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Factory Assessment
Step 1 - Getting Prepared
Order a copy of the BRC/RILA Global Standard for Consumer Products, Issue 3 (CP-3) here to assess the compliance of your site to CP-3 requirements. Make sure to specify the North American version when ordering. A CP-3 General Guideline is also available. Factory audits are site specific, not supplier specific. In addition to the CP-3 and General Guideline, Sector Specific Guidance documents will be developed, (Toys, Electrical, Health and Beauty, Jewelry, Furniture, Textiles). These are guidance documents on best practices for use with complying to the BRC/RILA CP-3. The guidances will assist the manufacturing sites which produce those specific consumer products.
To learn more about and assist in the implementation of the BRC Global Standards, the BRC has developed a wide range of practical training courses.
Click here for further information.
Step 2 - Self Assessment
Review your current systems and practices against the requirements of the CP-3 in order to identify areas which may need further work before undertaking a full audit. This can be carried out by your own site or by asking a Certification Body to undertake a pre-assessment. Please note Certification Bodies are not able to provide consultancy although they can identify areas where further work is required.
Step 3 - Select a Certification Body
Select an accredited Certification Body to carry out the evaluation on your site. Only Certification Bodies that are registered by the BRC can undertake audits. Certification Bodies can be selected by country by clicking here.
Certification Bodies will require details of your site and operation before being able to provide a quotation. Typical audit durations are indicated in the CP-3.
Step 4 - Audit
A plan for the audit should be provided by your Certification Body to ensure that you and your team are properly prepared. The audit may be extended if staff or documentation is not available at the audit so preparation is essential. It is important that the site is in production at the time of the audit otherwise a further audit will be required.
Step 5 - Issue of Audit Report or Certificate (if applicable)
The audit report and/or certificate (if applicable) should be issued within 42 days of the original audit date to the factory site or company who paid for the audit (usually the factory site). A copy of the report is automatically sent to the BRC to allow quality control checking of the Certification Bodies. Scored factory audit reports are uploaded to the secure BRC database when the report is issued. Access to this report is controlled by the factory site or company who paid for the audit. Certificated sites have the option to have site details placed on the BRC Directory web site to advertise their achievements.
Step 6 - Corrective Actions and Certification Decision
Factories wishing to be audited for BRC certification will be provided a written list by the certification body of any areas which need improvement in order to be certificated. These will also be discussed in the closing meeting. Where non-conformities have been identified, the factory must satisfactorily address and provide suitable evidence to the Certification Body for assessment within 28 to 60 days. In some circumstances it may be necessary for the auditor to return to the site to check that appropriate corrective action has been taken. The Certification Body will review the audit report from the auditor and corrective action documentation provided in order to make a certification decision.
Step 7 - Issue of Report to Customers
The audit report is owned by the company paying for the audit. Copies can only be provided to other parties at the request of the owner (a copy is provided to the BRC and this is held confidentially). It is standard to authorize the release of a copy of the report and/or certificate for customers.
Manufacturer FAQ's
How often will I need to be audited against the CP-3?
The frequency of the audits depends upon the product group. The CP-3 contains details on how to determine which product group your site falls into.
How long will the audit take?
The length of the audit will depend on the size and complexity of your operations. A typical audit would be expected to take 1.5 days on-site, with another 0.5 days to produce the detailed report.
How soon will I get my report/certificate?
Scored audit reports are provided to factories and listed on the secure BRC database in _ days, on average, following completion of the audit.
For factories pursuing certification, at the end of the audit, the auditor is expected to provide a summary of any non-conformity identified and will usually provide a written report setting these out. Sites are then allowed 28 or 60 days (depending on the severity on the non-conformity) to provide the evidence that they have completed any actions identified at the audit. A further 14 days are allowed for the Certification Body to review the information, complete the report, and make a certification decision. In total, a time of 42 to 104 days should be allowed between the audit and issue of a certificate.
What documentation do you need to keep for hazard and risk management?
You need to ensure that the information on which the hazard and risk management plan is based is referenced and available on request by the auditor. This may include published literature on known hazards, codes of practice, or legislation. You need to keep records of hazard and risk management team meetings and the decisions which were reached. You should have documents to demonstrate how the decisions for establishing CCP's were reached.
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