Impartiality Policy

The Brazilian Corrosion Association (ABRACO), in order to maintain impartiality and to ensure objectivity in the processing of its certification activities, has defined the following impartiality policy to be met within the scope of the National Brazilian System for Qualification and Certification in Corrosion and Protection (SNQC-CP, Sistema Nacional de Qualificação e Certificação em Corrosão e Proteção):

– to maintain honesty and integrity during the processing of certification activities;

– to manage impartiality through its Certification Board to ensure that certification activities are carried out impartially;

– to maintain a system to identify, analyse, eliminate or reduce threats to impartiality in the certification activities developed by the Association;

– to ensure that the processes performed in the SNQC-CP are independent of the training offered by ABRACO, so that confidentiality, information security and impartiality are maintained. For this, people involved in the training of professionals in occupations certified by the SNQC-CP are prohibited from participating in any activity which involves the certification process;

– to ensure that the procedures used in the certification process are fair to all applicants, candidates and certified professionals;

– not to allow SNQC-CP examiners to work in the assessment of candidates who have been trained by them in the same scope of certification that work through the SNQC-CP;

– to determine that all employees and others involved in the certification process manifest any condition that leads to a conflict of interest.

Among the factors that can prevent independent and impartial analyses during the activities of the certification process, we can mention: kinship, self-assessment, prejudice, pressures of an administrative, commercial or financial nature, self-interest and intimidation. Such factors that threaten impartiality can be both real and subjective.

Note: this Impartiality Policy was approved by the Executive Board of ABRACO, in order to confirm the commitment of the Senior Management to maintain impartiality in the certification processes developed by the Association.