4.3 – Audit situation three:

You are auditing the print and mail department of an organisation that provides mass-mailing services to large organisations including local hospitals and local government offices. You notice that the company records show a very large number of returned mail with causes including mis-addressed items and, in 15% of cases, two or more letters for different addresses in the one envelope. This situation appears to have continued for several years.

You ask the Print Manager about this and she says that the company is well aware of the matter. You ask if mail items are inspected before being dispatched.

The Print Manager tells you that any obviously damaged items are removed by the duty staff before being dispatched, but the small profit margin makes it uneconomic to implement a formal inspection process.

You ask what action is taken when items are returned. The Print Manager explains that most of these mass-mailing contracts are relatively low value, therefore it has been decided that it is easier and more convenient to simply reprint and re-mail individual communications than it is to implement investigation.

 

If you think there is sufficient evidence to report your findings as a nonconformity:

• Complete the nonconformity report on the following page.

Or

• Complete the audit investigation template.