Unannounced 2023 BRC audit
BRCGS published a position paper about unannounced audits, but all the links I had to it no longer work. I can look further.
From what I recall and from other info about the unannounced BRCGS audits:
1. The audit can take place within four months of the audit due date.
2. The site can block out 10 days when an audit cannot occur, but those dates have to be exceptional. You can't just say "Block out 3/2 - 3/5 20223. Food Safety Manager will be on vacation" :shades:
If they email you the day before, it's not really unannounced.
I need to find that BRCGS position paper.
Marshall
Hi,
I am unsure about BRC, but for SQF they literally come any time in a 60 day period (audit date +/- 30 days). In my previous role our audit was 2.5 days, so we knew they would not start it on a Thursday or Friday. The auditor just came on site at a time during the audit period, made herself known to one of our staff (as our reception area was up a staircase) and we came down to get her. We did not know the days it would be held until she arrived.
As noted by Marshall, you can have black out days. The standard should specify what can qualify for a black out day. For example, I once worked somewhere and every Friday the line would be completely shut down and cleaned. So this information was sent to the CB so if it was a one day audit they would not come on a Friday.
They will NOT e-mail the day before. We asked for a 1-hour heads up for a site because the QM was responsible for two sites and lived 45 minutes away from the one to have an unannounced audit and we were told no.
The auditor will show up and then has 30 minutes to be on the floor beginning the walk through.
We had unannounced audits at 4 of our sites and they were anywhere from early in the 4 month window to late in the window. Depending on your business there may be some "hints." We have two sites close to each other that are always audited in the same week. This year one was unannounced on Th/Fri, the other was Mon/Tue and they were in the reverse order from announced years.
Good luck!
We just had our BRCGS audit. Based on the BRCGS standard, I assumed that our unannounced would be next year. So I asked our auditor.
Our auditor emailed the CB and found out that they had us scheduled for 2024 as the unannounced.
So that's about as announced as an unannounced audit gets.
Marshall
I'll assume you've already done an announced audit then. If your very first BRC audit was completed say 1 Feb 2022 and you decide to go to unannounced on your next one then it will always be tied to your first audit i.e., an unannounced audit can happen anytime before the 1st of Feb 2023 but most likely within 4 months.
Once the auditors turn up to the site, you have 30 minutes to get them into the factory to view the most critical point in yout process i.e., your CCPs. Auditors will usually ask to see a check being completed and collect any check sheets or write it down, before you go back to the meeting room and do your usual audit protocol of welcoming them to site, maybe doing a presentation etc. I lived far from my site at the time, so 'key members' don't need to be present (it would be highly preferred) but a nominated deputy can be present to show them into the site and get them into the factory. Key members do need to be there for the opening and closing meeting though.
The whole point of an unannounced audit is that it is unannounced therefore any form of a heads up doesn't really make sense. The closest thing I've ever gotten to an 'announced' unannounced audit is an email from our certification board saying that they're sending a newly qualified auditor with a lead auditor supervising them as part of their quality checks, and then they turned up the same week. Other than that I would just keep a lookout when the 4 month window is approaching and they still haven't turned up.
It is highly recommended that you do not refuse a BRC auditor entry, as it can result in your certification being suspended until a new unannounced audit is completed.
Source: completed the conversion course for V9 and work with unannounced audits.