Must corrective action requests be written by the internal auditor?

Corrective action requests do not have to be written specifically by the internal auditor. The responsibility for initiating a corrective action request typically lies with those who identify a nonconformity or issue during an audit, which can include anyone involved in the quality management process, not just the internal auditor. The role of the internal auditor is to identify areas requiring improvement and to report findings, but it's up to the relevant management or process owners to take action and document corrective measures.

Furthermore, the ISO 9001 standard emphasizes a systematic process for corrective actions, which includes documenting the issues and actions taken. The documentation can vary depending on the organization's procedures and can be performed by different team members depending on their roles and responsibilities. Therefore, it is acceptable for anyone in the organization to draft a corrective action request based on the auditor's findings, making it unnecessary for the internal auditor to be the sole author.