MAR
31st
Posted by: Tony Wilkinson
As a result of the COVID-19 disaster the topic of remote auditing has climbed up the agenda.
Discussing auditing of a Quality Management system in the midst of the on-going pandemic does feel a bit like stacking the deck chairs on the Titanic. The major assessment bodies are having to look at this option to supposedly maintain the integrity of the certification process. The extension of MOT certificates by the government has demonstrated an easier option though!
In my opinion remote auditing is possible but only for a limited set of circumstances. For a start it is preferable for the remote auditor to have been to the business before and have a basic understanding of the company and its processes. The best areas to remotely audit are the management systems clauses such as internal auditing, management review and complaint handling etc. The difficult comes when trying to audit the process aspects in a meaningful way. It is possible to do a check on batch records remotely but the true interaction with the auditee and a lot of the benefit of the audit process is lost. The feel and context of the audit is missing. A guided live stream by the Quality Manager for example could be an answer but we need look no further than the use of VAR in football to see the pitfalls!
So at this stage I think a visit delay is the best and most practical option as many businesses have had to close anyway.
If you can STAY HOME AND EXERCISE LOCALLY !
