Compliance and Corporate Governance
One of the Interface-NRM Pakistan primary business objectives requires adherence to local, national, and international laws, and the requirement that the company employees show integrity and honesty in all their dealings. Risk management and internal controls are therefore included in company, assuring the accuracy and validity of results, reports, and certificates that compan provides to customers.
1) Integrity Perform audits with honesty, diligence, and responsibility. Observe and comply with applicable legal requirements. Demonstrate your competence while performing audits. Perform audits in an impartial manner. Remain fair and unbiased in all your dealings. Be sensitive to any influences exerted on your judgment during an audit.
2) Fair Presentation Ensure audit findings, conclusions, and reports truthfully and accurately reflect the audit
activities. Report any significant obstacles encountered in the audit. Report any unresolved diverging opinions between the auditee and audit team. Ensure communication is truthful, accurate, objective, timely, clear, and complete.
3) Due Professional Care Exercise due care based on importance of task and confidence placed in you by audit client. Make reasoned judgments in all audit situations.
4) Confidentiality Exercise discretion in use and protection of information acquired during your audit duties. Do not use audit information for personal gain or in detrimental way to legitimate interests of auditee. Properly handle sensitive or confidential information.
5) Independence Remain independent of the activity being audited. Be free from bias and conflict of interest.
Maintain objectivity throughout the audit process. Ensure findings and conclusions are based only on evidence.
6) Evidence-Based Approach Collect audit evidence that is verifiable. Base the evidence on samples of available information. Use samples since audit is conducted during a finite period of time and with finite resources. Sample appropriately to contribute to confidence that can be placed on audit conclusions.
CONFIDIENTIAL POLICY
Interface-NRM Pakistan Pakistan is committed to promote professionalism, excellence in the process of certifying, monitoring by making sure CONFIDENTIALITY in accordance with the ISO/IEC 17021 standard.
Interface-NRM Pakistan defines confidentiality is “Data or communications including conversations, reports, forms, correspondence, and computer generated communications with, about or involving in any way any client of Interface-NRM Pakistan are entitled to confidentiality”.
Interface-NRM Pakistan hereby confirms implementation and adherence to the following policy points:
At Interface-NRM Pakistan Employees, outsourced auditors, and Director are bound by ethical codes to protect the confidentiality and privacy of our clients and to protect and maintain the confidentiality of all information learned about clients.
At Interface-NRM Pakistan client records maintained by are kept in a locked cupboard at all times except when being reviewed or updated. Client records should always be maintained in the office only.
Interface-NRM Pakistan shall maintain up to date operating procedures and ensure that these procedures support confidentiality.
IMPARTIALITY POLICY
Interface-NRM Pakistan is the legal entity responsible for certification activities; reference to INTERFACE-NRM PAKISTAN in this Policy and Public Statement refers to these legal entities.
Interface-NRM Pakistan Top Management, Managers and Staff fully understand the importance of impartiality in undertaking its Certification Activities. Interface-NRM Pakistan will therefore ensure that in all its dealings with clients or potential clients all employees or other personnel are and will remain impartial and does not allow commercial, financial or other pressures to compromise impartiality, this will also maintain under their contracts and appointment letters. To ensure that impartiality is both maintained and can be demonstrated the following principals have been established.
- Interface-NRM Pakistan top management always shows commitment to impartiality.
- All of the personnel of Interface-NRM Pakistan (either internal or external) or committees who could influence the certification activities must act impartially.
- Interface-NRM Pakistan Certificates are only issued following a review by an independent authorized and impartial competent members committee to ensure that no interest shall predominate.
- Interface-NRM Pakistan does not certify another certification body for its management system certification activities.
- Interface-NRM Pakistan does not offer (and has never offered) management system consultancy or any other form of consultancy to companies or individuals.
- Interface-NRM Pakistan does not offer (and has never offered) an internal audit service to companies or individuals.
- Interface-NRM Pakistan does not own or have any interest (financial or otherwise) in any other company that offers certification, management system consultancy or internal audit services.
- Interface-NRM Pakistan does not outsource audits to a management system consultancy organization, as this poses an unacceptable threat to the impartiality of the certification body.
- Interface-NRM Pakistan and or any part of the same legal entity under its organizational control should not:
a) Be the designer, manufacturer, installer, distributer or maintainer of the certified product;
b) Be the designer, implementer, operator or maintainer of the certified process;
c) Be the designer, implementer, provider or maintainer of the certified se
- Interface-NRM Pakistan identifies all risks to its impartiality on an ongoing basis through past records of their personnel e.g. their experience letters etc. This includes those risks that arise from its certification activities, from its relationships to any company, or from the relationships of its personnel with the clients. Any proposed risks associated with Interface-NRM Pakistan will undergo a risk assessment by the Committee for Impartiality prior to that relationship being formalized.
- Interface-NRM Pakistan does not have (and will not form) any relationships with companies who offer consultancy, internal audit services or other services that can be construed as having an impact on the certification services provided by Interface-NRM Pakistan. Any proposed relationship between Interface-NRM Pakistan and any other company will undergo a risk assessment by the Committee for Impartiality prior to that relationship being formalized.
- Any current relationships with companies, organizations and individuals will be risk assessed on a regular basis to ensure that the relationship does not impact upon the impartiality of the certification process. The risk assessment will be undertaken by the Committee for Impartiality.
- Individuals employed by or otherwise contracted to Interface-NRM Pakistan are required to document and record their current and past relationships with all companies. Any situation past or present which may present a potential conflict of interest is required by Interface-NRM Pakistan to be declared. Interface-NRM Pakistan will use the information to identify any threats to impartiality and will not use that individual in any capacity unless they can demonstrate that there is no conflict of interest. The risk assessment will be undertaken by the Committee for Impartiality.
- Interface-NRM Pakistan does not allocate a member of staff or sub-contractor to a management system audit, review and or certification decision where any past relationship has existed. Exceptionally and at the discretion of the Operations Manager or Top Management an individual or subcontractor may be allocated to a management system audit where a past relationship has existed but there has been no relationship for a minimum of 2 years. The risk assessment will be reviewed by the Committee for Impartiality.
- Interface-NRM Pakistan ensures that activities of separate legal entities, with which the certification body or the legal entity of which it forms a part has relationships, do not compromise the impartiality of its certification ac
- When the separate legal entity offers or produces the certified product (including products to be certified) or offers or provides consultancy, the Interface-NRM Pakistan’s management personnel and personnel in the review and certification decision-making process does not involve in the activities of the separate legal The personnel of the separate legal entity does not involve in the management of the Interface-NRM Pakistan, the review, or the certification decision.
- Interface-NRM Pakistan does not marketed or offered its activities as linked with the activities of an organization that provides consulta Interface-NRM Pakistan does no state or imply that certification would be simpler, easier, faster or less expensive if a specified consultancy organization were used and will take appropriate legal action should any such link be identified.
- Interface-NRM Pakistan takes appropriate legal action to respond to any risks to its impartiality, arising from the actions of other persons, bodies or organizations, of which it becomes awa
All employees will be reviewed at least annually to ensure that they remain impartial when conducting audits.
POLICY FOR USE OF CERTIFICATION MARK
The Interface-NRM Pakistan’s Certification mark/logo is a registered trademark and acts as an indication that a certain process is
controlled through certain management system that is certified by Interface-NRM Pakistan.
- It should always be used with a unique logo traceability code, which is assigned to all certified facilities.
- Only Certified clients that hold a valid certificate of conformity may use the Certification mark/logo.
- The Certification mark may only be used for processes that have been identified in the scope of certification.
- Usage of the Interface-NRM Pakistan certification mark on the packaging/labeling of certified management system must be approved by Interface-NRM Pakistan prior to use.
- The Certification mark can be used along with other certifications, logos or trade Certification marks.
- This mark shall not be used for service(s) and management system or on product packaging seen by the consumer or in any other way that
- may be interpreted as denoting product conformity.
- Certificate owners who failed to renew their Management system certificates will not be allowed to use the certification logo at all.
- There should be no misleading claims regarding the meaning of the Certification Mark.
- There shall be no ambiguity, in the mark or accompanying text, as to what has been certified.
- It is imperative that all draft artwork bearing the Interface-NRM Pakistan logo be signed off by Interface-NRM Pakistan offices prior to print.
PROCEDURE FOR COMPLAINTS, FEEDBACK & APPEALS MANAGEMENT
1. Introduction:
This procedure defines Interface-nrm Pakistan’s responsibilities for receiving, evaluating, and making decisions on appeals, complaints and disputes concerning the certification system activities or decisions, and the maintenance of relative records as required by “ISO/IEC 17021 “Conformity assessment – Requirements for bodies providing audit and certification of management systems”.
2. Scope:
This procedure covers two types of complaints; those made by Interface-nrm Pakistan clients against interface-nrm and complaints against interface-nrm certified clients by interested third parties. This process is subject to interface-nrm requirements for confidentiality.
3. Procedure:
3.1 Appeals
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- INTERFACE-NRM PAKISTAN has a documented process to receive, evaluate and make decisions on appeals.
- A description of the appeals-handling process is publicly accessible.
- INTERFACE-NRM PAKISTAN may be responsible for all decisions at all levels of the appeals-handling process. INTERFACE-NRM PAKISTAN ensures that the persons engaged in the appeals-handling process are different from those who carried out the audits and made the certification decisions.
- Submission, investigation, and decision on appeals do not result in any discriminatory actions against the appellant.
- The appeals-handling process includes at least the following elements and methods:
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a. An outline of the process for receiving, validating and investigating the appeal, and for deciding what actions are to be taken in response to it, taking into account the results of previous similar appeals;
b. Be tracking and recording appeals, including actions undertaken to resolve them;
c. Ensuring that any appropriate correction and corrective action are taken.
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- INTERFACE-NRM PAKISTAN acknowledges receipt of the appeal and provides the appellant with progress reports and the outcome.
- The decision to be communicated to the appellant may made by, or reviewed and approved by, individual(s) not previously involved in the subject of the appeal.
- INTERFACE-NRM PAKISTAN gives formal notice to the appellant of the end of the appeals-handling process.
- Applications in the case of any appeals regarding Management system certification services may made to INTERFACE-NRM PAKISTAN. A committee for appeals is established and be responsible for resolving such cases and inform the related parties accordingly.
- The members of this committee are independent from any phase of the Management system certification related to the subject of the appeal.
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3.2 Complaints:
- A description of the complaints-handling process is publicly accessible.
- Upon receipt of a complaint, INTERFACE-NRM PAKISTAN confirms whether the complaint relates to certification activities that it is responsible for and, if so, deals with it. If the complaint relates to a certified client, then examination of the complaint is considered the effectiveness of the certified system.
- Any complaint about a certified client is also be referred by INTERFACE-NRM PAKISTAN to the certified client in question at an appropriate time.
- INTERFACE-NRM PAKISTAN has a documented process to receive, evaluate and make decisions on complaints. This process is subjected to requirements for confidentiality, as it relates to the complainant and to the subject of the complaint.
- The complaints-handling process includes at least the following elements and methods:
a) an outline of the process for receiving, validating, investigating the complaint, and for deciding what actions are to be taken in response to it;
b) tracking and recording complaints, including actions undertaken in response to them;
c)ensuring that any appropriate correction and corrective action are taken.
- INTERFACE-NRM PAKISTAN receiving the complaint is responsible for gathering and verifying all necessary information to validate the complaint.
- Whenever possible, INTERFACE-NRM PAKISTAN acknowledges receipt of the complaint, and provides the complainant with progress reports and the outcome.
- The decision to be communicated to the complainant is made by, or reviewed and approved by, individual(s) not previously involved in the subject of the complaint.
- Whenever possible, the Management system certification body gives formal notice of the end of the complaints-handling process to the complainant.
- INTERFACE-NRM PAKISTAN determines, together with the client and the complainant, whether and, if so to what extent, the subject of the complaint and its resolution is made public.
- Applications in the case of any complaints regarding Management system certification services is made to INTERFACE-NRM PAKISTAN. A committee for complaints shall be established and be responsible for resolving such cases and inform the related parties accordingly.
- The members of this committee are independent from any phase of the Management system certification related to the subject of the complaint.
- Complaints by consumers regarding a certified Management system product(s) / service(s) and management system is evaluated by the (INTERFACE-NRM PAKISTAN), which is responsible for making the necessary investigations. If, because of such evaluations, the complaint is found to be justified, the certificate holder is required to compensate for the damage(s) caused under the relevant provisions of the contract.
3.3 Progress Report:
The client is notified through email regarding the progress of the complaint, dispute or appeal.
3.4 Outcome & Final Resolution:
- Interface-nrm Pakistan is responsible for the resolution of all complaints.
- The client is notified of the outcome and the final resolution of the complaint, dispute or appeal through email notification and/or hard copy notification.
- Interface-nrm Pakistan is responsible for communicating with the complainant and the Client whether and to what extent the subject of the complaint and its resolution.
- Information about a particular client or individual shall not be disclosed to a third party without the written consent of the client or individual concerned.
3.5 Customer Feedback:
- Interface-nrm Pakistan considers customer satisfaction, as it’s first and foremost objective. The persons dealing with their respective clients are responsible to obtain customer feedback to monitor information relating to customer perception as to whether the organization has fulfilled customer requirements.
- Customer Feedback Form, is used for this purpose, which enlists different parameters of service quality offered by Interface-nrm Pakistan Feedback is obtained from the clients by the respective sales person usually after the complete audit activity.
- Feedbacks received from the clients are analyzed and the cumulative feedback report is prepared by the MR and submitted to the DIRECTOR.
- The results of such analysis are reviewed at the management review meetings to suggest improvements in the Interface-nrm Pakistan management system.
3.8.1 Suspending, Withdrawing Or Reducing The Scope Of Certification
- The INP has a policy and documented procedure(s) for suspension, withdrawal or reduction of the scope of certification, and specifies the subsequent actions by the INP.
- The INP suspends certification in cases when, for example,
- the client’s certified system has persistently or seriously failed to meet certification requirements, including requirements for the effectiveness of the system,
- the certified client does not allow surveillance or recertification audits to be conducted at the required frequencies, or
- the certified client has voluntarily requested a suspension.
- Under suspension, the client’s Relevant management system certification is temporarily invalid. The INP has enforceable arrangements with its clients to ensure that in case of suspension the client refrains from further promotion of its certification. The INP makes the suspended status of the certification publicly accessible and takes any other measures it deems appropriate.
- Failure to resolve the issues that have resulted in the suspension in a time established by the INP results in withdrawal or reduction of the scope of certification.
NOTE In most cases the suspension may not exceed 6 months.
- The INP reduces the client’s scope of certification to exclude the parts not meeting the requirements, when the client has persistently or seriously failed to meet the certification requirements for those parts of the scope of certification. Any such reduction may in line with the requirements of the standard used for certification.
- The Interface-nrm Pakistan has enforceable arrangements with the certified client concerning conditions of withdrawal ensuring upon notice of withdrawal of certification that the client discontinues its use of all advertising matter that contains any reference to a certified status.
- Upon request by any party, the INP correctly states the status of certification of a client as being suspended, withdrawn or reduced.