Charles River's Corporate Quality Program consists of four primary elements:
- Management Structure
- Quality Policy Statement
- Quality Programs
- Quality Initiatives
Charles River senior management has established an organizational structure with assigned responsibilities and authorities to manage and assess quality systems and services. Reporting to senior management through the Senior Vice President of Human Resources and Administration Corporate, Regulatory Affairs and Quality Assurance (RA/QA) is an independent group that is responsible for ensuring compliance to regulations and corporate quality policies. Charles River operating sites have direct reporting responsibilities into corporate RA/QA.
The employees of Charles River are committed to providing the highest quality products and services to our clients. Our commitment is defined by the following principles:
- To meet or exceed customers’ expectations
- To listen, anticipate, and respond to our customers’ needs
- To implement quality initiatives that are achieved through continuous improvement efforts
- To ensure that all employees uphold the principles of this commitment
Our success will be measured by our customers’ satisfaction and tracking and trending key quality indicators.
Quality Programs are defined by our corporate quality policies, which describe the philosophy, structure, and key elements of our quality systems. Charles River operating sites implement the appropriate quality policies dependent upon their locations, types of products or services provided, and prevailing regulatory requirements.
Corporate RA/QA identifies and develops quality initiatives in conjunction with senior managements’ strategic goals. Some initiatives may involve individuals outside our quality organization, while others may be sponsored by different organizations with corporate RA/QA participating as a team member.