ISO/IEC 17021-1:2015 Interpretation on Clause 9.4.8.3a) Available

ISO/IEC 17021-1-2015 Interpretation

As reported in an earlier posts (ISO 14001:2015 Interpretations Available & Interpretation Process for ISO 14001:2015), the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has developed a process to clarify the intent of ISO 14001:2015.

This ISO process allows for interpretations to be provided by each National Member Body (NMB), normally, the standards making body in each country, such as BSI in the United Kingdom & ANSI in the United States. A full list of NMBs can be found here.

ISO has a similar interpretation process in-place for ISO 14001:2015. It is important to note that Interpretations do not change the requirements in ISO/IEC 17021-1:2015 but are intended to give users a better understanding of ISO/IEC 17021-1:2015.

This process has resulted in an interpretation of Clause 9.4.8.3 a) in relation to the use of the word “summary” audit evidence.

This Clause reads:

“The report shall also contain:

a) a statement on the conformity and the effectiveness of the management system together with a summary of the evidence relating to:

  • the capability of the management system to meet applicable requirements and expected outcomes;
  • the internal audit and management review process;”

The interpretation provides that the word “summary” can be read as either a “detailed list of documents” (containing the audit evidence) or “a brief description of the evidence in those documents”.

The reviewed ISO/IEC 17021-1:2015 interpretation are available as a PDF for free download here

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