Certification Inspection Practices Attain High Accountability Standard

Posted June 6, 2017 at 3:49 am

TRSA has upgraded its inspection management protocol for Clean Green and Hygienically Clean certifications, appointing an inspection program administrator and auditor to train and administer the inspection process and inspector training.

This enhances TRSA’s well-established reputation for expertise, consistency and impartiality for all applicant laundry companies and plants when inspectors verify their adherence to best management practices (BMPs). It also adds a highly expert third party to oversee the inspection program. It aligns with ISO quality management system (QMS) standards for assessing laundry applicants’ quality assurance practices and Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) plans.

Laundry Design Group, LLC, Las Vegas, was selected as inspection program administrator after considering several firms, acknowledged for excellence in evaluating businesses’ QA guideline compliance. Bob Corfield, the firm’s CEO, has over 30 years’ industry experience, five performing inspections for Clean Green and Hygienically Clean. Corfield is a certified ISO QMS Lead Auditor with a HACCP designation.

As chief inspector and program administrator, Corfield identifies, administers and trains the independent inspector team. Each inspector enters a comprehensive training program including certification standards review, evidence collection procedures, interview protocol, ATP (work surface) testing, technology use, HACCP compliance and sample collection procedures. Training also focuses on educating inspectors regarding acceptable approaches launderers can take to implement BMPs.  Each inspector must agree to a code of ethics including confidentiality and conflict of interest statements.

The inspection program is deployed on an iPad application that all inspectors must use for note-taking, evidence collection, and inspection scoring. This creates consistency from inspection to inspection and inspector to inspector. Inspectors’ reports are disseminated within hours of each inspection for lead audit review and discussion if required.

Following initial training, each inspector is subject to a competency review by a third-party ISO certified lead auditor (Enveratek, Calgary, Alberta, Canada). Enveratek confirms the inspector’s knowledge of standards and procedures in alignment with ISO QMS audit protocols and suggests corrective training if needed.

The inspection program is reviewed twice per year to assure protocol and program compliance. These reviews are presented to TRSA leaders to strengthen the competency of the inspectors and the inspection program.

Tighter inspection management protocols reflect the certifications’ commitment to continuous improvement. Advisory boards and user groups examine development of new laundry and textile technologies to standards for sustainability (Clean Green) and laundered product cleanliness (Hygienically Clean).

“These programs’ leaders frequently participate in a variety of linen, uniform and facility services professional development activities contributing to TRSA’s 100-plus years of facilitating information sharing and collaboration to improve industry BMPs,” said TRSA President and CEO Joseph Ricci. “Their commitment to the Clean Green and Hygienically Clean certification programs have helped make these programs the fastest growing, most internationally recognized standards for validating processes and quantifying results for sustainability and cleanliness.”

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