KUCHING: Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK) recently conducted a virtual-hybrid audit for the first time ever with its appointed external certification body, with over half of the audit being performed remotely.
The audit was for BCCK’s certification with the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) in food safety management systems (ISO 22000), environmental management systems (ISO 14001), and quality management systems (ISO 9001).
About 70 percent of the audit was performed virtually using different platforms over the course of a week — through video conferences, instant messages, emails and exchanges of soft copy documents.
The remaining 30 percent will be performed on-site to ensure the credibility of the audit as they have to verify that BCCK is implementing the systems on the ground.
“We are doing this to reduce the exposure of everyone involved, not just for the safety of the auditors but for our staff as well,” said Christopher Wan, director of facilities and chairman of the BCCK Integrated Management Systems.
BCCK’s audit was supposed to be held in March, but due to the Covid-19 circumstances, it was postponed until the movement control order (MCO) was lifted sufficiently for work to resume at the centre.
“The centre’s first priority is to ensure it maintains its record as a qualified, responsible, safe and organised centre, with credentials that reflect dedication to food safety, quality management and responsible waste management.
“We do this so our clients can rest assured that their events are in responsible hands, and that they are receiving the best services,” said BCCK chief executive officer Eric Van Piggelen.
BCCK has been implementing the stringent food safety management systems (ISO 22000) and quality management systems (ISO 9001) for years, creating a safe environment for its clients.
However, additional safety measures are being introduced to keep clients safe such as health screenings, contact recording, and sanitising stations throughout the centre.
“The audit was performed smoothly and can be taken as a good example of the state-of-the-art infrastructure BCCK has, which supports hybrid meetings such as these, as the centre’s dedicated high-speed internet is secure and the audio visual (AV) screens and projectors were very useful throughout the audit.
“We look forward to offering these facilities to our clients as well, giving them a wider range of meeting and collaborative options for them to choose from,” added Piggelen.
