Relevant ISO 9001 Requirement
Clause 7.3 – Awareness states that persons doing work under the organisation’s control shall be aware of:
The quality policy;
Relevant quality objectives;
Their contribution to the effectiveness of the QMS;
The implications of not conforming with QMS requirements.
A critical point is that ISO 9001 uses the phrase:
“persons doing work under the organisation ' s control”
This includes:
Why Option B is Correct
In the scenario:
The refrigeration engineers performing the actual maintenance and repair services are all subcontractors.
The Managing Director states that these subcontractors have not been informed of:
The justification given is that the subcontractors themselves have ISO 9001-certified management systems.
However, ISO 9001 certification of a subcontractor does not remove the organisation ' s responsibility to ensure persons working under its control are aware of the organisation ' s own QMS requirements.
Therefore, the organisation has failed to demonstrate compliance with Clause 7.3 Awareness .
Why the Other Options Are Incorrect
A. Clause 7.4 – Communication
The scenario does not primarily indicate a failure of communication processes.
The issue is not whether communication methods exist, but whether the subcontractors have the required awareness.
C. Clause 7.2 – Competence
The Managing Director explicitly states that competence requirements are applied to both full-time staff and subcontractors.
No evidence is presented that competence has not been determined or evaluated.
Therefore, a competence failure is not the strongest conclusion.
D. Clause 7.5 – Documented Information
The scenario indicates documented information exists and was reviewed by the auditor.
No evidence suggests documented information is missing, uncontrolled, or unavailable.
Therefore, Clause 7.5 is not the most likely issue.
ISO-Aligned Conclusion
The organisation relies entirely on subcontracted refrigeration engineers to deliver its certified services. Because these personnel perform work under the organisation ' s control, ISO 9001 requires them to be aware of the organisation ' s quality policy, objectives, and relevant QMS requirements.
The evidence shows this awareness has not been established.
Answer: B. 7.3 Awareness
===========
