Smithers Quality Assessments is continuing to market SN9001 training alongside consultant John Allin, despite a complaint filed to the registrar alleging that doing so violates conflict of interest rules identified in ISO 17021.
A third training event has been added for August 2014, and is being co-hosted by Smithers and the Snowfighters Institute, an organization operated by John Allin, who has emerged as the first SN9001 implementation consultant. Mr. Allin has extensive snow and ice management experience, but does not appear to have any ISO 9001 experience.
Smithers is accredited by ANAB under ISO 17021 to issue ISO 9001 and SN9001 certificates. ISO 17021 prohibits accredited registrars from marketing its services alongside any single consulting firm. The Oxebridge complaint alleges that the Smithers/Allin arrangement violates at least eight separate clauses of ISO 17021, most dealing with ensuring that Smithers maintains a firewall between its activities and those of consultants, in order to ensure objectivity and impartiality. The arrangement creates an environment whereby a reasonable person may assume that Smithers’ auditors would “go easy” on any customer that had hired John Allin for their implementation consulting, since the two organizations have invested so much effort and money into “co-branding” their services.
A copy of the full complaint may be downloaded here. (PDF – 319K)
Smithers has acknowledged receipt of the complaint, but has not provided any other communication on it.
A similar complaint was filed against Smithers by Oxebridge in 2010, when it was discovered to have been engaged in co-marketing with a consulting firm started by a former Smithers executive. In that case, Smithers made corrections to its marketing policy, which it would appear it has since violated with the SN9001 events.
Smithers, John Allin and accreditation body ANAB have all been instrumental in the development of SN9001, an ISO 9001 variant targeted at the snow and ice management industry. Oxebridge has argued that SN9001 and its related overhead expenses are not required, as ISO 9001 is a generic quality management standard, applicable to any industry as-is.
Christopher Paris is the founder and VP Operations of Oxebridge. He has over 35 years’ experience implementing ISO 9001 and AS9100 systems, and helps establish certification and accreditation bodies with the ISO 17000 series. He is a vocal advocate for the development and use of standards from the point of view of actual users. He is the writer and artist of THE AUDITOR comic strip, and is currently writing the DR. CUBA pulp novel series. Visit www.drcuba.world
