Your auditor will always carry their photo ID and you should ask to view this prior to the audit beginning. You have the right to refuse entry, however, there will be a financial penalty to this decision, and you also risk downgrade from the Safe to Trade public register if your previous Approval status expires before a re-arranged audit is arranged.
The visit will begin with an opening meeting. The meeting should be held with the most senior colleague present. The auditor may request documentation to review in order to plan which areas of the business location will require to be visited.
A Safe to Trade auditor will then walk around the location and assess compliance to the Standard by reviewing each element relevant to the food operation.
The following types of non-conformances may be raised:
If you decide to pro-actively address non-conformances during the audit, please take photographs as you address non-conformances so that you can upload these as evidence to the auditor report on RiskProof. All non-conformances, including any addressed at during the audit, will be identified in the audit report.
If imminent risk is identified, the auditor will first confirm the severity of the non-conformance with Shield Safety Certification Body and then escalate so that an action plan can be agreed with your business. If the action plan is insufficient, Shield Safety reserve the right to downgrade or remove certified businesses from the Safe to Trade Register.
Before the auditor leaves site, a closing meeting will be held with the most senior colleague on-site. The auditor will provide clear feedback and allow the opportunity to ask questions. The meeting will be held somewhere private, so that members of the public may not over hear the conversation, and where you will not be disturbed.
The auditor will let you know when the audit report will be published and what steps are required to achieve Safe to Trade certification. They will maintain a coaching and supportive manner but will not be able to tell you implicitly what actions to take to address non-conformances due to impartiality requirements of the Safe to Trade scheme.