Appeal Process

In the event of a certificate withdrawal, or if a client company disagrees with a non-conformity or recommendation for registration, the company has the right to appeal.

If the company wishes to appeal, they should inform the auditor during the closing meeting. The auditor will then direct the client to contact the CSS office to request an appeal form.

The appeal form, along with a formal documented justification, must be submitted to CSS Certification Pte Ltd within fourteen days from the date of receiving the withdrawal notice or the audit date.

Appeals will be acknowledged immediately upon receipt, and an initial investigation will be completed within 30 days.

Once the completed appeal form is received, the details will be logged into the appeals register for tracking. All appeals will first be reviewed by the appointed certificate decision maker(s) and the audit staff from CSS Certification Pte Ltd who recommended the certificate withdrawal or identified the non-conformity. The audit staff must provide evidence to support their recommendation.

The dispute will then be reviewed by the chairman of the appeals committee, or a designated member if the chairman is part of the committee. The results of the appeal review will be communicated to the company.

The decision of the appeals committee is final and binding on both parties. Once the appeal decision has been made, neither party may submit any further claims or requests to amend or change the decision.

The appeal decision will be communicated to the appellant without delay. If the appeal is successful, and the certificate is reinstated or the non-conformity is removed, an NCR will be raised in accordance with CSS procedures, and actions will be taken to identify and address the root cause of the issue that led to the appeal.