Deontology

TÜV NORD Integra's management attaches great importance to the carrying out of its certification and inspection activities in an impartial and objective manner. To that end, TÜV NORD Integra decided, from the very start of its existence, to limit its activities to certification and inspection, explicitly excluding any form of consultancy.

Moreover, TÜV NORD Integra has strict rules for ensuring the impartiality of both its employees and its freelance staff in order to minimise the risk of influencing.

TÜV NORD Integra has mapped out any potential risks that might affect its impartiality and has taken adequate measures to eliminate those risks. These measures have been taken in consultation with an impartiality committee in which all parties with an interest in certification are involved.

Companies have the possibility to appeal against the certification decisions taken by TÜV NORD INTEGRA in relation with their activities. This possibility is included explicitly in the contracts which are signed with the companies before starting the audit and certification process.

TÜV NORD INTEGRA follows strict procedures for treating this kind of appeal matters. In such cases, it is essential that the appeal decision is made by experts who are completely independent from the people who decided on the certification and from those who carried out the audit.

All parties who are involved in the certification process or system have the possibility to submit a complaint with TÜV NORD Integra if they are not happy with the quality of the certification and/or auditing services provided by TÜV NORD Integra. These parties could be : audited or certified customers; certification scheme holders, involved professional organisations, other organisations or persons involved, ...

TÜV NORD Integra has a detailed procedure for dealing with these complaints. You may expect an initial response with acknowledgement of receipt within 10 days, unless the certification scheme states otherwise. After further analysis of the cause and taking corrective action, TÜV NORD Integra will inform the complainant about the progress and conclusion of the process as far as possible.  

TÜV NORD Integra follows fully the Code of Conduct as drawn up by the TÜV NORD Group.