Overview
ISO/IEC TS 17021-7:2014 specifies competence requirements for personnel involved in the audit and certification of road traffic safety (RTS) management systems. It complements ISO/IEC 17021:2011 by defining the RTS‑specific knowledge and skills needed by auditors, report reviewers and certification decision‑makers when certifying organizations against ISO 39001. The Technical Specification focuses on ensuring credible, consistent certification of road traffic safety management systems through qualified personnel.
Key Topics
- Scope and relationship to ISO/IEC 17021:2011 - TS 17021-7 supplements the generic competence requirements set out in ISO/IEC 17021 and uses Clauses 5–7 (and Annex A) to define RTS‑specific competence.
- RTS terminology and Safe System approach - knowledge of ISO 39001 concepts, definitions and Safe System principles.
- Organizational context - understanding how organizational activities and contexts influence road traffic safety.
- Applicable laws and other requirements - ability to assess identification and evaluation of legal, regulatory and voluntary obligations.
- Risks and opportunities - methods for identifying and addressing RTS risks and opportunities.
- RTS performance factors, objectives and targets - familiarity with performance indicators, goal‑setting processes and means of achievement.
- Leadership, coordination and emergency preparedness - evaluation of leadership impact, coordination roles and incident response arrangements.
- Performance evaluation and incident investigation - competence in monitoring, measurement, analysis and investigation of road traffic crashes and incidents to determine corrective action.
- Competence for reviewers and decision‑makers - combined competence requirements when certification decisions are made by individuals or committees.
Applications
Who uses ISO/IEC TS 17021-7:2014 and how:
- Certification bodies - to define, recruit and assess the competence of auditors, technical reviewers and decision‑makers for ISO 39001 certification.
- RTS auditors and lead auditors - to benchmark required RTS knowledge (Safe System, performance factors, crash investigation, legal requirements).
- Training providers - to design curricula and assessments for RTS management system auditing.
- Organizations seeking ISO 39001 certification - to understand what auditor competence will be evaluated and to prepare for credible certification.
- Regulators and stakeholders - to interpret certification credibility and assurance in road safety management.
Benefits: consistent, credible audits; clearer expectations for RTS auditor competence; improved alignment between certification practice and ISO 39001 objectives to reduce road traffic deaths and serious injuries.
Related Standards
- ISO/IEC 17021:2011 - generic requirements for bodies providing audit and certification of management systems
- ISO 39001 - Road traffic safety (RTS) management systems - requirements with guidance for use
- ISO/IEC 17000 - conformity assessment vocabulary and principles
- ISO 19011 - guidance on auditing management systems (auditing principles referenced informatively)
Keywords: ISO/IEC TS 17021-7:2014, road traffic safety management systems, RTS, ISO 39001, competence requirements, certification bodies, RTS auditors.