FSSC 22000 has confirmed that, in specific circumstances, certification bodies such as LRQA can now conduct part of the audit remotely during the sixth month postponement allowed for surveillance audits and certificate renewals, as long as the remainder of the audit is conducted onsite within 90 calendar days.
Specific circumstances include certification bodies being unable to conduct onsite audits due to COVID-19 restrictions put in place by governments, travel authorities, the company being audited or the company conducting the audit. A risk assessment is mandatory prior to each audit, regardless of the visit type, in order to evidence and support a decision to postpone the audit and extend the validity of the certificate.
The transition audit to FSSC version 5 still needs to be fully completed before 31 December 2020.
We can provide accredited remote audits against the following standards:
|
Standard |
Remote Audit? |
Notes |
|
ISO 9001 ISO 14001 ISO 50001 ISO/IEC 27001 ISO 22301 ISO/IEC 20000-1 |
Yes for all these standards. |
No restrictions (in accordance with IAF MD41) for all these standards. |
|
ISO 13485 |
Yes |
No restrictions (in accordance with IAF MD4). Restrictions may apply if delivered in conjunction with MDSAP. |
|
ISO 45001 / OHSAS 18001 |
Yes |
During the duration of the current pandemic, there are NO restrictions placed on the application of remote audit against these standards. Once the situation returns to normal, the original restrictions will be enforced. |
|
AS 9100 series |
Yes |
Only for 2020 scheduled audits, we can employ Remote audit in accordance with MD4 and the scheme imposed 30% limit has been suspended. View the IAQG Relaxations FAQ document for more information. |
|
IATF 16949 |
No |
|
|
ISO 22000 |
Yes |
Remote audits can be done in full. |
|
2nd Party Non-Accredited Food Sector Audits |
Yes |
LRQA has the capability to offer a range of desktop audits and remote assessments for farms, food manufacturers, warehouses and retailers.
Assessments are based around the individual customers’ needs. |
|
GFSI Standards |
No |
For more information have a look at our COVID-19 GFSI temporary audit measures page |
|
FSSC 22000 |
Yes, in part |
Partial emote audits can be done in special circumstances, following a Risk Assessment, for surveillance and certification renewal purposes, within the six-month postponement period. |