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
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.
