LDL / Services / Audit & Certification

Audit & Certification

Internal audits, second-party audits on suppliers, and lead auditor work on behalf of accredited certification bodies. Across nine schemes, keeping audit work distinct from advisory work.

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First, second and third party

Three levels of audit, one criterion of independence.

The distinction between building a management system and auditing one is the foundation of audit work, and at LDL it is an organisational criterion too: certification audit work is kept separate from consultancy and the two do not overlap on the same organisation. That is what makes a finding usable.

Between one level and the next what changes is not the applicable standard but the criterion: first-party looks for what is failing before someone else finds it, second-party measures a supply risk, third-party establishes conformity against accredited requirements. How evidence is gathered does not change: process sampling, direct observation, interviews with the people doing the work, documentary cross-checks.

First party — Internal auditCarried out for the organisation on its own system. A multi-year programme rather than a scramble in the weeks before the assessment: process sampling, graded findings and verification that corrective actions actually worked.
Second party — Suppliers and supply chainCarried out for a client on its suppliers, on a business unit or along a supply chain. Criteria agreed with the client; the outcome supports decisions on qualification, renewal or exclusion.
Third party — For accredited bodiesOur auditors work as lead auditors on behalf of accredited certification bodies. LDL issues no certificates and advises no organisation that its own auditors assess.
Schemes

The schemes we are qualified on.

The scheme is the reference against which evidence is gathered. The criterion changes between first, second and third party; the requirements of the applicable standard do not.

These are the most requested schemes, not the full list: we also work on other standards and sector-specific schemes — for example SA8000 on social accountability, or schemes required by a particular supply chain or client. The audit is shaped around the applicable scheme, not the other way round.

ISO 9001Quality, processes, indicators and improvement.
ISO 14001 / EMASEnvironmental aspects, compliance and performance.
ISO 45001Health and safety integrated into the management system.
ISO 22000 / HACCPFood safety, HACCP plan and compliance with EC Regulation 852/2004.
ISO/IEC 27001Information security risks and controls.
ISO 37001Anti-bribery controls and an integrity-driven culture.
UNI/PdR 125Gender equality, KPIs and improvement plan.
UNI/PdR 74BIM management system and digital processes.
UNI 10891Organisational requirements for security guard companies.
LDL Configurator

What kind of audit do you need?

Three questions for a preliminary orientation. No personal data required.

The result is not technical or legal advice and does not replace verification of requirements, regulations, obligations, deadlines and documentation for the specific case.

The certification path

A system does not start with the certificate. It gets there.

From the initial analysis to keeping it alive: the five points at which a management system is built, tested and held up. Each with its own typical risk.

The length of the cycle, and the number and programme of the audits, depend on the scheme, on the size and complexity of the organisation and on the rules of the accredited body: we check them against the actual case before anything goes into a calendar.

Technical comparison

Do you need an audit, or do you need to know whether the system would survive one?

Share the scope, the applicable schemes and the state of the system: we will set up the audit.

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