What exactly is ISO certification?
In the global market, it is important for every industry to maintain high standards of quality and consistency.
So, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) makes and studies a wide range of standards, from private to industrial to commercial.
The ISO is made up of people from more than 150 different national standardization bodies from all over the world.
Also, ISO gives third-party organizations the power to certify businesses that use international standards and promise to provide high-quality products and services.
The ISO certification, or ISO certificate, for your business comes from these outside groups. This certificate shows that your organization works according to international standards and is a sign that you can be trusted.
Every business, whether it works nationally or internationally, can benefit from following ISO standards and getting ISO certification.
What does it mean to be ISO certified?
There are many things that affect how valid ISO certification is. Each ISO certification body has its own services to offer.
Some ISO certifications are good for three years, but others need to be renewed every year.
Important: You should know that your organization will be subject to regular ISO surveillance audits, no matter how long your ISO certification is good for. The goal of these audits is to check every year to see if your quality management systems are still working well.
What exactly is an ISO surveillance audit?
The goal of an ISO surveillance audit is to make sure that an organization is still meeting the standards set by the organization.
Most of the time, a company has to go through the ISO surveillance audit procedure every year to renew its ISO certificate.
For example, if you get ISO 9001 certification, the ISO will check that your company is in line with the ISO 9001 standard, which sets out rules for a quality management system (QMS).
The certifying body sends an auditor to the company on a regular basis to make sure that the management system is working. At least once a year, a surveillance audit must be done by the auditor.
When applying for an ISO surveillance audit, there are a few things to keep in mind.
1. Auditors also look for small mistakes and areas of concern that were found during the certification process or in a previous ISO surveillance audit.
2. It should be a top priority for every organization to fix any problems.
3. It's best not to ignore surveillance audits because they help a company get ready for its re certification audit.
4. Organizations must also show their management team the audit results so that they can take both the audit results and the management review into account.
5. A company's policies and procedures must be updated quickly and in line with ISO standards to meet the changing needs of the business.
What happens if an ISO surveillance audit fails?
During the certification process, it is common for a company to fail an audit. So there's no need to worry or hurry.
Failure in an ISO surveillance audit should be seen as a chance for your company to improve its compliance.
If you fail an external ISO audit, it may be easy to get back on track.
There will be plenty of time and a chance to fix any problems that are found during your audit.
After you've made changes, the auditor will either do an ISO surveillance audit again or review what you've done.
If the new evidence in your audit meets the requirements, the status of your audit will be changed to "complaint."
What Is the Difference Between an ISO Surveillance Audit and an ISO Certification Audit?
ISO surveillance audit
Initial, strict ISO audits are different from ISO surveillance audits. It is only done to keep the ISO certification and adherence status up to date.
Audit for ISO Certification
The first step to getting the certification you want is the ISO Certification Audit. The certificate cycle will start after you pass the ISO certification audit. The ISO surveillance audit is part of the certification process.