Procedures for granting, maintaining, expanding, reducing, suspending, withdrawal and automatically invalidating certification certificates
1. Purpose
2. This procedure is established to ensure the granting, maintenance, expansion, reduction, suspension, recovery, and withdrawal of certification for organizations under AAPA.
3. Scope
4. This procedure applies to the granting, maintenance, expansion, reduction, suspension, recovery, and withdrawal of management system certifications, service certifications, product certifications, and national promotion certifications. If specific certification rules for each certification project have separate provisions, those provisions shall apply.
3. Responsibilities
3.1 The Technical Committee is responsible for the approval of certification granting, maintenance, expansion, reduction, suspension, recovery, and revocation.
3.2 The Administrative is responsible for proposing recommendations for certification suspension, recovery, and withdrawal.
3.3 The Technical Committee is responsible for reviewing and evaluating the suggestions for granting, changing, suspending, recovering, and withdrawal certification.
3.4 The Administrative is responsible for the preparation and issuance of certification documents and suspension, recovery, and withdrawal notices, as well as identifying the certification status in the company’s information system and, if necessary, recovering and destroying relevant certificates.
4. Procedures
4.1 Conditions and Procedures for Granting and Maintaining Certification Qualifications
4.1.1 Conditions for Granting and Maintaining Certification Qualifications
a) The certification applicant must be a legally recognized organization, or part of a larger legally recognized organization.
b) If required by national, local, or industry standards, the certification applicant must have the required qualifications.
c) The certification applicant’s scope of certification (or recertification) must be within the scope stipulated by its legal status and qualifications.
d) The certification applicant’s application materials must be truthful, accurate, and valid.
e) The certification applicant must have
signed a certification (or recertification) contract with AAPA, committing to
comply with certification regulations and to pay the certification fees
according to the contract.
f) The management system established and implemented by the certification
applicant must meet the certification standards.
g) The organization must actively comply with national laws and regulations
related to product certification and standards. If any violations exist,
corrective actions must be taken and implemented.
h) If applicable, there must have been no significant legal or safety
violations (e.g., major quality/environment/safety accidents, product
accidents, or major service defects) within the year prior to certification.
For recertification: In addition to the
conditions above, the following requirements must also be met:
-- The organization’s management system, products, and services must have
maintained compliance throughout the original certificate validity period and
have undergone AAPA’s supervision audits as required.
-- On-site audits for recertification, as well as the closure of
nonconformities, must have been completed within the validity period of the
original certificate.
4.1.2 Procedures for Maintaining
Certification Qualifications
a) The certified organization must continuously accept AAPA’s supervision and
audits within the specified time, and must take effective corrective and/or
preventive measures for any nonconformities identified in the reports. The
Technical Committee will decide on maintaining the certification qualification.
b) If there is a change in certification requirements during the validity of
the certification, AAPA will communicate these changes through official
documents, and the certified organization must ensure that the management
system and service operations meet the new requirements.
c) If a certificate needs to be reissued, the process described in the
"Application Acceptance and Review Procedure" will be followed, and
the Technical Committee will approve the reissuance if the certified
organization continues to meet the certification qualifications.
4.2 Conditions and Procedures for
Expanding Certification Scope
4.2.1 Conditions for Expanding Certification Scope
a) If national, local, or industry requirements exist, the certified
organization must meet the required qualifications for the expanded scope.
b) The certified organization must apply for expansion within the scope
stipulated by its legal status and qualifications.
c) The organization’s management system, products, and services must cover the
expanded certification scope and meet the relevant standards.
d) If applicable, the certified organization must not have had any major
accidents or failed national inspections in the past year for the expanded
scope.
e) If the certification contract does not cover the expanded scope, the
organization must sign a supplemental contract and pay the required fees.
4.2.2 Procedures for Expanding
Certification Scope
a) The certified organization must submit an expansion request to AAPA, which
will provide the relevant information about the expanded scope.
b) The certified organization must submit the "Change Application
Form" and relevant attachments (if necessary).
c) If needed, the organization must sign or revise the certification contract
and pay the required fees.
d) AAPA will review the management system documents for the expanded scope and
ensure they meet certification standards.
e) If necessary, an audit team will be dispatched to verify the expanded scope,
and corrective actions for nonconformities must be verified.
f) If the Technical Committee approves the expansion, the organization will
receive a new certificate, though the registration number and validity period
of the original certificate remain unchanged.
4.3 Conditions and Procedures for
Reducing Certification Scope
4.3.1 Conditions for Reducing Certification Scope
a) Part of the product range, site, area, production line, or major processes
no longer meet certification standards.
b) The organization has ceased production of certain products or services.
c) If the customer fails to resolve issues causing suspension, the
nonconforming parts may be removed from the certification scope through mutual
agreement.
4.3.2 Procedures for Reducing
Certification Scope
a) The certified organization must formally submit a “Change Application Form”
for scope reduction, or the Technical Committee may suggest reducing the scope
based on the evidence provided.
b) The Technical Committee will evaluate the potential impacts of the scope
reduction and recommend necessary actions.
c) The Technical Committee will approve the scope reduction and issue a new
certificate with the reduced scope, while keeping the original registration
number and validity period unchanged.
4.4 Conditions and Procedures for
Suspending Certification
4.4.1 Conditions for Suspending Certification
Certification may be suspended under the following circumstances:
a) Serious nonconformities found during supervision audits that have not been
resolved.
b) Continuous or severe noncompliance with relevant standards.
c) Failure to accept the scheduled supervision or recertification audits.
d) Failure to use certification marks and documents correctly.
e) Major changes in management systems, products, or services not reported in a
timely manner.
f) Major accidents affecting product quality, or issues found in national or
industry inspections.
g) Specific requirements by the government for suspension.
4.4.2 Procedures for Suspending
Certification
a) The Administrative will submit a suspension
request based on the findings.
b) The Technical Committee will review and approve the suspension.
c) The Administrative will notify the certified
organization of the suspension and require them to cease using certification
marks and certificates.
4.5 Conditions and Procedures for
Recovering Certification
4.5.1 Conditions for Recovery
The certified organization must provide proof that corrective actions have been
taken, resolving the issues that caused the suspension, and that the
organization is now in compliance with the certification requirements.
4.5.2 Procedures for Recovery
a) The Administrative will notify the audit
team or Technical Committee to verify the effectiveness of corrective actions.
b) If corrective actions are confirmed, the Technical Committee will approve
the recovery of certification.
4.6 Conditions and Procedures for
withdrawal Certification
4.6.1 Conditions for withdrawal Certification
Certification may be withdrawal under the following conditions:
a) The organization has violated national laws or AAPA regulations.
b) The organization failed to correct issues during the suspension period.
c) The organization did not comply with audit requirements.
d) Major accidents or issues caused by the organization’s management system or
products.
4.6.2 Procedures for withdrawal Certification
a) The Administrative submits the revocation
request.
b) The Technical Committee will approve the revocation.
c) The Administrative will notify the certified
organization of the revocation and take necessary actions to ensure the
certification status is accurately updated.
4.7 Automatic Expiration of
Certification
4.7.1 The Administrative will periodically
review the database for expired certificates and identify those that have not
been renewed.
4.7.3 The expired certificates will be marked as expired in the system and
removed from the certified organization directory.
5. Related Records
See relevant customer service records.