Management Systems Auditing – 2011

Ergon’s annual auditor training classes were held January 25 – 26, 2011, in Jackson, Mississippi, attended by 36 employees. In addition to their regular full-time work, these employees apply and are selected to audit management systems and processes for Ergon facilities and operations. Most work two audit assignments a year, with each audit lasting 2 – 3 days. Management is given a full report of findings, including recommendations for improvement and any nonconformances to the standards they have espoused or to internal policies and procedures to which they have committed.

Forty-six employees this year were available to form into small teams to work a total of 40 audit assignments throughout Ergon’s operations. In addition, David Cain, Corporate Audit Coordinator, schedules audits in other specialized areas such as Environmental, Health and Safety. New auditors have an “on the job” teaching/training period in which they act as observers during audits and handle tasks assigned by audit team members, such as co-interviewing employees, checking records, observing process performance and critique of written procedures which the site’s management has authorized.

2011 Auditor Training Topics and Instructors included:
1. Revisions to the Standard, Definitions, New Ergon Auditees – David Cain
2. Documenting Findings, Verifying / Closing Prior Nonconformances – Kathryn Steen
3. Audit Scenarios, Exercises, and Case Studies – David Cain
4. Auditing a Company’s Document Control System – Angela Bierdeman
5. Auditing a Company or Lab’s Calibration Program – David Cain
6. Conflict Resolution – Kathy Lott
7. Audit Expenses and Program Statistics – Tom Isonhood
8. Audit Program Changes, Procedures Review – David Cain
9. Value-Added Services and Good Judgment for your Customer – David Cain
10. Challenging Material – Preparedness and Survey Results – David Cain

This year’s auditor training included a “Grand Prize” drawing for those who completed pre-work assignments for the class, as a sample study of auditor assessments and continuity. Janice Carstafhnur of Ergon Refining, Inc. in Vicksburg, Mississippi, won the $200.00 drawing for an Ergon Carhartt jacket.