SA 8000 Certification
What is SA 8000?
Social Accountability (SA) systems are part of the SA 8000 worldwide labor standard. The SA 8000 standard, which was established in 1997, establishes obligations for businesses in the areas of child labor, forced labor, health and safety, freedom of association, and collective bargaining. The standard requirements encourage organizations to develop, maintain and apply socially acceptable practices in the workplace and worker welfare improvement. The criteria of ISO standards, as well as the principles of national labor laws, the UN Declaration of Human Rights, and international human rights conventions were used to create this globally recognized standard.
Benefits of SA 8000 Certification for Businesses
- A better workplace environment ensures enhanced employee satisfaction
- Improves relationship with management
- Meets applicable statutory and regulatory requirements
- Global recognition to your business
- Employee empowerment and efficiency in the workplace
- Competitive advantage in the global market
Who Can Apply for SA 8000 Certification?
Some of the key organizations that would benefit from SA 8000 certification are:
- Manufacturers and distributors of goods and services
- Companies that provide support services to trade firms, manufacturing plants, and product distribution networks
- Companies that have operations in many countries
- Consultants who can help with SA 8000 implementation.
- Interested government agencies in creating Social Accountability standards for goods and services procurement
- Governmental organizations
- Trade Unions
- NGOs/NPOs
Why Choose IAS for SA 8000 Certification?
Organizations turn to third-party certification bodies to obtain SA 8000 certification such as IAS. Integrated Assessment Services (IAS) is a leading globally recognized SA 8000 Certification Body, operating in the United Kingdom, which is accredited by Universal Quality Accreditation Services (UQAS). We provide SA 8000 certification in the UK and also in various countries across the world. Incorporated in 2006, we have two decades of professional experience in auditing and providing SA 8000 certification and various product and ISO process certifications.
We are independent experts in auditing and the most trusted SA 8000 certification body in ensuring the conformity and requirements of international management standards. We effectively support our clients to implement the management system for their growth and development.
Procedure to Obtain SA 8000 Certification through IAS:
- Initially, make an inquiry on our global website or contact us directly through mail or telephone, based on your country/region.
- Download and fill the application form which is available for free on our website.
- After reviewing the application, IAS will contact you for further certification procedures.
- Our auditors will form a customized plan to perform the SA 8000 certification audit.
- Our SA 8000 Certification audit includes 2 major stages:
- Evaluation of your organization – Readiness Audit
- Verifying objective evidence and conformity to the SA 8000 standard requirements – Implementation Audit
- IAS will convey the audit findings, any non-conformities, and any necessary observations found during the audit to your organization.
- The time duration for effective non-conformity closure is between 30 to 60 days.
- Verification and validation of non-conformity closure and also follow-up visits will be conducted by our IAS team for SA 8000 certification.
- Finally, IAS will issue SA 8000 certification with a validity of three years.
- IAS also conducts a surveillance audit every 12 months throughout the SA 8000 certification validity period.
- IAS will also conduct a re-certification audit after the validity of the initial SA 8000 certification.
SA 8000 Certification Cost
IAS provides competitive pricing for SA 8000 certification. The SA 8000 Certification cost depends on the size and nature of your organizational structure. The SA 8000 certification cost also depends on your organization’s knowledge and preparedness in implementing an SA 8000 social accountability management system. The total cost includes service charges, auditor fees, audit reports, site visits, certification issuance, etc.
IAS offers a free quotation service to help you understand the cost of SA 8000 Certification and all the associated fees such as consultancy, training, documentation, re-certification audits, etc. Please get in touch with us to get a free quotation!
For more details about SA 8000 certification, SA 8000 certification cost, other ISO management standards & product certification, and audit procedures, kindly contact us at enquiry@iascertification.com