.8Complaints

9.9Client records

9.10Management system requirements for certification bodies

Bibliography