Huaweida Testing & Certification (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.

SA 8000 Social Accountability Management System

The SA 8000 international standard encourages organizations to develop, maintain and implement socially acceptable workplace practices. Established in 1997 by the Council on Economic Priorities Accreditation Agency (CEPAA), later renamed Social Accountability International (SAI), it is one of the world’s most widely recognized independent labour standards, applicable to organizations of all sizes across the globe. The areas covered by the SA 8000 standard include child labour, occupational health and safety, freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining, discrimination, disciplinary practices, working hours, remuneration and management systems. In addition to setting universally applicable workplace standards, SA 8000 incorporates provisions from existing international agreements, including ILO Conventions, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.

The SA8000 process can enhance an enterprise’s appeal to existing and potential employees, on which HR activities can be built. "There is purely economic value in adopting the SA8000 process," said Coffman from CEPAA. "If you invest more in worker training, you will gain healthier partners and more loyal employees. Having healthier employees represents investment in the workforce, which brings returns in the form of higher productivity and morale. Surveys show that employees gain a better understanding of their jobs, maintain better training levels and become more competent workers. People definitely tend to choose companies that operate ethically and uphold human rights commitments, and they take pride in working for such organizations.

Service Content

SA8000 sets out minimum requirements in the following areas with consistent standards:

Child Labor: Enterprises shall control the minimum age, young workers, school internships, working hours and safe working scopes in accordance with laws.
Forced Labor: Enterprises shall not engage in or support the use of forced labor, or use inducements or require deposits during employment. Enterprises shall allow employees to leave after shifts and permit employees to resign.
Health and Safety: Enterprises must provide a safe and healthy working environment, protection against accidents and injuries, health and safety education, sanitation maintenance facilities and potable running water.
Freedom of Association and Right to Collective Bargaining: Enterprises respect the right of all personnel to form and join trade unions of their choice and conduct collective bargaining.
Discrimination: Enterprises shall not discriminate on the grounds of race, social status, nationality, disability, gender, sexual orientation, union membership or political affiliation.
Disciplinary Practices: Corporal punishment, mental and physical coercion and verbal abuse are prohibited.
Working Hours: Enterprises must comply with applicable laws. Employees shall not work more than 60 hours per week. Overtime must be voluntary, and employees shall have at least one rest day per week.
Remuneration: Wages must reach the statutory and industry minimum standards and provide discretionary income after meeting basic needs. Employers shall specify allowances, handling rules and deductions, and shall not evade labor laws through fraudulent training programs.
Management System: Enterprises shall formulate a publicly available policy committing to comply with relevant laws and other provisions; ensure management reviews, appoint enterprise representatives to supervise plan implementation and control, select suppliers that also meet SA8000 requirements, establish channels for voicing opinions and implement corrective actions, maintain open communication with auditors, provide applicable inspection methods, and present supporting documents and records.

Value & Benefits

Reduce second-party audits of suppliers by overseas customers and cut costs.
Enable enterprises to achieve higher compliance with local regulatory requirements.
Build international credibility.
Foster positive sentiments of consumers towards products.
Build long-term confidence in the enterprise among partners.

Service Process

Application Submission
Review and Acceptance
Preliminary Visit
Contract Signing
Document Submission
Audit Team Formation
Document Pre-review
Audit Preparation
Preliminary Audit
Certification Audit
Submission of Audit Report and Conclusion
Examination by Technical Committee
Approval and Registration
Issuance of Certification Certificate
Announcement of Certified Companies
Surveillance Audit

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SA 8000 Social Accountability Management System

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