Five criteria to select good certification bodies in Japan@(2001,July,2w)

Nikkei Construction Journal issued in April recommended following five conditions to select good certification bodies in Japan. These criteria can be used for certification bodies to survey customer satisfactions.

1. Does it show assessors' careers for assigned to assessment for clients? Some bodies do, but some bodies do not or do reluctantly. Certification body L issued a report of assessors' careers by Company A's request. But when Company B did the same request to the body a person in charge rejected. So Company B required to the person who was in charge of Company A to issue careers' reports and as a result Company B get the reports.Does the body train people working in the body? 2. Does it change assessors if problems occur in assessments? Some bodies do. But it depends on how positively companies make claims to bodies. 3. Does it take considerations to clients' requests for fair assessments? In Japanese often assessors have not read ISO10011-1 or observe the guidelines. 4. Does it assign the same assessors at every stage of assessments? Certification Body S often changes assessors and it dismay companies due to different point out by changed assessors. 5. Does it arrange for clients to meet assigned assessors prior to assessments? It may help companies avoid highhanded assessors but some assessors who at a glance seem gentlemen change to highhanded assessors. Be careful when meeting. If certification bodies have ISO9001: 2000 registrations, above criteria areeasily satisfied in the name of customer satisfaction.