Quality Policy
Accent Technical Service (ATS) aims to promote, encourage awareness, environmental responsibility and help to continuously improve certification management issues within industry, commerce and the public domain. We understand the importance of impartiality in carrying out our management system certification activities, manage conflict of interest and ensure the objectivity of our management system certification activities.
We wish to achieve our aims as a major international accredited Accent Technical Service (ATS) and recognize that effective management of our customers, our staff, our certification process and our business results makes good business sense. It will be a fundamental and integral part of our business strategy.
We will achieve this by: –
- Offering an international certification service in accordance with ISO 17021-1:2015 that is fair impartial and objective to all who wish to avail themselves of our service,
- Providing our customers with a professional service that is perceived to add value to their business and satisfy their expectations,
- Practicing sound certification principles through competent staff
- Caring for and valuing our staff,
- Brief and train our staff to deliver Audits that satisfy our customers, supervisory body and the standard we set,
- Developing an open exchange of information with organizations and the public on the certification service that we offer,
- Continuously improving the certification service, we offer,
- Practicing sound business principles to manage the Accent Technical Service (ATS) and give a return on our shareholder’s investment,
- Records of certified clients and previously certified clients shall be retained for the duration of the current cycle plus one full certification cycle
- Communicating this policy to our staff, customers and interested parties.
Impartiality Policy
Accent Technical Service (ATS)is the legal entity responsible for certification activities; reference to Accent Technical Service (ATS), in this Policy and Public Statement refers to these legal entities.
Accent Technical Service (ATS), It’s Managers, Staff and Sub-contractors fully understands the importance of impartiality in undertaking its Certification Activities. Accent Technical Service (ATS)will therefore ensure that in all its dealings with clients or potential clients all employees or other personnel are and will remain impartial. To ensure that impartiality is both maintained and can be demonstrated the following principals have been established.
- Accent Technical Service (ATS), Certificates are only issued following a review by an independent authorised and competent member of the management team (who has not been involved in the audit) to ensure that no interest shall predominate.
- Accent Technical Service (ATS), does not offer (and has never offered) management system consultancy or any other form of consultancy to companies or individuals.
- Accent Technical Service (ATS), does not offer (and has never offered) an internal audit service to its certified clients.
- Accent Technical Service (ATS)does not own or have any interest (financial or otherwise) in any other company that offers certification or management system consultancy services.
- Accent Technical Service (ATS), does not have (and will not form) any relationships with companies who offer consultancy or other services that can be construed as having an impact on the certification services provided by Accent Technical Service (ATS), Any proposed relationship between Accent Technical Service (ATS),. And any other company will undergo a risk assessment by the Committee for Impartiality prior to that relationship being formalised. Any current relationships with companies, organisations and individuals will be risk assessed on a regular basis to ensure that the relationship does not impact upon the impartiality of the certification Procedure.
- Individuals employed by or otherwise contracted to Accent Technical Service (ATS), are required to document and record their current and past relationships with all companies. Any situation past or present which may present a potential conflict of interest is required by Accent Technical Service (ATS), to be declared.
- Accent Technical Service (ATS)will use the information to identify any threats to impartiality and will not use that individual in any capacity unless they can demonstrate that there is no conflict of interest.
- Accent Technical Service (ATS), will not allocate a member of staff or sub-contractor to a management system audit where any past relationship has existed. Exceptionally and at the discretion of the Technical Manager or General Manager an individual or sub-contractor may be allocated to a management system audit where a past relationship has existed but there has been no relationship for a minimum of 2 years.
- Accent Technical Service (ATS), does not and will not offer any commission, (‘finders fees or other inducements) to any individual or company in respect of referrals of clients unless:
- The terms and conditions of any such referral are clearly established and can be demonstrated and it can also be demonstrated that the fee is for a referral and the fact that a commission has been paid will in no way affect the outcome of an audit.
- A risk assessment (to establish the potential for an unacceptable threat to impartiality) has been carried out on the Procedure through which any such payment is made to an individual or organisation (normally a consultant) requesting the commission for referrals.
- All such payments are documented, recorded, and traceable and accompanied by a purchase order and invoice.
- Accent Technical Service (ATS), does not offer specific training to any company in respect of implementing a particular standard for that company. Any training offered by Accent Technical Service (ATS), is general in nature and available to all companies or individuals who wish to attend.
- Accent Technical Service (ATS)will ensure that it is not linked or marketed in any way which links it with the activities of a management system consultancy and will take appropriate action should any such link be identified.
- Auditors and others involved in the certification Procedure are not and will not be put under any pressure and will not be influenced in any way to come to a particular conclusion regarding the result of an audit.
Confidentiality Policy
Staff and Sub contractor Requirements
All information received by or available to Accent Technical Service (ATS), staff, sub-contractors or committee members (in whatever format) received in conducting audit activities, or during other certification activities, or during any dealings with an organisation for any other reason shall be regarded as strictly confidential and shall not be divulged to any 3rd party (unless specified in ISO 17021-1:2015) without the express permission of the organisation or individual concerned. The requirement to keep confidential any information will also include any organisation that has a legitimate right to audit or inspect Accent Technical Service (ATS).
Where Accent Technical Service (ATS), is required by law to release confidential information to a third party the client or individual concerned shall, unless regulated by law, be notified in advance of the information provided
However, where the organisation is seen to be operating contrary to legal requirements or has operating practices which pose a danger to staff, customers or the environment Accent Technical Service (ATS), reserves the right to immediately report any such incident to the relevant authority. Any such reporting will only be undertaken with the permission of General Manager.
Access to Records
All records will be retained in a secure manner, only accessible to authorised staff via either paper records or password controlled electronic records. Sub-contractors will be limited to accessing information produced by them in conducting an audit. Records will only be made available to organisations who can demonstrate a legitimate (and legal) right to view those records and specifically to Accreditation Bodies. eg EGAC
Confidentiality Declarations
All staff, Sub Contractors, General Managers and Committee Members will be required to agree to Accent Technical Service (ATS), confidentiality policy and sign a confidentiality agreement. Sub-contractors will also sign an agreement which also contains the responsibility to maintain confidentiality.
