Suspension

RIR suspends certification in cases when, for example:

• The client’s certified management system has persistently or seriously failed to meet certification requirements, including requirements for the effectiveness of the management system;
• The certified client does not allow surveillance or recertification audits to be conducted at the required frequencies;
• The certified client has voluntarily requested a suspension. RIR’s decision on suspending the certification shall be communicated to the client, in writing a letter.

Under suspension, the client’s management system certification is temporarily invalid.

RIR restores the suspended certification if the issue that has resulted in the suspension has been resolved. Failure to resolve the issues that have resulted in the suspension in a time established by the certification body shall result in withdrawal or reduction of the scope of certification

In most cases, the suspension would not exceed six months.

RIR may reduce the scope of certification to exclude the parts not meeting the requirements, when the certified client has persistently or seriously failed to meet the certification requirements for those parts of the scope of certification. Any such reduction shall be in line with the requirements of the standard used for certification.

Withdrawal

Failure to resolve the issues that have resulted in the suspension in a reasonable time shall result in withdrawal or reduction of the scope of certification. In most cases the suspension would not exceed 6 months. Withdrawal of the certification can also done when the certified client does not make the payment for certification, despite several reminders with no response from the client. RIR’s decision on withdrawing certification shall be communicated to the client, in writing, through letters.

Reducing

RIR shall reduce 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 of those parts of the scope of certification. Any such reduction shall be in line with the requirements of the standard used for certification. RIR’s decision on reducing the scope of certification shall be communicated to the client, in writing, through letter.

Upon request by any party, RIR shall correctly state the status of certification of a client's Management system as being suspended, withdrawn or reduced as per Certification Agreement

Restoring process

The decision to restore certification shall be recorded within the client file after any issues have been addressed during outstanding Surveillance or Recertification or Scope Reduction activites. This shall be performed by a competent Technical Reviewer/Team. Recommendation considered as certification decision by certification decision committee.

Clients shall be informed and updated on all decisions made regarding the granting, refusing, maintaining, renewing, suspending or restoring of certification and expanding or reducing the scope of certification.

The scope of certification is agreed at an early stage in the certification process. The scope of certification may however need to be expanded or reduced due to factors such as acquisitions, downsizing, adding new divisions etc.

The decision to grant initial certification, renew certification or to expand or reduce the scope of certification, is made by Certification Decision committee. This decision is made based on a review of the certification process and associated documentation.