What makes the FPA-SAFE audit better than other audits within the industry?
In an effort to streamline the process, most audits have been distilled down to a checklist of quality indicators, relying on the auditor’s subjective judgment to determine whether and to what degree the facility’s systems comply with those audit criteria. This forces a facility to focus on ensuring those quality indicators are in place, whether or not they are relevant to the facility or truly indicative of their attention to quality. Even then, the audit tends to revolve around the audit score, not on the particulars of what the auditor saw. In a SAFE audit, the auditor gets to know the facility’s policies and procedures, performs an inspection of facility records and in-plant practices, and writes a comprehensive, objective, narrative “virtual tour” of his/her observations. This allows the facility to demonstrate, and you to read, what they are really doing, without the artificial pressure of arbitrary audit requirements. Then, you can decide for yourself whether their systems meet
