[Audit Procurement Feiyang] On the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, a "worthwhile test" of the "three-system" audit

　　Author of this article: Song Qiuhuan, Auditor of United Wisdom Certification Company

　　From October 24 to 28, I, along with teachers Yu Youqiang and Zhang Mengjie, represented Beijing United Wisdom Certification Co., Ltd. to the backbone of our motherland—the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, to conduct the "Quality, Environment, Occupational Health and Safety" management system certification audit for Qinghai Kunlun Gold Co., Ltd.

　　Qinghai Kunlun Gold Co., Ltd. is located in Xiangride Town, Dulan County, Haixi Prefecture, Qinghai Province, at an altitude of over 3100 meters, belonging to a high-altitude hypoxic area. The three of us came from the plains to the plateau and all experienced varying degrees of altitude sickness during the work process—shortness of breath, dizziness, headache, eye socket pain, nosebleeds, full-body fatigue, difficulty falling asleep... Under these circumstances, we all unanimously expressed our determination to overcome numerous difficulties and complete the audit assigned to us by the company.

　　The next day after arriving here, despite the altitude sickness, we immediately held the first meeting for the "Three Systems" certification audit, attended by senior management and relevant department heads of Qinghai Kunlun Gold Co., Ltd.

　　At the meeting, I explained the audit objectives, basis, process, etc., laying the foundation for the smooth progress of the upcoming certification audit work. Chen Tao, the management representative of Qinghai Kunlun Gold Co., Ltd., said: "We have been eagerly awaiting the teachers from your United Wisdom Certification Company. We sincerely thank you for overcoming altitude sickness to conduct the audit for our company."

　　This certification audit work included on-site inspections, document reviews, and verification with relevant department heads one by one. As auditors of United Wisdom Certification Company, we kept in mind the company's operating purpose and quality policy, upheld the auditor's professional spirit, carefully inspected the cyanide workshop, smelting workshop, tailings pond, quality inspection center, power distribution room, and other sites, thoroughly reviewed the quality, environmental, and occupational health and safety management system documents, and simultaneously put forward corresponding constructive suggestions for related management work.

　　Conducting the "Three Systems" certification audit on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau was a very "challenging" audit experience. All three of us experienced varying degrees of altitude sickness. Especially teacher Yu Youqiang, who was responsible for auditing the production workshop and key positions in important departments, suffered severe altitude sickness after arriving here, but he still stayed on the front line every day and conscientiously completed the certification audit with measures such as oxygen inhalation.

　　After the audit was completed, we held a final meeting lasting more than an hour, reporting the results of this QES audit—each issuing one nonconformity, and affirming the achievements made by the other party during the meeting. Meanwhile, the departments audited by the three of us also exchanged some views during the meeting. Teacher Yu Youqiang proposed some organizational suggestions regarding serious equipment corrosion and raw material coverage issues.

　　I discussed that management plans should be formulated based on the annual environmental and safety project investments tailored to the company, and that compliance review reports should address the company's laws, compliance status, and report descriptions, and I expressed my hopes during the meeting. Because I spoke continuously at that time, I felt a bit short of breath due to hypoxia, but I silently told myself to persevere until the meeting ended.

　　Finally, the three of us overcame various discomforts caused by high-altitude hypoxia and successfully completed the final meeting. As teacher Zhang Mengjie from our group said: "Having participated in audits for nearly two years, this is the first time I have heard such a professional, serious, and wonderful final meeting."

　　General Manager Chen, the management representative of Qinghai Kunlun Gold Co., Ltd., said: "During the audit process over these days, the three teachers overcame various discomforts caused by high-altitude hypoxia, worked conscientiously and responsibly, and fulfilled their duties. Your spirit of meticulous work in challenging altitude sickness is admirable and worthy of learning by all our staff. We sincerely thank Beijing United Wisdom Certification Co., Ltd. For the three written nonconformities issued and the oral issues raised by the teachers at the meeting, we will definitely learn from them and rectify them as soon as possible."

　　Thus, we disciplined ourselves strictly, challenged arduous tasks, and delivered a rigorous and satisfactory audit report with a rigorous audit attitude.

　　In the end, the audit team of United Wisdom Certification Company successfully completed the certification audit work for Qinghai Kunlun Gold Co., Ltd., accomplishing this "challenging" audit on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.