ISM Lead Auditor

The Nautical Institute aims to contribute to the improvement of vessel safety with the development of the ISM Lead Auditors’ Course. The ISM Lead Auditors course aims to give candidates knowledge in;

• ISM Code – overview of specific parts (as required)
• Auditing methods/timetable/scope
• The audit process
• Questioning auditees
• Non-conformities and observations
• Reporting
• Follow-up and audit completion
• Recommendations

Upon completion of The Nautical Institute’s ISM Lead Auditor course candidates should be confident in planning and preparing for an audit, conducting an audit, and subsequently understand how to follow up on an audit.

The ISM Lead Auditor Course is delivered over five days. The course is delivered over four hours per day, totalling 18 hours of teaching time. 

The course is designed for members of the maritime community, specifically those in the industry who have the professional knowledge and experience to apply the principles of the ISM Code to vessels whilst understanding the culture and requirements of the industry.

This is a pass/fail course.

To achieve a pass, participants must:

• Attend the course in full. 
• Pass a theoretical assessment held at the end of the course. The pass mark is 70%.
• Demonstrate the ability to complete all required elements of practical auditing tasks to the satisfaction of the lecturer.

At the end of the ISM Lead Auditor course and following a pass mark, candidates will be issues both an ISM Lead Auditor wall certificate and a card wallet which can be carried on board. This certification is valid for five year from the date of issue.

Revalidation

The ISM Lead Auditor qualification is designed to meet the needs of practicing auditors and as such revalidation of the certificate requires candidates to satisfy one of the following criteria:

1. To provide evidence of completion of a minimum 2 ISM audits in the previous five years.  Suitable evidence may include a description of the work undertaken in a log with supporting evidence of correspondence, invoices or anonymised reports.  Or
2. The conduct of a minimum 5 safety-related audits of a similar standing and requirement to that of the ISM audits described in part a
3. Complete a full ISM audit report within 1 month of expiry and attend a subsequent interview/review with an NI Assessor.