UKAS have updated on their accreditation Assessment Methodology to provide further clarity for UKAS accredited Certification Bodies affected by coronavirus. (Covid-19).
Following my earlier post, UKAS Assessment of Certification Bodies under Covid-19 Restrictions, United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) has issued a update covering their assessment methodology for the assessment of UKAS-accredited Certification Bodies under the current covid-19 pandemic.
As of 17 March 2020, UKAS will be conducting all our assessments remotely until at least 31st May 2020. This duration will be subject to ongoing review and may be updated as the situation develops.
It is understood that during this time, priority will be placed on maintaining the accreditation of their current Certification Bodies with priority given to surveillance and reassessment visits.
Extensions to scope and initial assessments, which can effectively be conducted remotely will remain unchanged. However, more complex extensions to scope or initial assessments may receive remote assessment for some aspects of the overall assessment but it is likely that UKAS will not be able to assess and grant accreditation for any new or significantly changed activities during this period.
Certification Bodies and their certified clients should be aware of the accreditation assessment processes during the current coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic by:
- Understanding the change in UKAS assessment methodology to remote assessments
- Discussing their specific arrangement for assessments with their UKAS Assessment Manager
- Preparing for the remote format of the UKAS Assessment