You might have been in a position when being audited by your certification body, when you feel there is a new issue being raised that has not been raised before. Does this mean that the auditor is using a different standard or different interpretation? Not necessarily.
At the end of any certification body audit, the auditor reads out the standard disclaimer which includes the statement that ‘an audit is a sample and a snapshot in time’ and this sampling approach is one of the reasons why previous audits may not have raised the issue.
Other reasons for apparent inconsistencies may include…
- The auditor simply missed something during previous audits
- An auditor may have different knowledge experience and may be more specific about certain requirements
- The depth and scope of each audit can vary (as can the sample) so this may have affected what the auditor looked at previously
What to do…
Any good auditor should clearly state the ‘evidence and criteria not met’ when discussing a non conformity so make sure you fully understand the evidence being cited and the exact clause of the standard not being met. Don’t forget you are well within your rights to ask ‘where in the standard does it say that’.
So although the issue of ‘we haven’t had an issue before’ can be raised, it should be clear exactly what the issue is with specific examples.