Compliance and beyond

It’s common knowledge that certification and auditing are mired in controversy at the moment – arguments abound over the inherent value of the auditing process. But international certification body DNV has devised a new approach with Risk Based Certification*, which purports to have a ‘wider focus’ than the ISO regime and adds value to audits. Ferry Jansen investigates

Risk Based Certification is not a replacement for accredited management system certification, but another way of delivering it. It means focusing audits on identified risk areas in addition to the regular quality, safety and environmental performance. It means that the end result of the certification process is not simply a certificate on the wall - a risk-based approach offers much more value to the whole process.

As opposed to the traditional approach, Risk Based Certification gives companies the opportunity to define three to five focus areas (these could be, for example, increased customer retention, improved project management, or reduction in returned goods) related to those issues which have the biggest impact on their business. This goes beyond compliance to any standard; it is vital in assisting the business to identify key improvement areas.

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