For any nonconformity there will be a proposed corrective action to remedy any defects in either products or processes. All corrective actions must be cleared to the satisfaction of the Audit Team Leader or a nominated representative before certification is granted or continued.
The nonconformities will be numbered and listed in the audit report or Non-conformance Report depending on the scheme. The proposed action should state:
- The action completion date and responsibilities;
- Any rework of nonconforming product;
- Corrective action to contain the non-conformance
- Root Cause information to highlight how the non-conformance occurred;
- Corrective action to prevent the non-conformance from reoccurring.
NB: simply repairing or re-working nonconforming product is not corrective action; you must identify the root causes of nonconformities and take action to remove them and the correction and corrective actions.
We can provide soft-copy forms to assist in the preparation of the corrective action plan. You are encouraged to maintain the plan in machine readable form – desirably in a form readable on the auditor’s PC and in word or excel.
For Initial Assessments, all corrective actions must be cleared within 90 days of the end of the initial audit. If they are not, a further stage 2 audit may be required prior to certification. The Audit Team Leader may reduce this timeframe. For surveillance visits, the audit team will make a recommendation as to whether objective evidence for the closure of non-compliances must be submitted to Auva within defined timescales, or whether they can be closed out at the next surveillance visit.
Corrective actions and any supporting evidence shall be submitted by the date stated on the NCR form. Failure to submit suitable actions and evidence to address any non-conformances within 90 days of the audit will result in suspension.
If you would like to learn how to maintain an effective internal audit process, check out this link.