Auditing
FPA Australia has to audit 10% of Accredited Practitioners (Fire
Safety) (APFS) per year, and compliance with this process
requires practitioners to maintain detailed records about their
activities.
To help APFSs to record their workplace activities (WPA), FPA
Australia has developed the Form 1 -
WPA List. A workplace activity is defined
as "a job executed by the APFS, which demonstrates their competency
in an area of accreditation."
Detailed records are essential if a practitioner is going to be
able to show how they have approached assessment or design, and the
reasons behind each of their decisions.
If a practitioner doesn't have clear records, FPA Australia
recommends that, at the very least, a Form 1 be used
instead.
While not mandatory, Form 1 provides a process for a
practitioner to register any assessment jobs or design projects
where good records may not be readily available.
Even with a Form 1, however, the Authorised Officer may still
need additional documents in order to conduct the audit
effectively.
Prior to a scheduled audit, the Authorised Officer will send
notification to the APFS about the documents they will expect to
see within five (5) business days.
This will include:
- a list of WPAs (jobs executed) for which they have prepared
reports/relevant documents within the past twelve (12)
months;
- documents that demonstrate that the practitioner's insurance is
current; and
- evidence that the practitioner is appropriately experienced to
be performing annual assessments on the measures for which they
have obtained accreditation, in line with the statutory declaration
they signed at application stage.
APFSs will be required to upload all documents to a Dropbox
folder created by FPA Australia.
All jobs performed, up to a total of one hundred (100), should
be recorded. If more than one hundred (100) jobs have been
carried out, the most recent jobs should be
provided.
The Authorised Officer will review the list submitted by the
APFS and select WPAs that cover the range of accreditations held by
the APFS.
During a scheduled audit, the Authorised Officer will
assess:
- a minimum of five workplace activities (WPA); and
- a maximum of 10% of all WPAs for the year, or up to ten (10),
whichever is less.
Once the WPAs have been selected, the Authorised Officer will
advise the APFS of the projects chosen and allow ten (10) business
days for them to collect:
- any relevant reports, documents, diagrams, or evidence that
substantiate the APFS's competency in identified areas of
accreditation; and
- any photographic or other evidence that shows the condition of
essential fire safety systems or how the APFS's decisions were
made.
This evidence will be reviewed and assessed as part of the audit
process.
If the Authorised Officer seeks more information or
documentation, they will advise the APFS accordingly.
FPA Australia reserves the right to ask for materials or
information not described above as part of the audit process, if
required.
For more information, contact us on fpas@fpaa.com.au.