Our assessment process

Our unique business assurance approach allows assessment to be tailored according to how well your system manages and reduces operational risks while still ensuring conformance to the full requirements of your chosen standard or scheme.

The LRQA assessment process has the following key stages:

Designing solutions. Our account managers will talk you through your options and put together a programme. As your business grows, they’ll be on hand to discuss your changing needs.

Gap analysis will help identify those areas you need to spend more time on and give you confidence that your systems are ready for formal assessment. This is an optional visit and is ideal for those unsure of the robustness of their management system. The duration of a ‘gap’ is flexible to suit your needs and the status of your systems.

Stage 1 visit is undertaken to check that what you say you do meets the requirements of your chosen standard or scheme and is typically carried out on site. Our assessor will want to gauge how well you understand the standard and your progress towards meeting the requirements. They will want to collect information on the scope of your management system, the processes and locations of your organisation and any related statutory, regulatory and compliance aspects. The assessor will leave you with a report and advise of any areas of concern that need to be addressed.

Stage 2 visit is to evaluate the implementation and effectiveness of your management system. Our assessors will want to see that your management system conforms to the standard. They will want to interview staff including senior management and operational personnel to make sure the system has been fully implemented and understood throughout the organisation. A visit report will be left with you recording the results of the assessment, any areas for improvement and any identified and agreed non-conformities.

Surveillance visits are undertaken following successful approval. Your assessor will return at defined intervals to follow up on the progress that has been made since the previous visit and to make sure that the management system continues to meet the requirements of your chosen standard or scheme.

And for those organisations with an existing ISO 9001 system certified with LRQA, we also offer a staged approach to certification to ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 with PRISM, unique to LRQA.

You may also be interested in visiting:

Accreditation

Business Assurance

Why choose LRQA?