한
ENImpartiality
Impartiality is the foundation of certification. We publish our commitment openly.
⚖ OUR CORE COMMITMENT
ITS Certification Body does not offer or provide management system consultancy in any area.
If a certification body also advises the organisations it certifies, it ends up auditing its own work and the certificate loses its meaning. For this reason ITS does not operate a consultancy business.
Impartiality statement
ITS Certification Body does not offer or provide management system consultancy in any area.
Where a relationship with a consultancy poses a threat to impartiality, we do not certify clients who have received consultancy from that organisation.
Personnel who have acted as management for, or provided consultancy to, a client do not take part in audits of that client for two years after the consultancy ends.
Where a conflict of interest is identified, we require disclosure; if it cannot be confirmed, the person concerned is not used.
Structural safeguards
An Impartiality Committee reports directly to the President and independently oversees the impartiality of our certification activities.
We do not pretend risks away — we find them and manage them
Threats to impartiality are not something that must never exist — they are something that must be identified, controlled, and verified. No certification body can operate without relationships. What matters is whether we know which threats exist, what controls are in place, and how we confirm those controls are working. What follows is our own register, published as it stands.
This register is reviewed by the Impartiality Committee, which sits alongside the President with independent authority and may require action up to suspension of certification.
The register is fully reviewed at least annually, and any new service or relationship is added as soon as it arises.
5 identified threats
- Self-review
An individual auditor may previously have provided consultancy, training or system development to the client.
If left unmanaged
The auditor would assess documents they themselves produced, removing any incentive to raise nonconformities.
What we do about it
- Auditors complete a conflict-of-interest declaration for each assignment. Where a relationship exists, they are excluded.
- Personnel who provided consultancy may not take part in the audit or certification decision for two years (ISO/IEC 17021-1).
How we verify it is working
Declarations are collected and retained at every assignment. A sample is cross-checked against actual history annually.
Records kept
Conflict-of-interest declarations · auditor history register
Responsible · frequency
Audit programme manager · Impartiality Committee (annual)
- FamiliaritySelf-review
The ITS HRD Centre trains auditors and client personnel. ITS may then audit an organisation employing someone we trained.
If left unmanaged
It could become “they did as we taught, so it must be right” — turning the audit into a rubber stamp.
What we do about it
- Training is not consultancy. We teach the standard; we do not build a client's system, and we do not draft or review a specific company's documents during training.
- Any instructor who became involved in building that client's system is excluded from auditing it.
- The HRD Centre and certification operations report separately; training performance does not influence audit outcomes.
How we verify it is working
Course materials are reviewed annually to confirm none has drifted into company-specific consultancy. Audit outcomes for clients employing our trainees are sampled quarterly.
Records kept
Course material review records · sampling results
Responsible · frequency
Head of HRD Centre · Impartiality Committee
- Familiarity
The same auditor auditing the same client for years becomes comfortable with them.
If left unmanaged
Audits settle into routine, new problems go unseen, and raising findings becomes socially difficult.
What we do about it
- Audit team leaders are rotated; there is a limit on consecutive cycles with the same client.
- The certification decision is taken by someone who did not take part in the audit.
How we verify it is working
Annually, assignment history is extracted and checked for any client exceeding the consecutive-assignment limit.
Records kept
Assignment history · rotation review record
Responsible · frequency
Audit programme manager (annual)
- IntimidationSelf-interest
If one client or one scheme accounts for a large share of revenue, fear of losing it can distort judgement.
If left unmanaged
Nonconformities that should be raised are not raised, and the certificate loses its worth.
What we do about it
- Auditor remuneration is not linked to audit outcomes. There is no incentive tied to the number of certificates or pass rates.
- Authority for the certification decision is separated from sales and business development.
How we verify it is working
Annually, revenue concentration by client and by scheme is calculated and reported to the Impartiality Committee. If any client exceeds the threshold, the committee decides the response.
Records kept
Revenue concentration analysis · committee minutes · remuneration policy
Responsible · frequency
Business support · Impartiality Committee (annual)
- Advocacy
Wording such as “certification made easy” or “an advantage if you come through us” could appear on our pages.
If left unmanaged
The certification body would appear to advocate for clients. A single sentence can undo the whole impartiality statement.
What we do about it
- No wording implying we introduce consultants appears on ITS pages.
- Before linking to any service outside ITS, the link is reviewed for impartiality and carries a statement that the service is not ITS consultancy.
How we verify it is working
Wording on the ITS certification and HRD pages is reviewed quarterly. New promotional material and press releases are checked for impartiality before publication.
Records kept
Wording review records · pre-publication check records
Responsible · frequency
Communications · Impartiality Committee (quarterly)
Raising a concern
If you believe any of our certification activities has not been impartial, please tell us. Complaints and appeals are reviewed by personnel who were not involved in the audit concerned, and matters relating to impartiality are referred to the Impartiality Committee.
- Tel
- 02-786-9242
- info@itscert.or.kr