A source close to the International Accreditation Forum (IAF) told Oxebridge that some in the organization are considering ways to bypass rules requiring processing of ISO 9001 end user complaints, if not stop them altogether.
With the revised version of ISO 17021 — the rules for Certification Bodies — about to be published, the move comes too late to codify in the accreditation standards, so some registrars are “looking at ways to drop the customer complaint requirement, without looking like they are doing it,” said the source.
The source, who provided the information on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal, works for a large certification body with ties to the IAF and one of its Accreditation Body members.
In a recent ruling following an Oxebridge complaint against registrar Lloyds Register QA (LRQA), accreditation body UKAS ruled that LRQA was within its rights to cut off communication with Oxebridge prior to closure of a complaint, through the implementation of a global, domain-wide email “blacklist”, because there remained other means for Oxebridge to communicate with LRQA, presumably through slow-moving international post. LRQA had instituted the ban after having only received two emails from Oxebridge regarding the complaint.
The UKAS ruling also indicated that when a CB unilaterally “considers the matter closed,” that this has “met the requirements of ISO/IEC 17021:2011” regardless of whether the issue has been resolved or not.
The source reported that the Oxebridge developments are part of the behind-the-scenes discussions, and one of the drivers behind the desire to cut off the ability for customers to complain.
They are looking to shut down Oxebridge’s ability to report complaints on behalf of clients or other stakeholders. One of the ideas being floated is to only allow a representative of the [CB’s] direct client submit a complaint, and automatically reject any complaints from anyone else in the industry. But they are frustrated it’s too late to add this to ISO 17021.
Current rules allow for any industry stakeholder to submit a complaint to a registrar or accreditation body, because the validity of ISO 9001 certificates impacts the public.
While it is unlikely this move will materialize into any changes at this time, it does give insight into the mindset of both Certification Body and Accreditation Body representatives, and how they view complaints.
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
