With the Covid-19 lock-down period extended for most countries around the world, some impending questions begin to rise as we work from home. Below we have compiled some of the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for reference. If you have other situation not addressed here, contact us at [email protected].
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q1: With the Covid-19 affecting most countries around the world, has IATF issued any policy regarding certification, surveillance and re-certification?
A: The IATF has issued a special advisory document for measures against Covid-19. The first was on 27 March 2020. It was revised with latest updates on 9 April 2020. You can find the IATF advisory document at the link here: https://www.iatfglobaloversight.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/IATF-Measures-Coronavirus-Pandemic-COVID-19-REVISION-1_9April2020.pdf
Q2: Our company’s IATF certificate expiry date is due in April, May, June, and we are still under a lockdown, what should we do?
A: IATF certificate validity are now extended for 6 months globally. This is by default, no application is needed. Verification of your certificate validity can be done via IATF website validity check. If you need a re-issuance of the certificate with the renewed validity date, you may request from your certification body.
Q3: Our certification body for ISO 14001 scheme has option for us to have the surveillance audit performed via Zoom/ WebEx. Can IATF certification audit do the same?
A: IATF does NOT allow the site audit to be replaced with remote audit methods via video conferencing tools. Instead, six months validity extension is given. The intent is to wait out the global pandemic lock-down, then have the audit resume at site.
Q4: Our company has five sites at different parts of the world. There are significant travel constraints and health risks for our internal auditors to travel to these sites to perform audits on site. Can the internal audits be performed by other staff who may not be fully qualified?
A: The requirements for internal auditor qualifications remain the same as per IATF clause 9.2. However you may consider to have your internal audits performed via remote audit methods with tools such as Zoom or WebEx or other video conferencing alternatives. This option is viable as your employees will likely have access and familiarity to the company servers and process structure.
Hope the FAQs above helps allays some of the doubts you have.
Stay Home, Stay Safe!
#stayathome #FlattenTheCurve