Extract from procedure PJC_06 ‘Handling complaints and appeals’.
1 OBJECTIVE
The purpose of the procedure is to ensure a correct, fair and objective procedure, when dealing with appeals against decisions of the head of the certification body or complaints concerning the activities of the certification body, submitted by applicants for certification or certificate holders.
2. SCOPE OF APPLICATION
The Procedure applies at any stage of the certification process in a situation where the applicant or certificate holder has objections to the proper conduct of the certification process and/or disagrees with the decision of the head of the certification body. The Procedure also applies to certification body activities of an inspection nature.
3. RELATED DOCUMENTS
3.1 PN-EN ISO/IEC 17065:2013-03 ‘Requirements for bodies certifying products, processes and services’.
3.2 PN-EN ISO/IEC 17067:2014-01 - ‘Basis for product certification and guidelines for certification programmes’.
3.3 PN-EN ISO-IEC 17020:2012 Conformity assessment - ‘General criteria for the operation of various types of inspection’.
4. PROCEDURE
4.1 General provisions
4.1.1 Upon receipt of a complaint or appeal, the certification body shall confirm whether the complaint or appeal relates to the certification activity for which it is responsible. If so, the body shall proceed accordingly with the steps described in para. 4.2 of this procedure.
4.1.2 The decision resolving the complaint or appeal shall be made or reviewed and approved by a person not involved in the certification activity related to the complaint or appeal.
4.1.3 In order to ensure that there is no conflict of interest, the certification body shall ensure that the personnel involved in the complaint and appeal resolution activities have not provided consultancy or been employed by the client submitting the appeal or complaint for at least two years prior to the date of receipt.
4.2 Complaints and appeals
4.2.1 The certification body shall receive and consider any complaint, concerning the way in which the body operates, related to the conduct of certification processes and/or activities of an inspection nature, submitted by the applicant for certification or by the certificate holder in any form (written, oral, electronic letter).
Within 30 days of the date of the decision, the certification body shall receive and consider any appeal, relating to the decision taken, by the applicant for certification or by the certificate holder. Within 30 days from the date of issuance of the inspection report, the body shall also accept and consider appeals related to activities of an inspection nature.
Complaints or appeals - in writing - are received by the head of the certification body and are entered by him in the register of appeals against decisions, according to the model given in Annex No. 2 or Annex No. 1 to this Procedure, respectively. The appeal, together with all the necessary information concerning it, is then sent directly to the Director of IPE-NRI for consideration.
4.2.2 After consulting the Director's Quality Officer and obtaining an explanation of the reasons and validity of the complaint or appeal - the IPE-NRI Director shall make a decision on whether or not to accept the complaint or appeal, which he shall communicate in writing to the applicant within 14 days of the date on which the complaint or appeal was received by the IPE-NRI Certification Body, unless there are special circumstances making it impossible to meet this deadline.
4.2.3 In the event that the IPE-NRI Director does not acknowledge the complaint or appeal, the appealing client may take legal action, which shall be notified in the same letter in which the IEn Director's decision not to acknowledge the complaint or appeal is communicated.
4.2.4 If the complaint or appeal is found to be justified, the head of the certification body shall initiate appropriate corrective and preventive actions according to Procedure PJC_13 ‘Corrective and Preventive Actions’ and, in agreement with the IEn Director, take action to satisfy the person or organisational unit making the complaint or appeal. These may include, for example, making appropriate corrections or additions to documents, updating publications, etc.
4.3 Documents relating to complaints and appeals
4.3.1 Documents relating to appeals against decisions of the head of the certification body shall be attached to, as appropriate:
documentation of the application for product certification,
documentation of the supervised certification,
documentation related to activities of an inspection nature.
4.3.2 Documents relating to complaints are kept in a separate file named ‘Complaints’.
5. RESPONSIBLE PERSONS
The Director of the Institute of Power Engineering is responsible for handling complaints and appeals.