Policy of Suspension, Withdrawal and Restictrions of Certificate usage

Dovre Sertifisering consistently adheres to international standards and regulations in relation to the suspension, withdrawal and restriction of certificates, and this policy, with associated routines, ensures our professionalism and objectivity in handling such matters.

Circumstances may arise in the company which make it necessary to suspend, revoke or restrict the certificate.

In case of misuse of the certificate:

Misuse of the certificate might be: Incorrect references to the quality system, Misleading marketing of the quality system in journals, catalogs or other circumstances.

Detected misuse of certificates might be reported by the contract manager/auditor to the General Manager.
The general manager shall then evaluate the degree of misuse, and if necessary, a quality audit shall be carried out.
If the misuse is of such a nature that it can be corrected, and the customer is willing to make corrections, a non-conformity report must be issued with corrective measures. The Customer shall be notified if the misuse is of sucha nature that it is necessary to revoke the certificate. This will be the proceedings:
First, a deviation report is issued and sent to the customer. The customer will then have 10 working days to correct or provide a written explanation of the misuse. If there is no reaction from the customer, the General Manager must assess whether revocation or restriction of the certificate is necessary and forward the request to the complaints/appeals committee.
This shall be notified to the customer after the deadline has expired, and the customer must then be made aware that the revocation of the certificate will be published on the website www.dovrecertification.no. If the customer has objections, he can appeal this decision via the appeal form on the website.

Revocation or restriction of certificate:

In some cases, the suspension may apply to parts of the activity, for example a branch office. The certificate's text/scope will then be reduced accordingly if the situation is not rectified within the agreed deadline. A new certificate will then be issued with a new scope and the customer will be informed of the obligation to cancel the old one and only use the new ones. The information will be available to third parties on the website of DSE.

All revocations and narrowings of certificates shall be evaluated by DSE's complaint/appeals committee at the request of the General Manager of DSE. The complaint/appeal committee shall evaluate the degree of deviation/misuse, if necessary it must ensure that an audit is carried out. DSE's complaint/appeals committee also decides whether a certificate should be revoked or restricted. The decision is final. The complaint/appeal committee's decision on any revocation or narrowing of a certificate shall be notified to the customer in writing. Reference is also made to the suspension of a certificate as well as the process "Procedure for appeal" and "Misuse of certificate and use of logo".

Any withdrawal of a certificate will result in the company being removed from DSE's list of certified companies.

Certificate Suspension

If any of the following circumstances are discovered by DSE, suspension of the certificate must be considered:

• Significant deficiencies/deviations uncovered by periodic audits which show that the management system in the company is not working. This means that the system does not meet the requirements for certification.
• The company does not rectify deviations within the agreed deadline, or feedback on measures is insufficient in relation to the standard's requirements.
• DSE is not permitted to carry out periodic audits at the company as agreed and within the requirement for minimum annual audits.
• Complaints from third parties about the company's management system. (This will not automatically lead to suspension, but will form the basis for being able to carry out verifications att the company.)
• The certified company itself reports significant deficiencies and requests suspension. (This can be based on major organizational changes, sale of a company, mergers etc.)
• Other significant conditions.

The general manager of DSE assesses and documents his decision regarding suspension, but the complaint/appeal committee shall always be notified. The grounds for the decision shall be communicated to the certified company. The suspension must always be time-limited and apply for a maximum of 6 months. In connection with suspension, DSE shall inform the company that it can no longer market itself as a certified company, and that the company's customers must be made aware that the certificate has been suspended. Information about suspended certificates shall be made visible in DSE's publications and is available to third parties by making this information available at www.dovrecertification.no.
For companies registered in Achilles, DSE will also consider providing information about suspension to Achilles.