{"id":2847,"date":"2021-07-30T05:23:06","date_gmt":"2021-07-30T05:23:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/proqc.com\/blog\/?p=2847"},"modified":"2026-04-01T10:56:49","modified_gmt":"2026-04-01T10:56:49","slug":"ensure-social-compliance-sa8000","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/proqc.com\/blog\/ensure-social-compliance-sa8000\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Ensure Social Compliance Using SA8000 gap analysis and Other HSE Audits"},"content":{"rendered":"

Social compliance issues have been a growing concern for several years now and only continue to rise as working conditions have taken a backseat during the Covid-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n

\"Social<\/p>\n

The Rana Plaza disaster killed over a thousand people and maimed over two thousand more when the eight-story commercial building, housing garment production workshops, collapsed in Bangladesh\u2019s capital, Dhaka, in 2013. This single disaster highlighted a need for greater transparency and vigilance within the social compliance sector. However, factory safety standards still remain a concern in countries such as Bangladesh, where a recent fire at a factory outside Dhaka left at least 52 dead because exit doors had been padlocked shut.<\/p>\n

More recently, Covid-19 has exacerbated issues, with child labor returning to the spotlight as increasingly economically desperate families send their children out to work for minimum wage under unregulated conditions.<\/p>\n

While there is still a long way to go before human rights are adequately addressed, it is possible to start with ensuring social compliance in your global supply chain through social audit services that include the SA8000 gap analysis.<\/p>\n

Measuring social compliance standards in the supply chain<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The International Labor Organization (ILO)<\/a>, a United Nations agency, developed a set of Labor standards, which have grown into a comprehensive outline for work and social policy. These have evolved into several sets of social and ethical compliance standards,<\/p>\n

designed to protect human rights, guard against issues such as child labor and human trafficking, as well as create a fair, equitable, and safe workplace for all, among other aspects of protection of the quality of life in the workplace.<\/p>\n

Detecting gaps, weaknesses, and abuses require conducting frequent supplier reviews and ensuring appropriate action is taken to rectify any issues. Conducting a social audit in China, India, Bangladesh, Vietnam, the Philippines, Myanmar, among other countries where production is outsourced, is especially necessary.<\/p>\n

Common auditable social compliance standards include:<\/p>\n

SA8000 gap analysis:<\/strong> Social Accountability International (SAI) leading social certification standard<\/p>\n

SMETA:<\/strong> Sedex Members Ethical Trade Audit (SEDEX) is widely used to assess on-site working conditions<\/p>\n

BSCI:<\/strong> Business Social Compliance Initiative\u2019s social monitoring system for ethical sourcing<\/p>\n

WRAP:<\/strong> Worldwide Responsible Accredited Production certifies factories based on 12 principles<\/p>\n

ISO 26000<\/strong>: guidelines on social responsibility through assessment of social responsibilities and actions significant to a company\u2019s functionality<\/p>\n

RBA:<\/strong> Responsible Business Alliance\u2019s resources on social responsibility in global supply chains<\/p>\n

What do social compliance standards achieve?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

While largely voluntary, social compliance standards set the benchmark for humane treatment in factories. Through providing transparency across supplier practices, a social compliance audit can also identify risky suppliers, enable buyers to protect their brands, and ensure an ethical supply chain.<\/p>\n

Social audit services are the first step in ensuring suppliers meet the requirements of a social compliance standard.<\/p>\n

SA8000 gap analysis <\/strong><\/h3>\n

The SA8000 framework by Social Accountability International (SAI) is considered one of the most popular standards to help measure social performance across eight areas important to social accountability in workplaces. The rigorous approach of the SA8000 gap analysis has made it one of the more popular standards, as it ensures a very high level of social compliance within supply chains.<\/p>\n

The eight elements of the SA8000 standard are:<\/p>\n