Social Accountability with UL

This section will provide information on the following areas:

• What is social accountability?
• What is SA8000?
• Do other social accountability standards exist?
• Who benefits from social accountability auditing?
• What can UL do for me in social accountability auditing?
• Why UL?

What is Social Accountability?

Social accountability is a broad term created as a business response to a host of operational factors affecting a company’s diverse stakeholders. These stakeholders include employees, the community, governmental and nongovernmental organizations, management, owners and stockholders.

These operational factors include working environment, employment compliance, safety, diversity, discrimination and equal rights, human rights, community responsibility, environmental concerns, product life cycle, legal issues and regulatory requirements. These factors may not be directly tied to the company’s manufacturing process but do create need for the company to assess compliance, conformance and risk affecting the company, it’s environment and it’s profitability.

What is SA8000?

SA8000 is an international standard for assessing the social accountability of suppliers and vendors. SA8000 provides the requirements and audit methodology to evaluate workplace conditions including child labor, forced labor, health and safety, freedom of association, discrimination, disciplinary practices, working hours, compensation and management’s responsibility to maintain and improve working conditions.

SA8000 was created in 1998 by an international group headed by the Council for Economic Priorities (CEP) and accredited by the Council for Economic Priorities Accreditation Agency (CEPAA). SA8000 is viewed as the most globally applicable and auditable workplace standard, and can be assessed in any size facility in any geography and industry sector. The CEPAA has created the most rigorous third-party certification requirements which will ensure that auditors are clearly qualified, certification procedures are implemented and effective and public confidence is maintained.

SA8000 is not an ISO-series standard.

Many aspects of SA8000 are similar to the ISO 9000 series of standards, such as preventive and corrective action, management review, planning, implementation and measurement of effectiveness, control of suppliers, records and the need for verifiable objective evidence.

There are some differences from the ISO 9000 series requirements. These include SA8000 provisions to disclose information to selected third-parties, an increased reliance on employee interviews, which are confidential and may be off-site, and the collecting of evidence from outside of the company, such as from the local health department, economic development agency, church or school. Additionally, the scope of registration cannot be limited to only certain buildings, assembly lines, processes or areas; all areas including recreational and dormitory areas must be assessed if present.

Do Other Social Accountability Standards Exist?

Other "SA8000 type standards" also exist. In addition to SA8000, the Fair Labor Association Code, American Apparel Manufacturers Code, the International Council of Toys Industries Code as well as many individual-company-only codes exist. Each vary somewhat in scope, monitoring requirements and acceptance.

Who Benefits From Social Accountability Auditing?

Primary market drivers for SA8000 and other social accountability codes include 1) retailers seeking supply chain assurances, positive media and PR management, 2) companies who support ethical and "green" consumerism, 3) consumer’s interest and pressure, and 3) the socially responsible investment industry.

What Can UL Do For Me In Social Accountability Auditing?

UL’s social accountability audit staff are trained to the requirements of the ISO 9000 series as well as the SA 8000 standards and can provide audit, registration and certification services in ISO9000, QS9000, ISO 14001, TL 9000, VDA 6.1 as well as standards in environmental public health and aerospace, industry and company codes.

Services include Pre-Registration Evaluations (preliminary), Registration and Surveillance audits. Social Accountability audits may be complementary to ISO/QS 9000 and can be concurrent, sequential or integrated with ISO 9000, ISO 14001, TL 9000, QS 9000 etc.

Why UL?

• Not-for-profit status
• Highest ethical standards
• Not a consulting or financial audit company, no conflict of interest
• Over 100 year history of public trust
• Global presence to perform social accountability audits worldwide
• Integration with existing or emerging ISO/QS 9000 or other conformity assessment programs
• Service from local offices in local languages worldwide, including Canada, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Sweden, United Kingdom, China, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and the United States.

For an overview of the various quality management services UL offers click here.