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Business Policies
Our Business Policies
ERM Certification and Verification Services (ERM CVS) is the ERM Group’s global provider of environmental, health, safety and other sustainability and verifications services. Certification and verification from ERM CVS is regarded as an outstanding mark of excellence in EHS management, particularly by those working in the field.
ERM CVS is accredited by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service and our operating system is designed to comply with ISO 17021:2006. In order to demonstrate the impartiality of our assessment process, we believe in the principle of openness, whilst respecting the strict confidentiality of client data derived from our assessments. We have established policies and provided other information which set out our position on key principles which enable trust and confidence of our certification process.
Impartiality
One of the goals of independent certification of management systems is to enable trust and confidence from the public and interested parties that an organisation certified by ERM CVS meets the requirements of the standard it is certified against and in particular has effective management processes which are delivering changes in behaviours and improving performance. The confidence which can be placed upon our certification depends on many important factors such as the competence of ERM CVS’s management and staff, the impartiality of the certification process (and how this impartiality is perceived) and the avoidance of potential conflicts of interest. To support this, ERM CVS has set out its principles for safeguarding impartiality and has appointed it’s Advisory Board to act as an independent committee to oversee this.
Click here for our policy on impartiality
Confidentiality
We recognise that to provide confidence and demonstrate the impartiality of our assessment processes, we believe in the principle of openness, whilst respecting the strict confidentiality of information derived from our clients. We recognise that to gain privileged access to information needed to carry out its assessments adequately, it is essential we keep confidential any proprietary information about out clients.
Mechanisms have been established to safeguard the confidentiality of the information created or obtained during our certification activities at all levels of our organisation, including our Management and Advisory Board functions, external bodies or individual assessors acting on our behalf.
The key principles which underpin our mechanisms for safeguarding confidential information contained in our policy on confidentiality.
Click here for our policy on confidentiality policy
Assessment and Certification Process
A description of our behaviour and performance based audit and certification process is available on request to prospective certification clients.
Register of Certified Clients and certification Status
ERM CVS makes available publically accessible information about the certification status of each of its clients on request to the Operations Director. This information shows whether a certificate issued by ERM CVS is current, suspended or has been withdrawn.
Use of Marks
Certification and verification from ERM CVS is regarded as an outstanding mark of excellence in EHS management.
We have established detailed requirements and guidance for the use of our certification marks and any associated accreditation marks which are provided to our management system certified clients. This information is provided to our certified clients and is available on request from the Operations Director.
Verification and Validation statements must be used in their entirety and ERM CVS and/or accreditation marks are not available for promotion of these statements.
Click here for our policy on use of certification and certification marks
Suspension or withdrawal of Certification
ERM CVS does not, in the normal course of events suspend or withdraw certificates from it’s certified clients. However, if it is determined that a certified client no longer meets the requirements of the standard or of ERM CVS Terms and Conditions or Use of Mark/Symbol, it may be necessary to suspend or withdraw the certificate.
The Client Account Manager will notify the client that the certificate is being suspended or withdrawn, stating the reason for this action. Typically, the request for certificate suspension or withdrawal will result from:
- failure to continue operation of an management system which is in conformance with the relevant standard; and/or
- failure to implement effective corrective and preventive actions
- failure to comply with ERM CVS Terms and Conditions of Business.
- Prior to withdrawing the certificate, the client should be allowed a period of time for rectification, during which time the certificate will be considered suspended. The time allowed will reflect the seriousness of the failure. If it becomes necessary to withdraw the certificate, the client should be notified in writing including a request for immediate return of the certificate and immediate cessation of the use of the certification mark.
Appeals Process
If you are a client of ERM CVS and have a disagreement or dispute concerning your certification or verification statement, which you have not been able to resolve through your Client Account Manger or Client Account Director, then you may appeal in writing to the Operations Director of ERM CVS.
Following the receipt of an appeal, an Appeals Panel, which is independent of the issue under consideration, will be appointed. The Appeals Panel will review relevant evidence from ERM CVS staff and Appellant in confidence. After the review is complete, the Appeals Panel will prepare a report with their conclusions and the Appellant will be notified in writing of the decision. In the case of appeals which have not been upheld by the Appeal Panel, the Managing Director will advise the appellant that further appeal to the Advisory Board is possible.
In cases where the client does not agree with the conclusions of the Appeal Committee, they may request a further review which will be held by a Secondary Appeals panel drawn from ERM CVS’s independent Advisory Board and appointed by the Chairman of the Advisory Board. Evidence from all parties will be heard in confidence and the Secondary Appeals Panel will make a final and conclusive decision which will be notified in writing to the Chairman of the Advisory Board, Managing Director and Operations Director of ERM CVS, the ERM CVS Client Director and the Appellant.
Click here for further information about our appeals process
Feedback and Complaints
ERM CVS takes feedback about its services and complaints very seriously. Any complaints for feedback about our services should be submitted in writing to and addressed to ERM CVS’s Operations Director. We will ensure that we understand your feedback or concerns fully and deal with any complaints fairly and promptly. We acknowledge your complaint, keep you informed of progress and will respond to your complaint as soon as it has been fully investigated.
Complaints regarding any of our clients should also be submitted in writing and addressed to ERM CVS’s Operations Director. Once we have confirmed that the subject client has received services from ERM CVS, we will investigate the nature of the complaint and if substantiated, confirm that we are taking appropriate action and give details of how the issue is being handled. This may include visit(s) to the client facility(s) and for this reason, this type of complaint may take longer to resolve.
Contacting ERM CVS
For further information regarding our business policies, appeals, feedback or requests for information please contact:
Jeff Rose, Operations Director
jeff.rose@ermcvs.com
Telephone: +1 843-884-6924
Rena' Bass, Accreditation Manager
rena.bass@ermcvs.com
Telephone: +1 417-883-3858
ERM Certification and Verification Services Limited
2nd Floor, Exchequer Court
33 St Mary Axe
London
EC3A 8AA
Great Britain
Company No. 03147043
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