PAACO Certified Auditor Standards of Conduct

PAACO certified auditors shall:

1) exercise honesty, objectivity, and diligence in the performance of their duties and responsibilities. An auditor shall not intentionally and knowingly be a party to any illegal or improper activity related to their area(s) of certification or otherwise indicating a lack of personal integrity.

2) not engage in acts or activities which are discreditable to the profession of animal auditing or to PAACO including, but not limited to acts of a dishonest, deceitful or fraudulent nature.

3) refrain from entering into any activity that may be in conflict of interest or which would prejudice their ability to carry out objectively their duties and responsibilities in an independent and unbiased fashion.

4) make findings, conclusions and decisions based on current science based information using scientifically sound auditable points.

5) not accept anything of value from anyone that would impair or be presumed to impair their professional judgment.

6) undertake only those services they can reasonably expect to complete with professional competence.

7) be prudent in the use of information acquired in the course of their duties. They shall not use confidential information for any personal gain nor in any manner that would be contrary to law or a confidentiality agreement.

8) when reporting on the results of their work, reveal all material facts known to them which, if not revealed, could either distort reports of operations under review or conceal fraudulent practices.

9) continually strive for improvement in their proficiency and skills and in the effectiveness and quality of their service.

10) cooperate fully with an inquiry in the event of any alleged breach of these Standards of Conduct.

11) not represent their acts or statements in such a way as to lead others to believe that they officially represent PAACO.

12) in the practice of their profession, be ever mindful of the obligation to maintain high standards of competence, morality, and truth.

13) strive to use their knowledge and expertise to enhance the welfare of animals and animal systems.

PAACO Certified Animal Auditors are required to observe the tenets set forth below:

Relationship with the Animals
- Hold paramount the safety, health and welfare of the animals
- Comply with the facility biosecurity requirements

Relationship with Clients and Employers
- Perform services only in one’s area of expertise and certification
- Maintain confidentiality of audit results
- Avoid any conflicts of interest or appearances of conflict of interest, such as performing audits for facilities or clients in which the auditor has a personal or financial interest

Relationship with Peers
- Continue professional development through continuing education and mentoring
- Avoid any attempts to falsely or maliciously injure the reputation of another auditor including making false statements relative to other auditors or their work
- Provide appropriate credit for work done by others or information obtained from others

Responsibility to the Profession
- A certified auditor having positive knowledge of a deviation from the Standards of Conduct by another certified auditor has the responsibility to bring this to the attention of the Ethics Committee.