Procedure for suspension and withdrawal of certificate

Suspension: Time-limited status that will subsequently either result in restoration of a certificate or withdrawal.

Withdrawal: Permanent invalidation of a certificate.

Initiation of suspension or withdrawal

DNV may initiate suspension in cases where the

1. Certified management system has persistently and seriously failed to meet certification requirements, for example:

  • Failure to respond adequately to identify identified non-conformance(s)
  • Management system does not reflect the current organisation and processes, e.g. as a result of changes, acquisitions, diversification etc.
  • Major part of the management system not implemented

2. Surveillance audits and recertification audits are not allowed to be conducted according to required frequency or as scheduled 

3. Terms of the signed certification agreement are violated, for example:

  • Non-payment of fees
  • Incorrect use of the certification mark and reference to certification

4. Customer is voluntarily requesting temporary suspension

5. Evidence received from authorities etc. that could affect the status of certificate, for example:

  • Evidence of non-compliance to regulatory/statutory requirements relevant for the certified management system
  • Evidence of a non-effective managements system in case of serious incidents/accidents.

6. Scheme specific regulations require suspension

Authorized DNV personnel will decide on the action to be taken, based on a thorough review and evaluation of evidence. If suspension is decided the process below shall be followed.

Suspension of a certificate is normally initiated as the first step, followed by withdrawal if the issue of concern is not resolved within due time. Dependent on the seriousness of the case, DNV may also decide a direct withdrawal of the certificate.

Where failure of the management system is related to a specific part of the organisation, specific products etc, DNV may also consider a reduction in the scope of certification as an alternative to suspension, in accordance with scheme specific regulations. DNV may also choose to only give the customer a warning that suspension is being considered.

Suspension

The formal decision to suspend a certificate is notified to the customer including the following information:

  • A statement on the decision to suspend the certificate and the start date of suspension
  • The details of the suspended certificate and the reason for suspension
  • A statement indicating that, dependent on the scheme, there may be rules on maximum suspension duration, corrective action procedures, restrictions on certificate references and use of certification marks, including those from scheme owners and accreditation bodies.
  • The right to appeal DNV’s decision. Normally 21 days to appeal the decision is given, but other timelines may apply based on scheme-specific requirements. An appeal may be lodged through the complaints procedure.

For many schemes a certificate shall normally not be suspended for more than 6 months, but scheme-specific variations may apply.

Follow up

Based on the response from the customer and the actions implemented, DNV will verify whether the issues leading to suspension have been properly resolved.

Dependent on this verification, DNV will either:

  • Declare a positive result and restore the suspended Certification.
  • Declare a negative result due to failure to resolve the issues that resulted in suspension. This situation will normally result in permanent withdrawal of the certificate (see below).

DNV will inform the customer about the result from the follow-up process.

Withdrawal

Withdrawal of the certificate shall be initiated if:

  • The customer does not meet the conditions for restoring a suspended certification.
  • A suspension is not considered to be an adequate action.

The formal decision to withdraw a certificate is notified to the customer including the following information:

  • A statement on the decision to withdraw the certificate and the date of withdrawal
  • The details of the withdrawn certificate and the reason for withdrawal
  • The need to terminate use of the DNV certification mark or other marks and any reference to certification (including deletion of copies of the certificate).

The right to appeal DNV’s decision. Normally 21 days to appeal the decisions is given, but other timelines may apply based on scheme-specific requirements.An appeal to a decision to suspend or withdraw certification may be lodged through the complaints procedure.