4 replies to this topic

[Setu Rajyaguru]

Does internal audit must to be performed by someone who is not company employee? 

 

What certification Internal auditor should have? 

 

Thank you in advance.

[Dorothy87]

Hi  

 

Can be, but you are not limited to it as long as your inhouse auditor has an external auditor course. 

 

BRC Global standard food safety issue 9 

 

3.4.2 Internal audits shall be carried out by appropriately trained, competent auditors. Auditors shall be independent (i.e. not audit their own work).

 

Internal auditors must be able to show via training records (clause 7.1.6) that they have received formal training on internal auditing, via either attendance at an external course or training within the company

 

Auditing is therefore an acquired skill and auditors need to be trained and competent to ensure they are carrying out this function effectively. Training should include:

• auditing skills, such as how to complete an effective audit

• relevant technical knowledge of the activity to be audited, such as HACCP or appropriate product technical knowledge. This may be by work experience in the sector or specific training

• soft skills associated with auditing.

 

example: 

https://www.vwa.co.u...lls-course.html or ISO 9001 

 

 

[kingstudruler1]

A company employee can conduct the audit as long as the meet the other criteria in standard (indpendent of whats audited, certifed or trained in internal auditing, etc 

 

The training could be inhouse or by a third party.    IFSQN has a resonably priced (<$200) course that I believe tony created.   its very good.   Many of the bigger CB's have thier own training courses as well.    If you wan to go a little over the top, the BRCGS (since your in the brcgs section) lead auditor course is the same course that certified auditors are required to take.   Its fairly expensive and is 4 or so days long.   

Edited by kingstudruler1, 05 December 2024 - 04:35 PM.

[beautiophile]

The tricky part is auditing over management's jobs such as Clause 1 and 2.

CB Auditors may argue that those need to be audited externally because internal auditors probably lack of management knowledge to evaluate their boss's jobs.

 

By the same token, I wonder how many of CB auditors have experiences in strategic business management. AFAIK, people who have worked as directors (e.g. in C-Suite) unlikely want to become (downgrade to) full-time auditors. The latter might earn less income.

 

Still most of the time, it's ok to let full-time employees do 100% internal audits.

[Tony-C]

A company employee can conduct the audit as long as the meet the other criteria in standard (indpendent of whats audited, certifed or trained in internal auditing, etc 

 

The training could be inhouse or by a third party.    IFSQN has a resonably priced (<$200) course that I believe tony created.   its very good.   Many of the bigger CB's have thier own training courses as well.    If you wan to go a little over the top, the BRCGS (since your in the brcgs section) lead auditor course is the same course that certified auditors are required to take.   Its fairly expensive and is 4 or so days long.   

 

Appreciate the recommendation kingstudruler1, thank you

 

Does internal audit must to be performed by someone who is not company employee? 

 

What certification Internal auditor should have? 

 

Thank you in advance.

 

Hi Setu Rajyaguru,

 

Internal Auditors are typically company employees but should independent of the process being audited. If you are short of resources then using external auditors would be acceptable as long as they were approved and monitored as per BRCGS Section 3.5.3 Management of suppliers of services.

 

Relevant extracts from from BRCGS Guidance:

Internal auditors must be independent of the process being audited. This is to ensure that there is no conflict of interest (i.e. that the audit is rigorous and thorough) and that any work needed to make corrections or improvements can be identified by an auditor who is not biased or influenced by working in the area. Internal auditors may not audit their own work or any programmes for which they are immediately responsible. It is not acceptable, for example, for workers on one shift to audit the work of another shift completing the same work, as they are not independent of the operation.

External auditors may be used where internal resources are insufficient, providing the requirements of clause 3.4.1 can be met (for scheduling audits throughout the year). The site should refer to clause 1.2.4 and section 3.5.3 for the requirements for the management of food safety consultants.

 

We in fact have a Practical Internal Auditor Training for Food Operations Webinar Live today! - Friday December 06, 2024

 

The training is suitable for internal auditor as per the requirements of GFSI benchmarked standards including BRCGS and is Fantastic value at only $97/per person, but don’t take our word for it, read the Customer Reviews here

 

If you can’t attend the live webinar then the training can be taken at your own pace via the webinar recording.

 

For Audit Team Leaders we would recommend a full 5-Day Lead Auditor training course like the one in the link, there are other providers so have a look around.

 

Kind regards,

 

Tony