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In April this year, ISO 37301 published as brand-new standard. The standard specifies requirements for compliance management systems (CMS) and replaces ISO 19600. While the standard is similar to its predecessor, it still differs in key respects. Unlike ISO 19600, ISO 37301 is not a guideline, but a certification standard.
Companies that are certified to ISO 37301 can prove to their business partners that they have taken a systematic approach to compliance risks. In the event of legal disputes, implementation of a CMS and certification to the international standard can serve as evidence of due diligence. DQS CFS is your competent partner for certification to ISO 37301: with smooth audit planning, experienced auditors and meaningful audit reports, we accompany you through the entire certification process.

Please visit our product page for more information.

The new ISO 22000 manual provides practical and detailed information to help organizations develop, document, implement and maintain a robust FSMS.
The goal of establishing a food safety management system is to significantly improve food safety and quality. However, the implementation can be quite daunting. Therefore, the new manual has been developed to help the food industry prepare for the implementation of an FSMS in accordance with the requirements of ISO 22000:2018. Published by ISO and UNIDO, the manual is so far only available for download in English, at a fee of around 53€. Click here for more information.

An effective food safety management system (FSMS) reinforces an organization’s control on food safety hazards and ensures that its products are safe for consumption. This handbook provides a practical approach and a wide range of information to develop, document, implement and maintain a robust FSMS according to ISO 22000:2018.

Last October, we informed you about the plans of the European Commission to introduce new legal requirements with respect to food safety culture. In March 2021, these new requirements were adopted in EU Regulation 2021/382, amending the Annexes to Regulation (EC) No 852/2004.
The new decisions are primarily aimed at ensuring consumer health, guaranteeing fair practices in international food trade and coordinating all work on food standards carried out by international governmental and non-governmental organizations. For more information, see our updated blogpost.

If the EU Commission gets its way, many companies in the EU will have to adapt to stricter requirements for their sustainability reporting. The Commission has launched a proposal to amend the CSR Directive (Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive), extending the scope and enforcing stricter rules. One of the main changes would be that the so-called external assurance, an audit by an independent third party, becomes mandatory. We have summarized the main changes for you below.

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Adequately addressing climate change is an urgent challenge that affects businesses of all sizes. The ISO 14091 standard helps companies to adapt to climate change. Below we have summarized all the important information for you.

While rising temperatures are affecting agricultural production, extreme weather events are impacting infrastructure and disrupting supply chains – a development that is causing headaches for many companies.

While measures aimed at keeping climate change below the 1,5 degrees Celsius limit are more important than ever, we must not only fight climate change, but also adjust to it. In doing so, it is essential to understand and assess what climate-related risks companies are exposed to and how susceptible a company is to damage.

Assessing climate change risks with ISO 14091

ISO 14091 “Adaptation to climate change – Guidelines on vulnerability, impacts and risk assessment” helps organizations assess the impacts of climate change and develop and implement a risk assessment capable of evaluating current and future climate change risks.

The standard provides guidance on the use of screening assessments and impact chains that enable qualitative and quantitative analysis. This information helps companies make better business decisions. The information, documented in an internationally consistent manner, also helps with climate-related reporting.

ISO 14091 is the latest standard in the ISO 14090 series. It describes the many elements of climate change adaptation, including pre-planning, adaptation planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation, and reporting and communication. You can download this standard here.

What DQS can do for you

DQS is your partner for verification and validation of sustainability reporting. We are at your side – with smooth audit planning, experienced auditors and in-depth audit reports.

Contact us with questions or sign up for our newsletter to receive regular updates!

The article is published on the DQS CFS website by CONSTANZE ILLNER

Email constanze.illner@dqs.de

In times when data and information are traded like rare commodities, their protection is indispensable. An optimal basis for the effective implementation of an integrated security strategy is a well-structured Information Security Management System (ISMS) according to the ISO 27001 standard, an internationally recognized standard for information security in private, public or non-profit organizations, which does not only deal with the aspects of IT security.

An information security management system according to ISO 27001 defines requirements, rules and methods to guarantee the security of information worthy of protection in the enterprise. The standard provides a model for the introduction, implementation, monitoring and improvement of the levels of protection. The systematic approach supports the protection of confidential company data against loss and misuse as well as the reliable identification and analysis of potential risks to the company and the implementation of appropriate measures to make them manageable.

Learn more about how your organization can benefit from an ISMS and a certification by DQS from our new brochure and the video, both of which can be found at our Information Security page. For information more specific to your organization or an offer, please contact a DQS office near you.

If you want to continue to read about the latest developments in the world of standards, and what’s new at DQS Group, please visit our social media channels

More than 20 years ago, the first organizations joined the UN Global Compact. Meanwhile, it has become the world’s largest and most important corporate governance initiative. The vision of the UN Global Compact is a comprehensive and sustainable global economy based on ten universal principles.

Accountability for the implementation of the UN Global Compact will continue to grow. The EU is thinking in the same direction. Read about it in a special issue of DQS Compact.

Welcome to another interesting mix of customers stories, information about standards and a look at what is possible in the virtual world of management systems!

Internal audits are a necessary part of any management system, certified or not. And while they may not be everybody’s favorite part, there are ways to make them not only effective, but interesting. Don’t believe us? Read here what DQS GmbH has to say on this topic.

And while you’re having fun reading about TOPS and FLOPS, continue with an article about a truly entertaining customer of DQS Inc.: Choreography by Gail is a two-person casting and artistic service that adds glitter to an auditor’s report. Curious? Enjoy!

Do you like sea buckthorn? From our colleagues of DQS Russia comes a brief about their activities in Mongolia that puts this plant front and center, along with the certification of one of their largest hospitals.

For those who know him, look forward to Frank Graichen’s take on how to approach RISK in the context of ISO 9001 – and for all others, Frank is everybody’s favorite auditor trainer, as well as one of our top experts on this subject. If there are any “effects on uncertainty” still in your mind, he will turn them into opportunities.

Which is what DQS GmbH did, actually, when they decided to “go virtual” with their annual customer event, hosting their first Online Congress and Trade Fair a few weeks ago. It was a grand success and well worth the huge amount of effort that went into it, judging by what attendees said.

We close the issue with a news item confirming the Notification of our MED subsidiary, which will be of interest to anybody looking for CE marking in that field.

The editorial staff and contributors hope you will enjoy this issue, and look forward to receiving news from your corners of the world for our next issue soon! Please send to IBDMarketing@dqs.de or your country’s Business Developer.

Posted by Träm Petra on 10/30/2020

Sedex has created a remote audit program called Sedex Virtual Assessment (SVA).
DQS CFS staff were involved in the working group.
Sedex Virtual Evaluation is a due diligence tool that the auditor uses to remotely evaluate performance through video conferencing. This provides a practical alternative when a SMETA audit cannot take place.
The Sedex virtual appraisal is coordinated with SMETA, with the aim of giving as much idea as possible about the working conditions at the appraisal site. After a stage of careful planning, the auditors conduct a virtual tour of the assessment site using video technology. As well as check management systems and documentation.

On the Sedex Virtual Assessment (SVA) website, you can learn how SVA works, how you can use SVA, and information about the fee for entering information.

Important information:

• SVA is not a SMETA audit. While SVA is consistent with SMETA, it is a tool of due diligence to ensure maximum remote information about the conditions of the assessment site.
• SVA may not be suitable for every site. DQS determines whether the place of assessment meets the established criteria, such as a good WiFi connection, type of work, available room for interviews, etc.
• Customers should ensure that their customers accept SVA instead of SMETA audit due to the COVID-19 situation.
• The remote audit report is uploaded to Sedex Advance and must follow SMETA processes. Database fees apply.
• Auditors for the use of SVA undergo distance training in auditing. This is part of the DQS SVA program for Sedex.

Do you have questions about remote audit?

What should be clarified in preparation for a remote audit? What security aspects need to be considered? Is it possible to conduct a remote audit only during a Covid-19 pandemic or not? Finally, how does DQS prepare its auditors for remote audits?

Get answers at the DQS free webinar: “Remote audit – areas of application, opportunities and challenges”

The remote audit, ie the audit without the personal presence of auditors at the audit site, activated by the current pandemic, is becoming increasingly important, it has been allowed before, but not enough attention has been paid.

Based on the many remote audits conducted during this time, we will be happy to share our knowledge and experience with you and help you find this audit method realistic and effective for your company.

This webinar is moderated by Frank Greichen, DQS Auditor and current Director of Audit Management and Competence at DQS GmbH. He will explain how remote audits work and how they differ from “classic audits” in his webinar.

Here’s the contents of our free webinar:

• Results of our customer and auditor survey on the readiness for use and quality of remote audits.
• What distinguishes a remote audit from “classic” audit methods.
• Which software tools are used and how these have proven themselves.
• Which preparations are necessary to implement this audit method effectively and efficiently.
• For which subject areas and process groups remote audits can be usefully applied, but also for which areas this is not the case.
• Which limitations, errors and obstacles are revealed in the practical application? What experiences have been made and what recommendations are available?

How can I participate in this webinar?

All you need to participate is Internet access and a telephone. The webinar presentation lasts about 45 minutes. After the presentation there will be enough time to answer the questions. At the end of the webinar, participants will receive a presentation in PDF format.

Sign up here for one of these free DQS webinar sessions:

3 June 2020 at 15:30 hrs. CEST

4 June 2020 at 10:00 hrs. CEST

The language of the webinar is English.

In the difficult times of the global Covid-19 pandemic, the hotel business will lose almost the most. The pandemic changed everything. In order to survive in difficult times, adapt quickly and recover, hotels must offer new standards of gaining and maintaining customer trust. When choosing hotels, guests will have one priority above all: hygiene and safety. In addition to the unconditional importance of preventive measures, there is the task of convincing communication with customers who need to know and trust the hotel they choose. Through independent auditing and certification, hotels can confirm compliance with their care responsibilities, demonstrate transparency and gain the trust of their esteemed guests.

DQS-CFS GmbH within the voluntary certification of GC-MARK HELLO HYGIENE! an audit protocol was developed to provide independent confirmation to hotels and restaurants that they had taken the necessary preventive measures during the pandemic.

In the event of disputes or lawsuits, the question of what level of care can reasonably be expected is often crucial. Due diligence audit by DQS helps businesses assess due diligence on international standards and benchmarks, confirms the level of care, reduces liability risks, protects reputation, and generally helps to gain and maintain customer trust.

We recommend reading the information brochure, sample certificate.

If you are aware of the competitive advantages of DQS certification as part of the GC-MARK HELLO HYGIENE! voluntary certification, contact DQS Ukraine for further action.

Building on DQS REMOTE’s remote audit and service delivery initiative, DQS-CFS GmbH has developed the i-Assessment product to assess business continuity management.
The i-Assessment of ISO 22301 is a simple tool for assessing the compliance of your business continuity management (BCM) system. Based on an online questionnaire containing about 60 questions, you will receive a report outlining your strengths and weaknesses, as well as a certificate with a total score.
Depending on how familiar you are with your business continuity management system, it takes about an hour to evaluate.
The tool can be used as a stand-alone tool, or as the first step in a complete remote audit.

Epidemics and pandemics can stop businesses. Although COVID-19 is a prime example, it is not the first and will not be the last pandemic to seriously affect business continuity. Even local epidemics can bring business to its knees – especially when unprepared. The self-assessment procedure developed by DQS-CFS GmbH allows you to evaluate your due diligence measures and discover your level of preparedness.
Assessing due diligence in a pandemic is a new online tool that allows you to obtain independent confirmation that your company is fulfilling its duty of care properly.

Over the past month, Google’s search for “remote audit” has been searched twice as often as usual.

The situation in the management certification system has changed dramatically. Events that are happening now can change the audit business forever. As the scale of the pandemic unfolded, DQS began working to bring its services into line with the new reality.
Following the new trends caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, DQS has launched a new DQS Remote initiative. This is a site that provides information on all DQS remote experience, including remote auditing of quality systems, vendors, distance learning, and more.
To get acquainted with the site, go to https://remote-audits.com/.

DQS CFG posted on its website COVID-19 Coronavirus information page:

We are on a mission to provide value-adding assessments in order to guide organizations toward sustainable success.

We are 2500 auditors from 85 offices performing 125 000 audit days per year at 65 000 sites in 130 countries around the world.

And we are on a journey since February 1985 when DIN (German Institute for Standardization) and DGQ (German Society for Quality) founded DQS as the first Certification Body in Germany. Operations commenced under the first Managing Director Dr. Wolfgang Hansen just five months before the first draft of what would become ISO 9001 was published.

Join us as we explore our history, and make plans for our future:

Published by Dieter Stadler and the DQS Corporate Marketing Team

Validated Assessment Program (VAP) is the social audit program of a Responsible Business Alliance (RBA). This alliance is made up of leading global brands that have agreed on a common Code of conduct and social audit process to ensure social responsibility in their supply chains.
Today, it is a global alliance of more than 150 companies with a combined annual revenue of $ 5 trillion. Not only are these companies obliged to comply with the Code of conduct, but they also keep their first-level suppliers up to the same standard. The RBA has developed an audit protocol to ensure compliance with the Code of Conduct.
DQS is one of the few audit firms that is allowed to evaluate compliance with the Code of conduct. As an approved VAP audit firm, DQS will be pleased to have you in the supply chain social responsibility audit. With the help of a global network of offices and auditors, the DQS Group is pleased to assist you worldwide.

See additional material here.

Starting in 2019 DQS Holding, based on the competence of DQS GmbH in this field, has begun to promote GDP (Good Distribution Practice) – EU Guidelines for Good Distribution Practice of medicinal products for human use (2013/C343/01) globally.

DQS Holding offered training sessions and defined the international process of work audits in this field. Currently, 14 auditors from eight countries are properly qualified.

The first outcome of GDPR competence development has occurred in Africa. DQS South Africa has awarded its customer the first GDP World Flight Services certification for their sites at Johannesburg and Cape Town.

A press release published by WFS: WFS Press Release 22-10-19

Management systems have a reputation of being too paper based on the need to document information. Many organizations therefore choose a software solution to convert paper stacks into digital data. However, digital data is subject to information security and legislation of information security.
After a careful study of this situation actually reveals:
– ISO 9001 has never required paper documents to create, maintain, and improve management systems;
– Software solutions can only support management systems if the business processes themselves support digitization. Otherwise, the problems will only be transferred to another medium, which can make the situation worse as digitization creates its own problems.
– The protection and security of information and personal data has always been problematic for stakeholders such as customers, partners and employees.
So how can an organization benefit from digitalization and still meet all the relevant requirements of the standard? A deeper look at ISO 9001 shows that this standard has a lot to do. Not only is ISO 9001 compatible with the advancement of digitization, it can be easily used to facilitate and support digital development.

Andreas Altena and Angelika Müller

Original article: Customer journal no.86- III/2019 p. 6

Food safety culture is the new buzzword in the industry; starting with BRCGS Food Version 8 coming up in February 2020, we expect to see more demand for the “shared values, beliefs and norms that affect mindset and behaviour toward food safety in, across and throughout an organization”, as the Global Food Safety Initiative*s (GFSI) technical working group defines it. To help organizations identify and develop their own food safety culture, GFSI has published a position paper regarding food safety culture that deals with three main topics:

Welcome to the latest edition of DQS Compact, DQS Group’s digital customer magazine. This issue features expert articles and contributions by our global customers on a variety of revised and new standards and related subjects, such as ISO 45001, ISO 50001, GDPR, ISO 22000, and ISO 55001.

Since the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) came into effect in May this year, companies all over the globe have been updating their data privacy policies and looking for confirmation of compliance. Read here about its significance and some of the questions and answers we can provide on this subject. Moving forward into certification territory, there are news here on the incipient transition of ISO 45001 and what this new ISO standard, based on BS OH 18001, will mean for workers and organizations alike. ISO 22000 for Food Safety is also undergoing revision, as well as ISO 50001 for Energy Management. Last, but certainly not least, we are particularly proud to showcase some of our first customers to the new ISO 45001 from around the globe. Read here what E.ON from Germany, CCAB AGRO from Brazil, and MACE from the United Arab Emirates have to say about their transition experience with our local DQS office.

We hope you will enjoy reading our magazine

DQS Compact Editorial Staff

Опубліковано перший міжнародний стандарт в сфері охорони праці та безпекиAfter many years of discussions on the standard for occupational safety and health management systems, an international standard on this topic was published. The final version of the new ISO 45001 standard was submitted on March 12, 2018.
A completely new standard ISO 45001: 2018, which replaced OHSAS 18001: 2007 was prepared by the ISO / PC283 committee and became the first standard in the history of standardization to be recognized internationally for OSH management systems. The new ISO 45001 standard has a high-level structure. The application SL is similar to other new or recently reissued ISO standards for management systems.

Standard ISO 45001: 2018 is the key for any organization in the field of occupational safety and safety in the workplace. It is a tool for maintaining staff health and improving the level of safety in organizations. Much attention is paid to the opinion of internal and external stakeholders, which is an important part of the risk-based approach to OSH management.
The requirements for migration from OHSAS 18001 to ISO 45001: 2018 were established in the mandatory document IAF MD 21: 2018. In accordance with this document, a three-year transitional period was established, which starts from the date of publication of ISO 45001.