GROWSAFE Accreditation
This GROWSAFE Accreditation Programme is designed to verify compliance with the New Zealand standard, NZS8409:2004 Management of Agrichemicals.
It is awarded at an organisation level eg to a company rather than individual employees.
Scope of Audit
The audit scope is restricted to NZS8409 and components that can be measured or verified. These components fal under three headings:
- personnel
- equipment and facilities
- procedures/work instructions.
The applicant will also need to show that an active quality management system is in place.
Benefits of ACCREDITATION
GROWSAFE Accreditation is completely voluntary. An applicant who wishes to participate in the programme will, provided they meet its requirements, be able to use their GROWSAFE Accreditation and the GROWSAFE name and logo to promote their services.
INITIAL AUDIT
An independent auditor appointed by the New Zealand Agrichemical Education Trust will carry out the initial audit. Following lodgement of the application for accrediation and payment of application fees, the auditor will make a copy of the checklist available to the candidate.
If the initial audit is successful, ie no critical of major non-compliance, the audito will make their recommendation to the NZAET for the applicant to become GROWSAFE accred
Prerequisites
Operators and/or their staff seeking accreditation must have an appropriate level of GROWSAFE certification.
Ongoing Audit and Audit Frequency
Once accredited, an operator will be audited regularly to maintain their accreditation. After the initial audit, an audit will be conducted every two years. However, where an applicant has held GROWSAFE accreditatio nfor four years (ie two audit cycles), the auditor may recommend to the Trust that the audit frequency be extended to three years.
Each audit needs to be conducted within three months of the anniversary of the accreditation being granted.
In addition, spot checks may be carried out at the discretion of the Trust.
Cost
The application fee is $200 plus GST and there is an annual fee of $200 plus GST. Additional costs may be payble where follow-up audits are required due to non-compliance.
Further Information
To initiate a GROWSAFE accreditation process, email us at info@growsafe.co.nz