Impartiality

The principal activity of the Institute for Testing and Certification, joint-stock company, Zlín (hereinafter “ITC”) is provision of professional services to customers in the areas of testing, calibration, technical inspection, conformity assessment, product certification and management system certification. ITC acts as a third party assessor in the process whose procedures and outputs must be consistently impartial.

Impartiality

Impartiality may be defined as actual and perceived presence of an objective approach, where conflict of interests either does not exist or is addressed in order not to negatively affect subsequent activities in the context of order implementation. Typical features of impartiality include: honesty, non-existence of conflict of interests, no bias, no involvement, no prejudice, neutral approach, independence, justice or balance. Violation of the principle of impartiality might bear serious consequences for trustworthiness of and competence maintenance by ITC.

The requirement for impartiality in relation to the abovementioned activities is included in multiple legislative documents and standards and comprises the following aspects, including but not limited to:

• ­ Non-existence of third party vested interests or interests of its employees (internal employees and external contractors) that might affect results of professional services (such as impartiality of performed tests and audits, conformity assessments, surveillance performance/review, issue of professional service outputs, independence on all stakeholders directly or indirectly interested in the products or services in question);
• ­ Assurance of impartial and unbiased technical and administrative staff involved in the professional activity implementation. Their remuneration must be independent of the nature and scope of their professional activity and its results;
• ­ Non-existence of third party involvement or stake in development, design, construction, manufacture, marketing or maintenance of subjects of the third party professional service. This principle excludes neither the possibility of technical information exchange between the manufacturer and the third party nor use of the products in question in the scope necessary for activities of the third party or their use for private purposes by employees or contractors of the third party.

Impartiality Assurance under ITC Conditions

In the context of professional activity implementation the commitment of impartiality is considered one of the critical factors of continued trustworthiness of services provided by ITC.

The impartiality principles are laid down in the Rules of Organization of ITC and in the Quality Policy, the basic document describing functioning of the joint-stock company. Internal employees of ITC have the impartiality commitment included in their employment contracts, are instructed in the impartiality principles in a documented manner, and know how to proceed in fulfillment of the tasks entrusted to them in order to prevent potential accusation of ITC or themselves of violation of impartiality and fair-mindedness principles. External contractors and subcontractors are bound with the same commitments of impartiality as ITC.

In the case of a substantiated suspicion that ITC position in a contractual relationship with its customer might be biased or dependent ITC reserves the right to refuse to accept such contractual commitment. 

Contact

Post address:
Institut pro testování a certifikaci, a. s.
Marketing department 
třída Tomáše Bati 299, Louky, 763 02 Zlín

The person responsible for accuracy of data: Ing. Tomas Vesely