Internal Quality Auditor in the Table of Organization
Dear All,
We are currently reviewing and planning to revise the company's Table of Organization. Our certification for the standard BRC/IFS began last year. The Table of Organization that we showed in the audit last year for the TO of the top management did not include or has no direct reporting relationship of the Internal Quality Audit Team to the top management. Also the IQA Team had a separate TO and it satisfied the auditor without any question since the IQA Team is independent from any department including the top management.
This satisfied the clauses:
1. BRC 3.4.2: " Internal audit shall be carried out by appropriately trained, competent auditors. Auditors shall be independent (i.e. not audit their own work)"
2. IFS clause 5.1.3 : "The auditors shall be competent and independent from the audited department"
However this year, instead of a IQA team, it was decided to select only 1 auditor who will focus to conduct the Internal Audit for the whole year. It was also proposed that the company's TO will be revised which will include the Internal Quality Auditor with direct reporting relationship with the Manufacturing Manager/Food Safety Team Leader.
Would like to solicit your ideas and help if this will still satisfy the clauses I mentioned above (BRC 3.4.2 and IFS 5.1.3)? Will this be something the auditor can raise a non-conformance during the next certification audit?Can it be or How do we justify such TO that it will not be raise as a non-conformity?
Best Regards,
Joven
Hi Joven, do you have a quality manager or quality department that is already included in the organizational structure and who report directly to the Managing Director or equivalent? If they are shown on the chart then the Internal Quality Auditor function or person will no doubt report to the Quality manager/function, so there is no need to show this person individually on the organization chart. There can be many functions of the quality department which are carried out by different people and they do not all need to be show on the organization structure.
I hope I have understood your question and provided a clear answer.
Regards,
Simon
Dear Simon,
Very well said! Thank you very much for you inputs Simon!Will justify this to our Senior Management and see how will it turn out.
Best Regards,
Joven