Our ISO Certification Journey Update

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) are an independent, non-governmental worldwide body that brings together experts to share knowledge and develop international standards that support innovation and provide solutions to global challenges.

We took the decision earlier this year to gain an ISO certification for AccuGrit as it is the seal of approval that a company runs to the international standards developed and published by the ISO, giving our customers assurances of our commitment to consistently delivering quality services.

There are two stages to gaining ISO certification and we are so pleased to announce we have successfully passed stage one, which was the business review.

To pass this stage, we were recently audited and below are the objectives and scope we were assessed on:

a) To audit the client’s management system.

b) To evaluate the client’s location and site-specific conditions and to undertake discussions with the client’s personnel to determine the preparedness for the Stage 2 audit.

c) To review the client’s status and understanding regarding requirements of the standard, concerning the identification of key performance or significant aspects, impacts, risks, processes, objectives, and operation of the management system.

d) To collect necessary information regarding the scope of the management system, processes and location(s) of the client, and related statutory and regulatory aspects and compliance (e.g., quality, environmental, H, legal aspects of the client’s operation, associated risks, etc.).

e) To review the allocation of resources (number and expertise of auditors and number of days) for Stage 2 audit and agree with the client on the details of the Stage 2 audit; (including any change to the number of days determined at Application Review)

f) To provide a focus for planning the Stage 2 audit by gaining a sufficient understanding of the client’s management system and site operations in the context of possible significant aspects.

g) To evaluate if the internal audits and management review are being planned and performed and that the level of implementation of the management system substantiates that the client is ready for the Stage 2 audit.

H) To identify and justify any non-applicable clauses under the scope of certification

Although we received several minor improvement requests from the auditors, this is normal, and they are more than happy that with the adjustments completed, we can move on to stage two of the process.

In total we are applying for three ISO’s: 9001, 14001 & 45001 (quality, environmental & H & S), which is not normal for a business, however we are committed to keeping and raising our standards to enable us to supply the best services for our customers. These applications should be completed within the summer months and if we are successful then would be a great achievement for the business, supporting our growth strategy over the next few years.

Our thanks to Leonie for all her hard work in getting us this far.