Certification Flow
Application and agreement guidance
- Inquiry / Quotation
- Application
- Application for certification audit and agreement
- Inquiry / Quotation
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- Proposed quotation of audit days and costs
- Application
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- Receive application (initial or transfer)
- Review of application details
- Agreement
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- Sign an agreement
Planning and Audit
- Preparation of Audit plan
- Preparation for audit
- Stage 1 audit
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Corrective actions (Nonconformities)
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- Stage 2 audit
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On-site confirmation audit
(major nonconformity)
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Document confirmation audit
(minor nonconformity)
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- Audit Completion and Verification
- Planning for certification audit
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- Discussion of the audit schedule
- Composition of the audit team
- Sending the audit plan
- Inform clients of compliance requirements for certified organizations
- Stage 1 audit
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- Review of documented management system (manuals, procedures, policies, internal audits, management review records)
- Confirmation of readiness for 2-stage audit
- Corrective action
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- Corrective actions for nonconformities pointed out in the audit
- Stage2 audit
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- Audit of conformity and effectiveness of the client's management system to the requirements of the management system standard
- Check of the client's management system
- On-site confirmation audit
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- Check status of corrective actions (document verification or site visit verification)
Certification decision
- Certification review
- Issue the certificate
- Certification review
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- Certification Deliberation
- Notification of the result for or against certification based on the results of certification deliberation
- Issue the certificate
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- Sending the certificate
- Use of certification logo mark and notification of guidelines
Surveillance audit & Recertification audit
- Surveillance audit
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Special audit
(If there are any changes)
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- Recertification audit
- Surveillance audit
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- Check the continuous maintenance and improvement of the management system
- Audit cycle: 1 year (or "one-year cycle")
- Recertification audit
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- Conducted every three years after initial certification and registration
- On-site audit including document audit is conducted once
Maintaining Certification
- Granting, refusing, maintaining and renewing of certification
- LAP will comply with the laws and regulations, requirements of accreditation body, and certification body requirements related to the certification system for the granting, refusing, maintaining and renewing of certification.
The certification body issues a renewed certificate within the validity period through an audit.
After certification, any changes that may affect the certified management system to sustainably meet the requirements of the certification standard must be notified the certification body immediately.
In the case of a transfer, only organizations that are certified by IAF/MLA shall be considered, and organizations that do not have IAF/MLA certification shall be treated as newly certified. - Suspending of certification
- The case of a certified management system has persistently or seriously failed to meet certification requirements, including requirements for the effectiveness of the management system, or the client does not allow audits to be conducted at the required frequencies, or the client has voluntarily requested a suspension, LAP secretariat decides to suspend the certification.
- Withdrawing of certification
- Failure to resolve the issues that have resulted in the suspension in a time established by the certification body may be result in withdrawal of certification.
- Restoring of certification
- The suspended certification shall be restored if the issue that has resulted in the suspension has been resolved.
If the certification is invalid, the certification can be restored if the correction of improvement findings and verification of corrective actions can be implemented and any outstanding re-certification activities are completed within 6 months. - Expanding or reducing the scope of certification
- In case of failure to resolve the issues that have resulted in the suspension in a time, or a certified management system has persistently or seriously failed to meet certification requirements, In order to reduce these parts that do not conform to the requirements, the scope of certification is reduced as decided by LAP secretariat. The scope of certification will also be expanded if necessary.