What is SA-8000?

SA 8000 is an international certification standard that encourages organisations to develop, maintain and apply socially acceptable practices in the workplace.

It was created in 1989 by Social Accountability International (SAI), an affiliate of the Council on Economic Priorities, and is viewed as the most globally accepted independent workplace standard. It can be applied to any company, of any size, worldwide.

The areas SA 8000 addresses include forced and child labor, occupational health and safety, freedom of association and collective bargaining, discrimination, disciplinary practices, working hours, compensation and management systems.

As well as setting workplace standards worldwide, SA 8000 also embraces existing international agreements, including conventions from the International Labor Organisation, the Universal Declaration on Human Rights and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Benefits of SA 8000 Certification Standard:
  • Proves your commitment to social accountability and to treating your employees ethically and in compliance with global standards.
  • Improves the management and performance of your supply chain.
  • Allows you to ensure compliance with global standards and reduce the risk of negligence, public exposure and possible litigation.
  • Supports your corporate vision and build and reinforce the loyalty of your employees, customers and stakeholders.
  • Enables you to demonstrate proper social accountability when bidding for international contracts or expanding locally to accommodate new business.
 
How to gain registration?

The process of registration follows three simple steps:
·         Application for registration is made by completing the questionnaire
·         Assessment to sa 8000 is undertaken by QI. This consists of two mandatory visits which form the Initial Certification Audit
·         Registration is granted by QI and maintained by the client. Maintenance is confirmed through a programme of annual surveillance visits and a three yearly re-certification audit.

 
Initial Certification Audit

Stage 1 – the purpose of this visit is to confirm the readiness of the organisation for full assessment.
The assessor will:
·         confirm that the social accountability system conforms to the requirements of the standard including the identification of impacts and aspects
·         confirm its implementation status
·         confirm the scope of certification
·         check legislative compliance
·         produce a report that identifies any non-compliance or potential for non-compliance and agree a corrective action plan if required
·         produce an assessment plan and confirm a date for the Stage 2 assessment visit.

Stage 2 – the purpose of this visit is to confirm that the quality management system fully conforms to the requirements of SA 8000 in practice.
The assessor will:
·         undertake sample audits of the processes and activities defined in the scope of assessment
·         document how the system complies with the standard report any non-compliances or potential for noncompliance
·         produce a surveillance plan and confirm a date for the first surveillance visit

If the assessor identifies any major non-conformance, the organisation cannot be certified until corrective action is taken and verified.

 
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