Registration Policies

Customer Complaints, Appeals:

Any PRG customer can file an appeal or complaint. The complaint must be done in writing so a record can be kept. The complaint or appeal must be submitted to the President (Denis Pecar) for review and investigation. The customer will be made aware of all actions taken.

Corrective Action:

If during any stage of the assessment process (excluding Pre-Assessments) an auditor identifies non-conformities, the customer will be notified of the severity (Major or Minor) and given 30 days from the date of the closing meeting to submit a corrective action plan. If the plan is approved the customer has 30 days from the approved plan date to submit objective evidence for implementation unless an extension is requested. Once the auditor approves the objective evidence of the corrective action the non-conformity will be closed. It will be verified on the next audit.

Publication of Registration:

PRG maintains a current listing of all clients it has registered. The list contains the customers name, address, standard and scope of registration. PRG will make public any issuance, renewal or withdrawal of registrations.

Changes to Registration requirements and procedures:

PRG will communicate to all registered clients any changes to requirements or procedures. PRG will give adequate time to document and implement these changes.

Confidentiality:

All information given to PRG by the client is determined to be confidential and proprietary. PRG, through legally enforceable agreements, have a policy and arrangements to safeguard the confidentiality of the information obtain or created during the performance of certification activities. This includes all levels of its structure, including committees and external bodies or individuals acting on behalf of PRG. The only information that will become public is the client’s certificate.

Conflict of Interest:

PRG performs no consulting services. PRG auditors will have no current consulting ties with PRG clients and no PRG auditor team member shall have performed consulting functions for the customer within the previous 2 years. All PRG auditors are required to provide PRG with real or perceived conflict of interest issues before conducting audits for PRG clients.

Transfer of Registration:

Potential clients who wish to transfer their registration to PRG may do so via a written or verbal request. PRG will then request a copy of the organizations current certificate, the reason for seeking a transfer and previous assessment reports. An estimate of services will be sent and if the customer agrees, a contract will follow. The Audit Program Coordinator or the Manger of Business Development will determine at what point in the registration cycle the client currently holds registration and decide whether, and to what extent, a complete audit of the management system is required. If all the documents are acceptable then there is no need for an audit. A new PRG certificate will be issued and the client will be audited on-site during their next scheduled cycle of audits. The basics for this decision include an evaluation of all audit records, all-correspondence between the customer and PRG and the former Registrar if possible.

Clients with Multiple Locations:

If a client is operating a number of facilities and all are controlled under the same QMS and to great extent do the same work, PRG may assess the various facilities on a sample basis. This sample is determined by using the ISO/IEC 17021:2006.

Withdrawal or Suspension of Registration:

PRG reserves the right to suspend or withdraw registration for any of the following:

A) Non-payment of services.
B) Major non-conformities found during surveillances.
C) Misuse of the PRG Mark.

PRG’S Registration Mark

Once an organization is registered, they can use the PRG mark on advertising materials, letterhead or electronic media. The use of the mark is to indicate that the clients QMS or EMS are compliant with ISO standards. It is not to be used on products, or to give the impression that products or services provided under the QMS or EMS is free from defects. PRG does not register the client’s products only the QMS or the EMS for which products are produced. If an infraction of the use of the mark is made by a registered client, the Audit Program Manager of PRG will notify the customer by way of a non-conformance. The client must address the corrective action in writing to PRG and PRG will follow up at subsequent surveillance visits of the certificate holder.