The International Accreditation Forum (IAF) has released the latest edition (Issue 3) of the IAF Mandatory Document for the Audit and Certification of a Management System operated by a multi-site organisation.
Understanding multi-site organisations
A multisite organisation typically comprises a central office responsible for planning and control, along with several additional locations where day-to-day operations are carried out. This structure can apply to various businesses such as franchise operations, manufacturing firms with a network of sales offices, and service organisations with multiple branches offering similar services.
There are three different methods for checking multi-site organisations:
Methodology for Auditing with Site Sampling: In this method, a small group of locations is chosen for checks based on specific criteria. This is used when the locations are quite similar and meet certain conditions.
Methodology for Auditing without Site Sampling: In this method, all locations are checked during the initial and recertification checks, and a smaller sample is checked during the regular surveillance checks. This is used when the locations are quite different or when the rules don't allow for sampling.
Methodology for Auditing with a Mix of Sampling and Non-sampling: In this method, some locations are checked using sampling, and others are not. The way the checks are planned depends on which group the locations belong to.
Audit and Certification
Once everything has been put in place, a certification body will check and certify a multi-site organisation with a single management system by gathering all the needed information to help them decide what to check, how long it will take and if sampling is needed. The certification body will then review what they need to issue certification and show the organisation what is covered and which locations and legal entities are included.
How Can We Help?
Our consultancy services, paired with our advanced software solutions, are tailored to assist organisations in achieving compliance and certification for their multi-site operations.
We will collaborate with you to design a comprehensive multi-site audit strategy tailored to your organisation's needs ensuring that all sites are covered efficiently and effectively. Our expertise will help you standardise audit procedures across multiple sites. This consistency ensures that compliance requirements are met throughout, reducing the risk of non-compliance.
Our Services
- ISO Certification Support
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