UKAS Audit success for HETAS
A common misconception of HETAS, by both consumers and our registrants is that we are a governing body, this is not the case. Amongst a number of services provided by HETAS, in England and Wales we operate the Competent Persons Scheme (CPS) and a Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) for installers and appliances. HETAS operates it’s competent person scheme under authorisation from The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) and overseen by The United Kingdom Accreditation Services (UKAS) under the certification standard BSENISO 17065:2012. Therefore, we are governed by an external set of rules and regulations which we need to follow, so we can maintain accreditation for the Competent Person Scheme.
In the same way that we regularly audit our registered businesses, HETAS is audited on a yearly basis by UKAS, as required by the 1st condition of Authorisation “Scheme operator to achieve/maintain UKAS (United Kingdom Accreditation Service) accreditation to standard BS EN ISO/IEC 17065:2012 (or latest version)”. The aim of the UKAS audit is to independently verify that as a company we continue to comply to standards and specific scheme requirements.
For members registered with HETAS for the CPS, the rules and regulations cover varying different areas, including:
- Refresher training (every 5 years )
- A minimum of £2,000,000 public liability insurance for our CPS registrants
- The need for regular, ongoing surveillance
These points and more are covered in the minimum technical competence document and in DCLG’s conditions of Authorisation (last updated April 2016). This document covers 21 key requirements, which we as a scheme administrator must also comply to.
2022 Audit
The UKAS audit for 2022 was completed on the 9th February 2022. The thorough audit is undertaken over a couple of days and the UKAS team undertake a complete overview of the authorised schemes that HETAS operate, focusing on the 21 key points identified I the conditions of authorisation for the competent person scheme. The HETAS team are proud to announce that once again we passed this annual audit. The feedback from the UKAS audit panel was very positive and good discussions were instigated, helping us to continue our quest for continuous improvement as an industry leading company and to add value to you as a registered business and on to the wider industry.
As a company we strive to have positive and beneficial interactions with our Stakeholders and Registrants. We appreciate there are certain situations whereby a registration falls outside of the conditions of authorisation, for example, expired refresher training. Whilst we are unable to facilitate continued registration outside of these conditions, we are always willing to assist where possible and we urge you to get in touch with HETAS if you ever need assistance. We always welcome feedback from you and you can contact us on hello@hetas.co.uk at any time.
We appreciate the last 2 years have been tough for all. The industry and the world have faced various restrictions, and day to day life has not been the norm. HETAS would like to thank you for your continued support, and we hope the above has given you some insight into the decisions we sometimes have to make.
