ETS understands the importance of impartiality when performing management system certificate activities, managing potential conflict of Interest and providing objectivity for management system certification activities. ETS has developed and implemented procedures in compliance with the requirements of ISO/IEC 17021-1 and IAF Mandatory Documents. All personnel and those who are working for or on its behalf shall be obliged to comply with impartiality requirements and not to undertake any actions that threaten the impartiality and/or potential conflict of Interest.
ETS shall not provide certification or engage personnel/organization which may pose a threat to impartiality or conflict of interest to its management certification activities. ETS and any part of the same legal entity and any entity under the organizational control of ETS shall not:
- Certify another certification body for its Quality management system certification activities.
- Provide management system consultancy or outsource audits to another organization providing management system consultancy.
- Certify a majority or wholly owned entity or any entity under the organization control of ETS (if there are such companies), to avoid any unacceptable threat to impartiality.
- Provide second party (internal audits) to ETS certified clients.
- Certify a management system on which it provided internal audits for a minimum of two years following the completion of the internal audits.
- Certify a management system within the last two years following the end of clients engaged consultancy organization for its management system or internal audits, where the engaged consultancy organization has relationship with ETS.
- Be seen as liked with marketing activities of an organization that provides management system consultancy.
- State or imply that certification would be simpler, easier, faster, or less expensive if a specified consultancy organization were used.
- Use personnel working on or behalf of ETS in which they have been involving in providing management system consultancy within the last two years following the end of consultancy, to take part in an audit or certification activities towards the client in question.
ETS is fully responsible for the impartiality of its conformity assessment activities and shall not allow pressure of any kind (financial, trade, administrative, moral, or other) over the ETS manager and the personnel working for on or behalf of ETS, regarding the execution of their obligations as staff of a management system certification body in according to ISO/ IEC 17021-1 and IAF Mandatory Documents.
ETS will identify, analyze, evaluate, document, and demonstrate how it eliminates or decreases potential impartiality threat on an ongoing basis and shall cover all potential sources of conflicts of Interests that are identified regardless of their origin. This information will be made available to the Advisory Committee in ensuring consistent objective provision of certification activities of ETS and to advise any matters affecting confidence in certification. This will be included in the periodical review of the Advisory committee including the impartiality focus on the audit, certification, and decision-making processes. ETS shall make all the possible actions against threats in safeguarding impartiality.
Top management of ETS is committed to full compliance with this Policy.