In some extreme cases a verified assessment report is invalidated. When a verified report is invalidated, the report is removed from the system and sharing is no longer possible. Both the facility and the Verifier Body/Verifier will receive a notification from Gateway. End-users, e.g. brands that have downloaded the invalidated report, will also be notified.

Invalidation is carried out by the Verification Oversight Organization (VOO). A verified assessment report is considered invalid when:

Basic quality standards are not met:

  1. Tool not completed (over 5% of the questions left blank)
  2. Tool not completed in English
  3. Significant # of findings not supported with evidence
  4. Significant # of findings not clearly communicated (findings are not written clearly; findings can be interpreted in more than one way; tool questions not correctly answered)

Verifier requirements are not met:

  1. Verifier not approved by VOO
  2. Verifier supported facility in the joint-assessment
  3. Verifier did not spend sufficient man-days on site

Significant issues with the verification process are found:

  1. Evidence of bribery (solicited or accepted by Verifier)
  2. Verifier was denied access to facility grounds (entirely or in part)
  3. Verifier was denied access to workers (interviews)
  4. Verifier was denied access to information (documents)
  5. Findings at the verified site were not captured in the report

Read more about it in the Quality Assurance Manual.