CERTIFICATION RULES

Objective:

It determines the methods to be implemented at the stages of receipt of applications for obtainment of management system certification, realization of audits and issuance and delivery of certifications of the organizations, entitled to receive a certificate.

Certification Application:

Applications for certification are received in person or in electronic environment. Information, demanded by FQC at the stage of application, has been given below:

a) Scope of the demanded certification,

b) Name of the applicant organization, its address of the physical location, its general properties containing essential aspects of its processes and the relevant legal liabilities,

c) General information on activities of the applicant organization with regard to the applied certification field, human and technical resources, functions, and its affiliation to a larger company, if any,

d) Information related to all external sources, used by the organization, which will affect its conformity to the terms,

e) Standards or terms under which the customer demands certification,

f) Information on obtainment of consultancy service with regard to the management system.

 

 

The application made is revised for providing the issues below and it is approved, if proper:

a) The information on the applicant organization and management system is sufficient for realization of the audit,

b) Settlement of consideration differences between FQC and the applicant organization,

c) FQC has the competence and capability for rendering certification service (For accreditation certification demands, EA code of the organization, within the scope of EA code applied, auditor and technical expert capacity etc.),

d) Scope of the demanded certification, activity location and number of the applicant organization, time needed for conducting audits, and other aspects, affecting certification activities, have to be taken into consideration.

e) Justification records are kept for decisions of adoption of audits.

 

If in the course of this revision, no auditor, technical expert in conformity with EA codes or personnel to take office in certification decision is available, this personnel and the necessary competence are stated in the Certification Demand Revision Form and their procurement is ensured.

 

At this stage, audit day terms –if any- reductions or increases made in audit day terms are stated in Certification Demand Revision Form. As a result of revision and approval made, proposal is submitted to the relevant organization.

 

• Conclusion of Agreement
After finalization of the certification application, Certification Agreement is prepared and is signed by the customer.
After the agreement is signed and returned by the organization authority, it is signed by FQC authority as well. One copy of the Agreement, signed by FQC signatory is submitted to the organization, and one copy is kept at the file of the organization.

 

• Application for Scope Change
FQC carries out feasibility study for establishment of whether expansion will be made or not in response to the application for expansion of the scope of certification, and decides on the necessary audit activities in this regard. In the organization, accepting the proposal given for scope expansion, scope expansion audit is planned and realized. Scope expansion can be realized with supervision audit under appropriate conditions. If a demand is submitted for scope reduction, a new certificate is issued before realization of the audit.

 

• Application for Address Change
In case of address change application of the organizations, if the organization, accepting the proposal, is a production organization or carries out an activity, which has an impact on the service at the relevant address, address change audit is planned.

 

• Planning, Realization of Audits, Assessment, and Issuance of Certification
Planning of audits is realized in line with the Planning Procedure.
Realization and reporting of the audits are conducted according to Audit Procedure.

After certification and re-certification audits, assessment is made in accordance with Technical Revision Procedure.

After positive decision of the Certification Committee as to issuance of a certificate, a certificate is issued.

Issuance period of the certificate is (1) one week under ordinary circumstances.

Certificate is issued for audits, made on account of supervision, monitoring, transfer, scope or address change.

Audit reports of the audits, carried out on account of supervision, monitoring transfer, scope or address change and title change demands are revised, assessed, and after positive decision, a Certificate is issued.
For certificates of the multiple enterprise organizations, if deemed necessary, addresses of all enterprises, deemed proper for certification, can be stated on the document or in the appendix to the document.

Certificates, issued are signed; one photocopy is taken for FQC and attached to the file to the relevant organization.

In the certificates, as “The First Issuance Date”, certification decision date is written. In the event that the certificate has to be reissued on account of title, scope, and address change, “Issuance Date” is written in parenthesis, next to the new “Issuance Date”. For validity term of the certificate, “The First Issuance Date” is taken as a basis.

The certificate of the organization is sent by cargo following payment of the invoice by the organization or delivered by hand against signature. At this stage, the agreement, signed by FQC signatory, is sent to the relevant organization as well. Certified organizations are recorded to “Certified Organizations List”.

Certificate delivery can be made through Cargo, Mail and such methods.

 

• Use of Certificate
FQC management system certificates are valid for (3) there years provided that supervision audits are concluded positively.

Rules as to use of the certificates have been stated in the Agreement, mutually signed between FQC and the organization. The organizations make a commitment with the concluded agreement to abide by the rules, specified in this agreement. The organizations can use the system documents only within the framework of the rules, specified in the agreement.

FQC monitors the organizations in terms of use of the certificate after issuance of the certificate closely. Within this scope, press and media are followed. Besides in case of complaints received from the customers and a situation contrary to the specified rules, corrective action is demanded from the relevant organization. In the event that corrective action is not performed within the specified term, FQC conducts the activities, stated below:
• The accreditation organization is informed,
• Withdrawal of the certificate is released to the public,
• Legal proceedings are initiated.
• Suspension of the Certificate
Certification is suspended under the following circumstances, provided that it does not exceed (6) six months:
• The customer cannot fulfill the certification terms of the certified management system, including management system effectiveness terms, constantly or severely,
• The certified customer does not allow performance of supervision or re-certification audits with necessary frequencies,

• The certified customer voluntarily submits a temporary suspension demand.

• Major non-conformities are found as a result of the audits realized,

• The minor non-conformities, fixed as a result of the audits, are not eliminated within the established terms,

• Certification rules are not abided by,

• Auditing fees are not paid.

The decision of suspension of the certificate is taken by the Certification Committee and the Certification Manager. Suspension of the certificate is notified to the relevant organization in writing. FQC can extend the suspension term once again and utmost for (3) months with the decision of the Certification Manager, if it deems it necessary.
Under suspension, management system certificate of the customer is invalid temporarily. FQC has ensured with the concluded Certification Agreement that its customers do not promote/advertise their certification under suspension. In the event that it is established that the customer does not abide by this rule, a written warning is made, and legal measures are taken, if needed. FQC can take all the other measures, it deems appropriate, including broadcasting of suspension on web or press organs.
In the event that the customer does not fulfill the certification terms for a part of the scope of certification constantly or severely, FQC can reduce the certification scope of the customer by excluding the part, not covering the terms. Under such reduction, conformity with the terms of the standard used for certification is taken into consideration.
In the event that the issues, giving rise to suspension are not solved within the term, granted by FQC, certification is withdrawn or proper scope reduction is made.

• Removal of Suspension of the Certificate: In the event that the organizations, whose certificate is suspended, notify that their suspension justifications have been removed to FQC in writing, suspension transaction is removed. For the purpose of confirmation of removal of the suspension justification, an audit is performed in the organization by FQC.

Scope and term of the audit, performed for removal of the suspension is established depending on the justification of suspension of the certificate.

In the end of the audit, suspension of the certificate of the organization, whose conformity is verified, is removed.

In the event that suspension justifications are not removed, option of withdrawal of the certificate is applied.

Removal of suspension of the certificate is notified to the organization in writing.

 

 

• Withdrawal of the Certificate: The certificate is withdrawn under the circumstances stated below:

• Demand of the organization,

• Bankruptcy of the organization or ceasing the production within the scope of the certificate,

• Change of the legal personality of the organization,

• The organization does not accept the suspension terms,

• The organization does not remove the suspension justifications,

• The organization does not give confirmation for follow-up audit at the end of the suspension term,

• In the follow-up audits, performed for removal of suspension, the non-conformities, fixed, are not removed within envisaged times,

• The organization uses the certificate in the fields different from the product or service, specified within the scope of the certificate, in a misleading and wrongful manner,

• The organization is not located at the facility address, stated in the certificate,

• The organization makes alterations in the certificate and in its appendixes,

• The organization does not accept the supervision audit.

If no application is submitted by the organization for follow-up audit within (6) six months after suspension of its certificate, additional time can be granted or its certificate can be withdrawn.

In case of withdrawal of the certificate, the organization has to fulfill the liabilities, stated below and taking place in the Agreement:

• Cease of use of FQC certificate and logo,

• Waiving all sorts of rights within the scope of the cancelled certificate,

• Payment of outstanding certificate or audit fees.

Within one month following withdrawal of the certificate, the organization has to remove the logo from all sorts of correspondence and promotion materials. Otherwise FQC;

• releases this fact to the relevant accreditation organization and other certification bodies,

• releases that the organization uses the certificate illegally by infringing the agreement rules, to various media organs,

• takes legal action for recovery of pecuniary and intangible damages.

Furthermore in the event that the organization does not submit an application for renewal, its production/service delivery within the scope of the certificate is ceased or the organization goes out of business, the certificate is withdrawn and it is released to the public.

ALİ AĞAOĞLU
FC BELGELENDİRME
FQC/ FIRST QUALITY CERTIFICATION
GENERAL DIRECTOR
ISTANBUL, 01.01.2011