Internal audit procedure (example) (ISO 22 000 internal audit)

The HACCP manager establishes implements and monitors the annual audit planning. The results of previous audits and the importance of audited processes and departments are taken into account during the preparation of the annual audit programme. The purposes of the "Internal Audit Program" are:

If necessary, the audit chief sets up an audit team and define the roles and missions. The manager may decide to hold a preparatory meeting with the concerned people. The audit questionnaire can be sent to the auditee several days before the audit. The night shifts must be audited for audits of the quality management system.

The closure of the audit is formalized by an audit end meeting or by the issue of the audit report. The results of the internal audits (including their follow-up) are presented by the HACCP manager at the management review. It is one of the important inputs to determine opportunities to improve the food safety management system (FSMS).

The codification of the audit reports is 4005AAxxyy, where AA is the year (09 for 2009), xx the number of the audit (there may be several audits per year) and yy the number of the index (revision). The report is communicated to the auditees, the head of audited department and those concerned with the corrective actions.

The timetable for the implementation of the corrective actions is followed by the audit manager who may request advance reports. He validates every action in the audit report as it is realized. To restart non finished corrective actions, the auditor may call a meeting with the person in charge of every action or conduct a second audit. The audit is closed when all corrective actions have been performed.