Frequently asked Questions
What is Certification?
Certification is when a Certifying Body, such as Certification Oceania awards a Certificate of Assessment to an organisation, when that organisation has been able to demonstrate compliance with relevant National and International Standards, applicable legislation and industry standards.
Typically Certification can take the form of either:
Management System Certification; or
Product, Process or Service Certification.
Management System Certification can be to either one or many international standards, including, but not limited to:
ISO 9001 Quality Management Systems
ISO 45001 Health and Safety (OHS/WHS) Management Systems
ISO 14001 Environmental Management Systems
ISO 22000 Food Safety Management Systems
ISO 55001 Asset Management
HACCP Codex
Management System Certification is when Certification Oceania assesses your organisation’s management system documentation and the extent of implementation and compliance with your nominated management system (see examples of Standards listed above) and then issues you with a Certificate of Assessment, referred to as a Compliance Certificate for the relevant Standard/s.
2. Product, Process or Service Certification is when Certification Oceania assesses your organisation’s products, processes or services against specified outcomes assured by documented factory production control or other relevant service delivery controls (as applicable) and the extent of implementation and compliance with your nominated product and/or service delivery systems and then issues you with a Product, Process or Service Certificate of Assessment.
NOTE: All products, for which Product Certification is sought must have the product-specific technical specifications documented, approve and demonstrated to be met. Specifications must include full details of raw materials used, Factory Product Control (FPC) methods, inspections and tests, tolerances, traceability to National or International Standards where inspection, measuring and test Standards are applicable, and may require special engineering assessments to be undertaken in order to validate product compliance and consistency.
What does ISO stand for? What is its purpose?
ISO stands for International Standards Organisation and its purpose is to facilitate and support national and international trade and commerce by developing standards that people everywhere in the world would recognise and respect.
What are the most common standards implemented by companies?
HACCP/GMP (Food Safety), ISO 9001 Quality, ISO 14001 Safety , ISO 45001 Environment are the most common certifications that our clients get certified for.
What's the timeline?
Certification is a 2 stage process and the timeline for completion depends on whether you have the necessary documentation and systems set up in place. To see a full process map check out our homepage www.certificationoceania.com
Can I get an expedited Certification?
We understand that there are times where an expedited Certification might be required (eg, to qualify for a pending tender), so provided your organisation has management systems which are documented, implemented, and compliant with the relevant Standard/s, then priority Certification may be possible with Certification Oceania.
What are the benefits of Certification?
Certification to ISO 9001 Quality Standard, as well as ISO 45001 and ISO 14001, is more and more being asked for from suppliers within global and local marketplaces. Indeed, for many customers and purchasing departments Certification is a mandatory requirement. Certainly this is the case for government departments that purchase significant quantities of goods and services and want assurances that their goods and service suppliers have appropriate Quality, Safety and Environmental management systems in place to deliver the goods and services specified in their Requests for Quotation (RFQ)/Request for Tender (RFT), which also means that business management systems comply with all statutory and regulatory requirements, and meet national and international standards.
How much does Certification cost?
Certification costs depends on a range of factors including, but not limited to:
the Scope for which Certification is sought (eg, what range of goods and services offered and that you want covered by your Certificate/s);
what Standards you are seeking Certification;
your organisations size;
how many offices/facilities and staff do you have;
in how many countries and jurisdictions you operate;
whether your business systems scope includes design and development; and
whether the goods and services you offer have special requirements, such as testing laboratories and calibration (for which ISO 17025 is applicable).
What is a Gap Analysis Audit?
Gap Analysis audits, or reviews, are typically for organisations which believe they have a management system documented and in place which they intend having Certified, but would like Certification Oceania to establish what Gaps they might have, so that they can fix the gaps (ie, take corrective action to become compliant) before the before proceeding to final Certification audit stage.
Benefits of a Gap Analysis?
By receiving an impartial and objective Gap Analysis Report from Certification
Oceania providing you with a documented corrective action plan, for you to close-out
identified Gaps prior to your final Certification Audit, you can have confidence that
the next step of the Certification Audit will go extremely well.
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