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Is it right for you? - Food Safety and Quality Auditor Certification - CFSQA

Step 1. Is this the right certification for you?

Here are the requirements and exam specifics for a HACCP Auditor. If you already know that this is the certification you want to pursue, move on to exam preparation.

Work Experience

Work experience must be in a full time, paid role. Paid intern, co-op or any other course work cannot be applied towards the work experience requirement.

You must have five years of on-the-job experience in one or more of the areas of the Certified HACCP Auditor Body of Knowledge. At least one year must be in a decision making role.

If you have completed a degree from a college, university or technical school with accreditation accepted by ASQ, part of the five-year experience requirement will be waived, as follows (only one of these waivers may be claimed):

  • Associate degree—one year waived
  • Bachelor’s degree—three years waived
  • Master’s or doctorate—four years waived

Degrees or diplomas from educational institutions outside the United States must be equivalent to degrees from U.S. educational institutions.

Minimum Expectations Certified HACCP Auditor

  • Will have a thorough understanding of the product safety aspects of HACCP and how HACCP relates to other risk management systems.
  • Will understand the primary benefit of HACCP.
  • Will be able to recognize the level of management commitment (vs. minimal compliance efforts) by analyzing how the program is deployed and by measuring its effectiveness.
  • Will be able to apply, assess, and implement operational and prerequisite programs that support the foundation of the HACCP system.
  • Will have a thorough understanding of management techniques as they relate to HACCP plan development, including assembling teams, flowcharting, etc.
  • Will have comprehensive knowledge of HACCP terminology and its seven principles.
  • Will be able to assess a HACCP plan, evaluate its effectiveness, and verify that it has been deployed, is being maintained, and is current.
  • Will be able to conduct different types of audits effectively in a professional, ethical, and objective manner using and interpreting applicable standards/requirements, with an awareness of potential legal and financial ramifications.
  • Will be able to plan, develop, communicate, and execute an audit effectively within a defined scope, including resource scheduling, conducting meetings necessary to the performance of the audit, and using appropriate auditing techniques.
  • Will be able to verify, document, and communicate audit results, develop an audit report, and evaluate the effectiveness of corrective action/follow-up.
  • Will have thorough knowledge of the interpersonal skills needed to resolve conflict, conduct interviews, and make presentations effectively, and will be able to work on teams as a participant, leader, and  facilitator.
  • Will recognize how quality principles relate to business processes and be able to explain the importance of aligning the audit function to the organization.
  • Will be able to select and use a wide variety of quality and auditing tools and techniques in a variety of situations.

Examination

Each certification candidate is required to pass a written examination that consists of multiple-choice questions that measure comprehension of the Body of Knowledge. The last administration of the current HACCP Auditor Body of Knowledge will be March 2, 2012. The first administration of the new HACCP Auditor Body of Knowledge will be March 3, 2012.  The HACCP Auditor examination is a one-part, 135-question, four-hour exam and is offered in the English language only.

Examinations are conducted twice a year, in March and October, by local ASQ sections and international organizations. All examinations are open-book. Each participant must bring his or her own reference materials. Use of reference materials and calculators is explained in the seating letter provided to applicants.

Are you ready to get started? Prepare for the exam. >>>