MSC Global Impartiality Policy

Purpose

This policy establishes the principles and guidelines to ensure impartiality in the certification activities conducted by MSC Global in accordance with the requirements of ISO/IEC 17021: Conformity assessment – Requirements for bodies providing audit and certification of management systems, section 5.2.

MSC Global recognise that our source of revenue is clients paying for certification. MSC Global will not allow commercial, financial or other pressures to compromise impartiality.

Top management is committed to supporting impartiality throughout the certification process to ensure objectivity.

Principles

Potential threat to impartiality is managed through the following principles and guidelines:

1. Fairness: We treat all applicants for certification equally, without discrimination or bias.
2. Independence: We maintain independence in our certification activities, ensuring decisions are free from undue influence or conflict of interest.
3. Transparency: Our processes and decisions are transparent, documented, and accessible to all stakeholders.
4. Consistency: Certification decisions are based on consistent criteria and standards, applied uniformly across all applicants.
5. Confidentiality: We handle information received from applicants confidentially, in compliance with legal and regulatory requirements.

Guidelines

1. Conflict of Interest: We identify, assess, and manage any potential conflicts of interest that could affect impartiality in certification decisions. Conflicts of interest are recorded in the conflict of interest register in CertCrowd.
2. Competence: Our personnel involved in certification activities possess the necessary competence and are free from any conditions that might affect impartiality.
3. Risk-based Approach: We employ a risk-based approach to identify and mitigate threats to impartiality, ensuring the integrity of our certification process.

Internal Audit and Management System Consulting

MSC Global or any part of the same legal entity (or any entity under the control of MSC Global) will not undertake management system consulting activities.

MSC Global will not undertake internal audits for clients. Where this has been the case, MSC Global will not undertake certification audits for at least 2 years since the last internal audit.

Where management system consulting has taken place through a body with a relationship to MSC Global, our policy is that MSC Global will not be permitted to certify that client for two years following the end of the consultancy.

Personnel who have provided management system consultancy to a client will not be permitted to audit that client for a period of 2 years following the end of the consultancy.

For OHS auditing, the following services are also deemed consultancy:

• Performing the role of the OHS coordinator
• Safety reporting
• Performing risk assessments
• Communication with regulatory authorities on behalf of the client
• Accident and incident investigation

Outsourcing

MSC Global will not outsource audits to management system consultancy organisations.

Other Certification Bodies

MSC Global will not certify another certification body for its quality management system.

Marketing

MSC Global will not market activities as linked to an organisation that provides management system consultancy.

MSC Global will not make claims that certification will be easier, quicker or faster if a particular consultant is used.

Responsibilities

Top management is responsible for the implementation and ongoing compliance with this impartiality policy. Management is also responsible for maintaining documented information regarding all threats to impartiality. Threats to impartiality are documented in the conflict of interest register in CertCrowd.

Workers are responsible for complying with this policy through the following:

• All certification personnel are required to act impartially and shall not allow commercial, financial or other pressures to compromise impartiality
• Bringing to the attention of management any situations which could compromise impartiality