AQS Certifications Services Statement of Impartiality
AQS CERTIFICATIONS understands and is fully aware of the importance of Management of Impartiality, as stated in clause 5.2 from ISO/IEC 17021:2011 and clause 4.2 from ISO/IEC 17065:2012, in carrying out its certification activities
As a certification body, AQS CERTIFICATIONS documents its structure, policies and procedures to manage impartiality and to ensure that the certification activities are undertaken impartially, and has top management commitment to impartiality in certification activities. It also has a statement publicly accessible without request that it understands the importance of impartiality in carrying out its certification activities; manages conflict of interest and ensures the objectivity of its certification activities.
AQS CERTIFICATIONS services are not restricted on the grounds of undue financial or other limiting conditions, such as membership of an association or group, and do not use procedures to unfairly impede or inhibit access by interested parties, and is responsible for the impartiality of its certification activities and does not allow commercial, financial or other pressures to compromise impartiality. It also identifies threats to its impartiality on an ongoing basis, and this includes those threats that arise from: its activities, its related bodies, its relationships, or the relationships of its personnel.
AQS CERTIFICATIONS is 100% committed to the performance of impartial, objective audit and certification services to inspire confidence in our business and the industry. We undertake not to carry out any verification in the event a threat to impartiality is identified as a risk.
If a member of the audit or certification team, or their immediate family member, has a direct financial interest, or a material indirect financial interest, in the measured entity, this creates a self-interest threat and the actions to be taken would be one of the following:
- Dispose of the direct financial interest prior to the individual being selected for the verification
- Dispose of the indirect financial interest in total or dispose of an amount of the interest to ensure that the remaining interest is no longer material prior to the individual selected for the verification
- Advise the individual that they will not be selected for this verification
All AQS CERTIFICATIONS staff must declare any situation which may potentially be considered a conflict including any relationships over and above financial.