a relationship between the certification body, or a person working for the certification body (paid or unpaid, staff or contractor), and another organization or person, that threatens the impartiality of the certification body. Such relationships apply to past, present or future involvement and include:

1. having worked with, or been a consumer of, or consulted to the organization in the last two years, or reasonable prospects of such work;
2. owning shares in the organization;
3. being in competition with the organization;
4. any other commercial or voluntary arrangement or directorship with the organization
5. having immediate family members or being employed by an organization in any of the above situations.

a person with disability who is eligible to be a member of an audit team, engaged for his/her specialist knowledge and abilities; eg. Empathy with the life experience of people with disability, and ability to plan and facilitate the effective input of people with disability in an audit process. A CTE shall provide evidence to the certification body of the CTE having been a service recipient of a State or Commonwealth funded disability organization in Australia.

Note:

1. every audit team shall include a CTE. If appropriately qualified, the CTE may also perform the functions of an auditor/lead auditor;
2. other technical experts (with or without disability) may also be attached to the audit team to supplement the background knowledge of the team; eg. Where there are critical requirements and special procedures.

the requirements of a key performance indicator associated with a Disability Services Standard are not met, or the outcome is ineffective. A number of related nonconformities may also constitute a major nonconformity. The certification body's procedures shall ensure that:

1. verification of effective corrective action shall require a follow-up visit by the certification body before certification. If the organization is already certified, evidence of a corrective action plan shall be presented to the certification body within 5 working days, and verification of effective corrective action shall require a follow-up visit by the certification body within three months;
2. failure to action the major nonconformity within three months, or take action sufficient to downgrade the major nonconformity to a nonconformity, shall result in automatic suspension of certification;
3. the certification body notifies the Department within 10 working days of raising a major nonconformity at the closing meeting which concludes an audit;
4. if the major nonconformity is downgraded to a nonconformity, that nonconformity is actioned within a further three months (total of six months to fully action a major nonconformity).

the requirements of a key performance indicator associated with a Disability Services Standard are not fully met, or the outcome is only partly effective. The certification body's procedures shall ensure that:

1. implemented corrective action is verified as effective before certification, or within six months if the disability employment organization is already certified;
2. failure to action the nonconformity within six months will result in a major nonconformity being raised with the disability employment organization’s corrective action process;
3. the certification body notifies the Department within 10 working days of raising a nonconformity at the closing meeting which concludes an audit.

the system used by the Department to rate conformity of a disability employment organization. Each key performance indicator associated with a Disability Services Standard is to be rated according to the scale below. A Disability Services Standard is to be rated the same as the lowest rating of any of its associated key performance indicators:

1. major nonconformity is 0;
2. nonconformity is 1;
3. conformity is 2.