14 / 36
14
7.0 SELECTING THE CERTIFICATION BODY
The organization chose to achieve accredited
third-party certification as its ultimate goal.
Accredited certification provides transparency,
credibility, international recognition, objectivity
and independent scrutiny.
A short list of accredited certification bodies
was drawn up by the Company Safety Authority
(CSA) and invited to participate in a pre-
qualification exercise to provide information to
demonstrate their capability and competency.
The information requested included:
• Appropriate evidence of operation as an
accredited certification body including
- national accreditation bodies to which
accredited
- scope and date of accreditation
- details of applicable standards and
certificates relevant to the accreditation
• Pedigree, including a description of the
experience, capability and competence of the
certification body and its auditors to perform
these specific third-party assessments
(functional safety management as opposed
to product assessment)
• Global presence of the certification body
including countries in which they operate
• Whether dependent on agencies in specific
countries and if so their details
• Reciprocal arrangements including:
- Memoranda of Understanding (MOR)
- Mutual Recognition Arrangements (MRA)
• CVs of assessors
• List of organizations including those that have
been assessed, their scope of assessment
and contact details within the organization
• Description of:
- the assessment methodology
- the assessment process
- guidance notes for the assessed
organization
• Typical work program (including labor costs)
for a third party functional safety assessment,
including man-days effort
• Any current limitations envisaged in
undertaking the third party assessment
program
• Company accounts for the last
accounting period
• Organizational structure
It was then necessary to establish an impartial
and independent panel representing the
organization to review the responses resulting in
the selection of a global third-party accredited
certification organization. In the case study this
was the Company Safety Authority (CSA).