How to audit a cleanroom panel factory, on site or by video

By ZY Cleanroom · Updated 2026-11-01 · Sources at the end of the page

Verify the certificates first

Look up ISO 9001 and similar certificates in IAF CertSearch. It can be searched by company name or certificate number and shows the status: active, suspended, withdrawn or expired. If nothing appears, the certificate may not be in the database yet, so ask the certification body.

Fire, mechanical and thermal reports must name the core, thickness and facings you will buy. Efectis lists the characteristics determined for sandwich panels under the harmonised standard: thermal, acoustic, mechanical, fire, water and air tightness, dimensional and durability. It adds that manufacturers must keep factory production control.

Documents to request before the call

Ask for the process flow, the inspection plan, the calibration list, the names of steel, core and adhesive suppliers, recent test reports and the complaint log. Read them before the camera is on, so the call tests the records against the line.

Checks on the line

Pick the sample panels yourself. Never audit only the panels the factory chooses.

Running a video audit

IAF MD 4:2023 is written for certification bodies but is a useful model. It says use of remote technology must be agreed in advance under information security rules (4.1.2). Risks must be recorded (4.2.1). The audit plan must state how the technology is used (4.2.3). The report must record how far it was used (4.2.6). If no agreement is reached, other methods apply (4.1.4).

It also says a virtual location cannot be a place where work needs a physical setting, such as manufacturing (clause 3, note 1). A newer edition, IAF MD 4:2025, replaced it on 30 January 2026.

Ask for a live feed, not a recorded tour. Ask the operator to measure and cut a panel edge on camera. Record the session only with the factory's consent.

Agree camera count, lighting, bandwidth and a phone fallback before the day, and test the link a day earlier. IAF MD 4 notes that technology can add planning time to an audit (4.2.5).

Red flags and third-party inspection

Treat these as red flags: records produced only after you ask, a report thickness that differs from the sample, no batch marks on panels, and a refusal of live camera work.

For a third-party inspector, ask for accreditation to ISO/IEC 17020, the standard for bodies performing inspection, which IAF MD 4 lists among the standards it may be applied to.

Record findings and follow up

Grade findings as critical, major or minor. Agree corrective actions in writing. Re-check critical items by video or inspection before shipment. Keep a retained sample from the audited batch.

Who approves the room

The regulator approves the owner's facility, not the panel supplier. Your audit file supports the qualification record. To have a room list reviewed, send it to ZY Cleanroom, a cleanroom design-and-build contractor with its own panel factory in Tianjin, China.

Related guides

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• Cleanroom wall and ceiling finishes: coving, sealants, joints and stainless steel
• Paper Honeycomb Cleanroom Panels for Walls and Ceilings
• Modular operating theatres: scope, air and pressure standards
• Turnkey cleanroom contractor
• Room list builder

Sources

• IAF CertSearch, How to verify a Company Certificate (support pages; checked 31 October 2026)
• Efectis, CE certification process of sandwich panels (undated web page; checked 31 October 2026)
• IAF MD 4:2023, Use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) for Auditing/Assessment Purposes, issue 2 version 4, clauses 2 to 4 (copy published by the Czech Accreditation Institute, 1 September 2023; checked 31 October 2026)
• IAF MD 4:2025, issue 3, which replaces MD 4:2023 (issued 30 January 2025, in force 30 January 2026; Polish copy by the Polish Centre for Accreditation; checked 31 October 2026)