Will an auditor show up on a Friday for an Unannounced SQF Audit?
Our site is currently pending with an unannounced audit (UAA) this year. I am fairly new to the site and have been through several UAA in prior roles/plants, however all 60 day periods had generally fell into a sequence that allowed multiple days to conduct the audit. Our first day for the UAA is on a Friday. Has anyone ever experienced an auditor showing up on a Friday to return on Monday? Just curious to if anyone has been through this. My experience has always been that they have to conduct the audit consecutively over 2 days, however wanted to through this out to the community for any feedback.
I would never say never, but I think it is highly unlikely to happen. We have had 2 unannounced audits with SQF, and they on began on a Tuesday, the other, a Wednesday. We do have 2.5-day audits, so that makes sense, I doubt very much any auditor wants to come back to a facility from the previous week.
I would be shocked if an auditor showed on Friday for a 2 day audit (but wouldn't bet the farm on it either way) UNLESS they live close enough to drive back and forth
I have not heard of an over the weekend kind of audit. But have witnessed and conducted an audit that started on a Friday and went thr a Saturday and Sunday.
I have not heard of an over the weekend kind of audit. But have witnessed and conducted an audit that started on a Friday and went thr a Saturday and Sunday.
Thanks Glenn!
Does your plant operate on weekends? I've had an auditor reschedule their flight to observe production/sanitation on a Saturday before (granted, this was for an audit that wasn't going well).
Generally speaking though, if you've got a multi-day unannounced audit and you don't see them by Thursday morning, you can let your guard down a little for that week. I've never had an auditor purposely schedule an audit to occur over a weekend even though they'd be within their right to do so.
Does your plant operate on weekends? I've had an auditor reschedule their flight to observe production/sanitation on a Saturday before (granted, this was for an audit that wasn't going well).
Generally speaking though, if you've got a multi-day unannounced audit and you don't see them by Thursday morning, you can let your guard down a little for that week. I've never had an auditor purposely schedule an audit to occur over a weekend even though they'd be within their right to do so.
No weekends thankfully! I have always been under the impression that an auditor will only conduct and audit over consecutive days and had the same thought on a Thursdays when they didn't show up: "awaiting next week!". Thanks for your reply!
So a slightly different situation (and BRC not SQF) but we have two sites within 1-1/2 hours of each other that have always been audited together because the up-front processes are all managed out of a common office. They had their unannounced audits in 2022. The auditor showed up at one site on Thur. for Thur./Fri. then showed up Mon. at that other site.
NO ONE was shocked when she showed up at the second plant even though there was a weekend in between.
My thought is never count it out.
I agree with everyone here. It's highly unlikely but it could happen.