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The GWO Audit & Compliance function ensures the adequacy and effectiveness of our certification framework.
The GWO Audit & Compliance Committee is responsible for this function, delivering amongst others:
Global Wind Organisation is committed to handling all formal complaints in a fair and timely manner. All formal complaints and non-compliance reports will be used as an opportunity for improvements to GWO.
If you have a complaint relating to your training course, please contact the GWO certified Training Provider first to allow them to investigate under their own complaints procedures and resolve the issue. If you are not able to resolve the problem, please let us know.
All complaints received by Global Wind Organisation are managed in accordance with the following procedure:
Please provide all documentary evidence of the complaint or non-compliance and any communication you have had with the party you are filing the complaint against.
To make a complaint please complete this form.
This complaints policy meets the requirements of the ISO 9001 Clause 8.2.1.
Incidents, complaints, non-compliance issues and questions relating to the interpretation of GWO standards and criteria are brought before the GWO Audit & Compliance Committee for investigation and resolution.
If you have a specific complaint or wish to file a report of non-compliance with GWO standards or criteria, please file a report with GWO or click on the link in the left hand menu
GWO Training Providers are being encouraged to consider a range of immediate and long-term corrective actions which have been identified following a recent incident and investigation at a certified training centre.
While the incident took place during a GWO Sea Survival training, several of the corrective actions proposed have broader applications during all types of training and have been approved by the GWO Audit & Compliance Committee following review of the incident report.
Resolution:
The GWO Audit and Compliance Committee investigated and submitted a training provider to full re-audit. Several factors contributed to the request.
Background:
A GWO investigation was initiated following an incident in which a delegate suffered a minor hand injury during a Sea Survival course while practising the use of flares. The investigation was initiated upon request of the injured party’s employer.
Resolution:
The GWO Audit and Compliance Committee investigated an incident resulting in a request for re-audit and certification of the training provider.
Background:
GWO was informed of an incident at a GWO certified Training Provider that included a Delegate falling from approximately 6 meters height during a Working at Heights rescue exercise.Download the full report
Resolution:
The Training Provider must determine if the delegate is able to participate at the level of training that is provided and is required to stop if the delegate performs unsafe training. GWO does not set any requirements for interpreters
Background:
A company asked a UK Training Provider to train a Delegate from Spain with a poor level of English.
Resolution:
If a delegate does not wish to register in WINDA, they are free to do so. However, the Training Provider can reject the delegate or complete the training and not issue a GWO certificate on paper or upload a WINDA record.
Background:
A Certification Body issued a non-conformity to a training provider as a delegate did not wish to be registered in WINDA and the training provider was therefore unable to register the delegate’s record in WINDA.
Resolution:
A certificate can be transferred from one Certification Body to another in the certificate life cycle. The new Certification Body will have to comply with all requriements in the Criteria for Certifcation Bodies. As a minimum, surveillance audits must be conducted in connection with the certificate transfer and all requried subesequent surveillance audits are the responsibility of the new Certification Body.
Background:
A Training Provider already certified by another Certification Body held a valid certificate but wished to switch Certification Bodies during the existing three year certification life cycle.
Resolution:
The training provider is proposed to perform internal audit and management review directly after delivery of the first witnessed training module.
Background:
A training provider in the process of being certified for the first time received non-conformances for not having carried out internal audits and management review prior the certification.
Resolution:
Confirmation that issue was subject to national legislation which can set higher requirements and accept of bridge proposal
Background:
A Training Provider in the process of establishing a training center in China, requested a decision from the Committee as Chinese legislation required that the trainer in First Aid had a medical background.
The training provider proposed to use two trainers in the course, one with a medical background and one who complied with all requirements in the training standard to bridge the gap.
The Audit & Compliance Committee found that the situation constituted an instance where local legal legislation set higher requirements than the standard and the training provider’s proposal to bridge the gap was acceptable.
Resolution:
The Committee confirmed that training providers offering courses shorter than recommended by the training standard constituted non-compliance. All Training Providers took corrective action.
Background:
The GWO secretariat was informed that a number of GWO certified Training Providers marketed their business as capable of offering all five BST modules in a period shorter than stated in the standard.
The Training Providers were therefore notified that they were in non-compliance with the training standards. The Training Providers took corrective actions and ceased to offer a full 5 day BST.
As a responsible organisation, GWO is committed to achieving and maintaining the trust of its stakeholders. Integral to this mission is providing a robust security and privacy program that carefully considers data protection matters across our suite of services, including data submitted by Stakeholders to our services (“Customer Data”).
In support of this mission, GWO has published details of the steps it has taken to meet the requirements of the European Union General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR).
Please click on the following links to view our documentation
This Code of Conduct defines the basic requirements placed by GWO’s Executive Committee on GWO’s secretariat concerning the secretariat’s responsibilities towards employees, colleagues, Delegates, members, training providers, other stakeholders and the environment.
These requirements also apply to GWO’s primary stakeholders (Members, Certified Training Providers and Certification Bodies).
In addition to these requirements, compliance with the Ten Principles of the UN Global Compact is expected of GWO itself and all stakeholders.
Global Wind Organisation reserves the right to change the requirements listed in this this Code of Conduct. Stakeholders must accept any changes to the Code of Conduct.
The minimum requirements in the GWO Code of Conduct are:
Download PDF: GWO Code of Conduct This Code of Conduct defines the basic requirements placed by GWO’s Executive Committee on GWO’s secretariat concerning the secretariat’s responsibilities towards employees, colleagues, Delegates, members, training providers, other stakeholders and the environment. These requirements also apply to GWO’s primary stakeholders (Members, Certified Training Providers and Certification Bodies). In addition to these requirements, compliance with the Ten Principles of the UN Global Compact is expected of GWO itself and all stakeholders.
International Rope Access Certification Scheme (IRACS) is an ISO/IEC 17024:2012 accredited certification body operating certification of persons to industrial rope access personnel.