Challenges to BRCGS Certification
Elddis, like many in the transport and haulage sector, is facing upheaval due to the shortage of lorry drivers. The company is extremely busy and the business decision to go for BRCGS accreditation was not straightforward because of changing working methods due to coronavirus. To ensure success, the decision was made to bring in food safety experts.
Two of our consultants, Brian Humphreys and Kim Liversedge, have provided expert input throughout the project. A Gap Analysis starts off every one of our compliance projects. Its use is to evaluate where the current systems are against the relevant compliance standard.
BRCGS Storage & Distribution is a recognised global standard with the aim of creating a safety system for relevant businesses. It provides a risk-based approach to provide companies with a clear route to safety compliance. Many businesses must comply with this standard before their new customers will trade with them. Customers require assurance that their suppliers are following the highest safety standards.
Indeed, a major customer of Elddis is a food producer and they were demanding that, as part of the supply chain, Elddis should comply with a food safety standard, like BRCGS.
Preparing & Implementing for Certification
To effectively prepare and implement a workable safety framework into a business, one of our primary tasks is compliance mentoring the relevant staff. The Manager of Operations, Wayne White, is our main contact and, therefore, the key staff member we guided and mentored.
Effective leadership is vital to compliance, therefore, working with Wayne either through the use of Microsoft Teams, phone, email, or on-site visits is still a priority. Wayne needed to learn the framework of the standard and together develop a safety system that would work well for Elddis, as well as, pass a BRCGS audit.
Outcomes… Grade AA at Audit!
Elddis went on to obtain a Grade AA at the audit in Autumn 2020. Grade AA means in the grading scale for BRCGS audit, this is the highest a company can achieve. If a company scores AA+, it means that that the audit was unannounced.
A testimonial written by Wayne White (Business Operations Manager) is available here.
Our work continues…
The next BRCGS Storage & Distribution audit for Elddis is in Autumn 2021. Audits are carried out annually and this year’s audit is critical because the standard has changed from version three to four.
Elddis passed and maintained their BRCGS Certification audit at Grade AA in 2021.
Version four of the standard is more complex and demanding on a business, for example, the use of unannounced audits. The key differences between the two versions are discussed in our news article here.
Brian and Kim, our Consultants, are continuing to BRCGS compliance mentor and guide Wayne regarding the changes. We are also working on another Elddis site so they too can pass BRCGS Certification audit.
