Aviation Audit: CAR-145 Organisation Audit Process

Quality Audit: CAR-145 Organisation Audit Process & Requirements

Introduction:

Organizations that have been issued a CAR 145 Certificate of Approval must undergo a CAR 145 organization audit every year or as per planned. This audit determines if the organization continues to meet the requirements of the CAR 145 Standard. This document outlines the important points to look for in a CAR 145 organization audit.

What is Audit?

When it comes to business, an audit is a comprehensive examination of a company's financial records. The goal is to ensure that the financial statements are accurate and that the company is in compliance with the law. The most common type of audit is the financial audit, which examines a company's financial statements.

But a CAR 145 organization audit is a bit different. A CAR 145 audit is an examination of a company's safety management system. The goal is to make sure that the company is taking the necessary steps to ensure the safety of its employees and the public. The audit examines the company's policies, procedures, training and management systems.

What is a quality Audit in General

Quality audits ensure that products and services meet specific requirements and are consistent with customer expectations. They verify that the product or service is manufactured, processed, packaged, labeled, stored, and shipped according to the design specification. A quality audit also looks at the operational processes to make sure they are effective and efficient. Furthermore, quality audits assess customer satisfaction, as well as employee satisfaction.

What is a quality Audit in terms of Aviation Maintenance & Operations?

A quality audit is an evaluation of the quality system applied in an organization. The aim of the audit is to identify any deficiencies in the system and recommend corrective action. The aviation industry relies on a strict and well-defined quality system to ensure the safety of passengers and crew. A quality audit is essential to maintaining this safety record and preventing accidents. A quality audit can help airline operators identify any areas of weakness in their quality system and take corrective action.

Why we do audit?

A CAR 145 organization audit is an important process that ensures your company is compliant with aviation regulations. It also helps to identify any areas where improvements can be made. There are five key aspects that are looked at during an organization audit: organizational structure, management procedures and systems, operational procedures, training and qualification, and resources. By having a clear understanding of each of these areas, your company can be assured that it is meeting all the necessary requirements and is in compliance with aviation regulations. A qualified auditor will review your systems and procedures and provide a detailed report of their findings.

As per the DGCA requirements, the CAR-145 organisation must have Independent audit systems. The independent audit is an objective process that includes routine sample checks of all aspects of the organization's ability to carry out all maintenance to the required standards, as well as some product sampling as the end result of the maintenance process. It is intended to supplement the 145.A.50 (a) requirement for certifying staff to be satisfied that all required maintenance has been properly carried out before issuing the certificate of release to service. When performing maintenance, independent audits should include a percentage of random audits performed on a sample basis. For those organisations that work at night, this means some audits during the night.

Audit Frequency

Organizations that have been issued a CAR 145 Certificate of Approval must undergo a CAR 145 organization audit every year. This audit determines if the organization continues to meet the requirements of the CAR 145 Standard. This document outlines the important points to look for in a CAR 145 organization audit.

The independent audit should ensure that all aspects of CAR-145 compliance are checked every 12 months and can be performed as a single exercise or subdivided over the 12 month period in accordance with a scheduled plan. The independent audit does not require that each procedure be checked against each product line if it can be demonstrated that the particular procedure is common to more than one product line and that the procedure has been checked every 12 months with no results.

When findings are identified, the specific procedure should be rechecked against other product lines until the findings are corrected, at which point the independent audit procedure for the specific procedure may be reduced to 12 monthly.

Why is an organization Audit important?

An organization audit is an important process that should be conducted regularly in order to maintain compliance with CAR 145 and identify any areas of improvement. The goal of an audit is to identify any deficiencies in the organization's policies and procedures and to recommend solutions. An organization that conducts regular audits is able to ensure that its employees are properly trained and its systems are effective and compliant.

When does my organization need an Audit?

Many organizations choose to have an annual CAR 145 organization audit to ensure compliance with the requirements of the standard. However, there may be other circumstances in which an organization would need to conduct an audit. For instance, if there is a change in management, opening of new base, opening of new line stations, selection of new vendor, induction of other type of aircraft, components maintenance, if the organization experiences a data breach, or if there is a suspected compliance issue, an organization would need to conduct an audit.

CAR 145 Audit process

To begin an audit process, you will need to develop a plan or policy document called a Audit plan. This document is a guide that will help you during the audit and will be used as a reference tool. The charter should include the following: the objectives of the audit, the scope of the audit, the methodologies to be used, and the reporting procedures. It's important to familiarize yourself with the concepts of the Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) cycle, as it's essential in the audit process.

The audit checklist should be prepared accordance with the all the regulatory requirements with reference points added in it. The checklist is a very useful tool during audit process. This cycle is a management model that can be used to improve the quality of processes and products.

The audit process is in four part that is Planning of Audit, Do the audit, verify the evidence with requirements & report the findings. The follow up faction is also required for timely closure of the findings.

Steps for Conducting Audit

Initiating the audit

Establishing initial contact with the auditee
Determining the feasibility of the audit

Preparing audit activities

Performing document review in preparation for the audit area to be audited
Preparing the audit plan
Assigning work to the audit team
Preparing work documents

Conducting the audit activities

Conducting the opening meeting with the auditee key management personnel
Performing required document review while conducting the audit
Communicating with audit team as well as auditee during the audit
Assigning roles and responsibilities of guides and observers/team leader
Collecting and verifying information

Generating audit findings

Preparing audit conclusions
Conducting the closing meeting

Preparing and distributing the audit report

Preparing the audit report
Distributing the audit report

Completing the audit

Conducting audit follow-up If required, timely closure of the audit findings & sending the Audit Closure reports.

CAR-145 Key Areas for Auditing

When conducted properly, a CAR 145 audit can help your organisation become more efficient and organized. Here are the five key things to look for during a CAR 145 organization audit:

Compliance with government regulations
Adherence to company policies and procedures
Accuracy of maintenance records
Proper handling and preservation of maintenance records
Identification of any areas for process improvement.

Auditing of CAR-145 organisation includes the following areas:

Quality Audit of Organisation Procedures
Quality audit remedial action procedure
Quality audit of aircraft
Certifying staff and support staff qualification and their training procedures.
Certifying staff and support staff records.
Quality audit personnel.
Qualifying inspectors.
Qualifying mechanics.
Aircraft or aircraft component maintenance tasks exemption process control.
Concession control for deviation from organisations' procedures.
Qualification & procedure for do the specialized activities such as NDT welding etc.
Human factors training procedure.
Competence assessment of personnel.
Training procedures for on-the job training of AMEs/Technicians as per Section 6 of Appendix-III to CAR 66.
Procedure for the issue & recommendation to DGCA for the issuing of a CAR 66 license in accordance with 66.B.105.

Level of finding CAR 145 organization

The CAR 145 organization audit process should provide a level of findings that reflects the organization's ability to find and correct the noncompliance issues. The finding level should be commensurate with the level of compliance risk associated with the specific noncompliance issues. In addition, the organization should have the opportunity to challenge the findings and the auditor's conclusions. The auditor must provide a written explanation for the findings and recommendations.

When during audits or by other means evidence is found showing non- compliance with the requirements of CAR- 145, the following finding level will be generated as per the safety concern:

Level 1 Finding

The Level 1 findings are very serious nature for any organisation & it’s can be avoided by adherence to the all the regulatory requirements & following the required procedure. For Level 1 findings, immediate action is required to revoke, limit or suspend in whole or in part of organisation. Depending upon the nature of extent of the level 1 finding, the maintenance organisation approval, until successful corrective action has been taken by the organization is required to revoke, limit or suspended. In practical terms a level 1 finding is where a significant non-compliance with CAR-145 or other regulatory requirements is found.

Level 2 finding

For level 2 findings, the corrective action period granted depends upon appropriate to the nature of the finding but in any case initially it should not be more than 30 days. In certain circumstances and subject to the nature of the finding these 30 days period may be extended up to 45 days subject to a satisfactory corrective action plan agreed

Reporting on the internal controls of Audit reports

The CAR 145 organization audit report is an important document that summarizes the key findings of the audit and the auditor's recommendations. It's essential to have a well-written and accurate report that will help your company improve its internal controls. The audit report should be clear, concise, and easy to understand by both auditors & auditee. The auditor should also include a section on the internal controls, detailing how they performed and what recommendations they have for improvement. This section is critical, as it will help the company understand and fix any deficiencies in its internal controls.

Conclusion:

The CAR 145 standard for organization audits is very rigorous, and when it's time to go through the process again, there are five things you should be looking out for. If your organization has had an audit in the past 5 years, you know that the best way to get ahead of any problems with your controls is to deal with them before they're flagged by auditors. Check this list whenever it's time for a new round of internal audits so that everything goes smoothly every time. An essential element of the quality system is the independent audit.