Rating

Policies, Procedures &

Records

All components of
Level 4 AND: SA8000
policies and procedures
regularly reviewed and
updated. SA8000
implementation tied to
business strategy and
planning. Demonstrated
continual improvement
and process review.

Social Performance
Team (SPT)

Identification &
Assessment of Risks

All components of
Level 4 AND: Risk
All components of
assessment process
Level 4 AND: Senior
regularly reviewed and
management regularly
updated for continual
reviews the SPT's
improvement, with
effectiveness. Team
emphasis on
members' involvement in
transparency. Risk
SPT is part of their
assessment results used
performance review.
in business strategy and
planning.

Monitoring

Internal Involvement & Complaint Management

Communication
& Resolution

All components of
All components of
Level 4 AND:
Level 4 AND: Monitoring Communication
process regularly
procedures regularly
reviewed and updated for reviewed and updated,
continual improvement. based on evaluations of
Monitoring results used workers' understanding
to review performance to of SA8000. Worker input
meet objectives set as
incorporated into annual
part of overall business improvement plans in
strategy and planning.
order to improve SA8000
implementation.

SPT responsible for risk

assessment of internal
Routine implementation
processes and significant
of SA8000 policies and
Peer-selected Social
business partners. Risk
procedures, as
SPT responsible for
Performance Team with assessment includes root
evidenced by records.
routine monitoring of
balanced representation cause analysis and
Policies and procedures
SA8000 implementation,
of managers and
consultation with
communicated internally
including facilitating
workers responsible for interested parties. SPT
and externally.
formal internal audits.
SA8000 implementation. recommends actions to
Management review
senior management to
conducted.
address risks and root
cases.

External Verification &

Stakeholder
Engagement

Corrective &
Preventative Actions

Management of
Suppliers &
Contractors

All components of
Level 4 AND: Complaint
management system
All components of
regularly reviewed and Level 4 AND: Regular,
updated to ensure that it proactive engagement
is trusted and widely
and communication with
accessible. Complaints interested parties for
routinely reviewed to
continual improvement of
identify root causes and SA8000 implementation.
areas for continual
improvement.

All components of
Level 4 AND: Training All components of
All components of
plan regularly reviewed Level 4 AND: Business
Level 4 AND: Corrective
and updated for continual partners' SA8000
and preventive action
improvement and to
implementation
process regularly
ensure that it is building connected to sourcing
reviewed and updated for
the necessary capacity decisions, with incentives
continual improvement.
amongst personnel.
for high performance.
Risk assessment used to
Capacity building
Local groups engaged to
predict potential issues
facilitated for business
improve supply chain
and pre-empt them.
partners to prevent
transparency.
issues from occurring.

Regular communication
about SA8000 between
managers and all
workers. Evaluation of
workers' understanding
of SA8000.

Formal complaint
management system in
place. System includes
multiple ways to lodge a
Full cooperation with
complaint and is
external auditors.
confidential, nonStakeholder identification
retaliatory and available
and mapping conducted
to interested parties.
to proactively engage
Complaint resolutions are
with interested parties for
reviewed by senior
SA8000 implementation.
management and results
are available upon
request to interested
parties.

On-going training for all

SPT facilitates corrective personnel on SA8000
actions and preventive implementation and
actions, monitoring
specialized training for
timelines and allocation SPT. Training records
of resources. Root cause maintained and
analyses identify
effectiveness of training
necessary preventive
measured. Capacity
actions to avoid
building facilitated for
recurrence.
business partners to fix
problems.

Communication with
business partners about
SA8000 and
expectations for
performance. Supply
chain mapping and risk
assessment conducted to
prioritize certain business
partners for further
engagement. labour risks
considered in selection of
new business partners.

Procedures in place for Training plan in place for

corrective actions.
all personnel to receive
Corrective action process some training on labour
primarily the
issues, with specialized
responsibility of HR and training for those
OHS departments.
managing labour
Records of actions
practices. Training
maintained.
conducted irregularly.

Business partners
informed of labour
standard requirements
and must convey
acceptance. Supply
chain mapped to identify
high risk areas and
monitor the most
significant business
partners' activities.

Progress on corrective
actions driven by
customers or regulatory
bodies.

Business partners
informed of labour
standards requirements,
but engagement is
primarily reactive or
driven by customers.

Written policies and

procedures on labour
issues developed and
communicated internally.
Records maintained.

A team of several
managers and at least
one worker
representative
responsible for labour
practices.

One or more designated

Procedures in place to
managers responsible for
monitor labour practices
risk identification,
in the workplace.
assessment and
Monitoring conducted
prioritization related to
irregularly.
internal processes.

Regular, formal
communication about
labour standards
between management
and directly employed
workers.

Written complaint
management procedures
in place to receive and Procedures in place to
respond to complaints
cooperate with external
from internal and external auditors, as well as to
sources. Procedures
identify and respond to
identify various channels interested parties.
personnel can use to
lodge a complaint.

Some separate policies

and procedures related
to specific labour issues.
Limited record-keeping.

Individuals in HR or OHS
department primarily
responsible for labour
practices, with focus on
legal or customer code
compliance.

Risk assessments
conducted for specific
areas, such as OHS, as
required by law or
customer codes.

Informal communication,
mostly verbal, about
labour standards
between management
and some workers.

All complaints addressed

on a case-by-case basis,
usually by direct
supervisor.

External auditors
provided with access to
workplace as required.
Approach to interested
parties is primarily
reactive.

No policies, procedures
or records related to
labour standards.

No formally assigned
responsibility for labour
practices.

No formal identification No formal monitoring of

and assessment of risks. labour practices.

No communication
channels related to
labour standards.

No formal complaint
management system.

Little or no engagement Little or no plan to

with external auditors or improve labour
interested parties.
practices.

Monitoring conducted for

specific areas, such as
OHS, in response to
regulatory body or
customer requests.

Training & Capacity

Building

Some mention of labour

policies, such as OHS,
during new employee
orientation.

No mention of labour
practices or standards in Little or no consideration
training. Workers and
of labour risks in the
managers receive jobsupply chain.
related training.