Impartiality Statement
Conditions for Suspensions, Withdrawal and Cancellation of Registration/Certification:
WSA understands the importance of impartiality in carrying out its management system certification activities, manages any conflict of interests and ensures the objectivity of its management system certification activities.
- Does not pursue or plan to pursue business activities, which could jeopardize impartiality
- Does not advertise certification/auditing services, which could affect impartiality
- Does not employ personnel that may affect impartiality
- Does not cater to clients where there would be a breach of impartiality
- Has an Impartiality Committee, an independent committee made up of members representing WSA's key interests, that will advise on matters of impartiality and act on the findings of reviews.
- Prohibits its external auditors from participating in the audit of any organization to which they have done consultancy or training(other than professionally registered auditor training), or they had any financial or commercial interest for a minimum period of 2 years prior to the date of application of the organization for registration
- Ensures that when allocated a particular contract, Audit staff shall not disclose or discuss any detail; before or after the audit; to any member of staff other than their direct Management or other members of the team, as required by the “Code of conduct, confidentiality, conflict of interests and intellectual property agreement” and “Secrecy and non disclosure agreement” signed on the commencement of employment.
- Ensures that all subcontracted audit staff or technical experts used by WSA shall sign a Subcontractor Agreement along with “Code of conduct, confidentiality, conflict of interests and intellectual property agreement”
- Prohibits its own employees from engaging in consultancy, which may involve the active design, generation or implementation of a Management System.
- Ensures that all directly employed Management and Staff are required to declare all financial interests or business activities on commencement and during the period of employment.
- Ensures that its staff or subcontractors shall not imply that certification would be simpler, easier or less expensive if their consultancy or training services were used. In addition to this, subcontract staff cannot offer consultancy or training services to WSA's clients that they have been assigned to audit, during or after the assigned task has been completed
- Will take action to correct inappropriate claims by any consultancy organization stating or implying that certification would be simpler, easier, faster or less expensive if WSA Certifications were used.
- Will not state or imply that certification would be simpler, easier, faster or less expensive if a specified consultancy organization were used.
- Is responsible for, and retains absolute authority for decisions relating to certification, including the granting, maintaining, renewing, extending, reducing, suspending and withdrawal of certification.
- Is willing to give the liberty to any outsider to notify WSA about any issue related to conflict of interests or impartiality observed during WSA's certification activities.
- Addresses Conflict of interests and objectivity further through annual training sessions and contractually binding agreements to ensure that all activities undertaken throughout the certification process are conducted in an independent and impartial manner.
- Conducts an assessment, at least once in a year, on both virtual and potential risks to WSA's impartiality which is reviewed by the impartiality committee.