If you do a search you will find many sites on SA 8000 model. Here is a brief note, Please visit the web site of   S A International in Newyork that can be accessed on http://www.SA-Intl.org

The following link will give  you some powerpoints developed by Prof.Morland of the University of pretoria :http://www.up.ac.za/asservices/ais/tes/bpetblr.ppt

The standard, Social Accountability 8000 (SA 8000), and its verification system draw from established business strategies for ensuring quality (such as those used by the International Standards Organization (ISO) 9000) and add several elements that international human rights experts have identified as essential to social auditing. In broad terms, SAI's mission is to enable organizations to be socially accountable by:

SA 8000 was a joint initiative among businesses, human rights NGOs, and trade unions, all of which have representatives on the SAI Advisory Board. Advisory Board participants include representatives from the National Child Labor Committee (USA), the Abrinq Foundation for Children's Rights (Brazil), the Maquila Solidarity Network (Canada), the International Textile, Garment, & Leather Workers Federation (Belgium), Union Network International (Switzerland), Legacoop Nazionale (Italy), Otto-Versand (Germany), and Dole Food Company, Inc. (USA). Because of the need for standardization, these sectors came together to establish a code of conduct based on existing international standards along with a parallel verification system. Members of the Advisory Board brought together expertise in the fields of human rights, child labor, labor rights, socially responsible investing, auditing techniques, and management of large supply chains. After the initial drafting of the Standard by the staff at SAI, the members of the Advisory Board met in various committees and sub-committees to finalize the language. The standards were then distributed to others outside the Advisory Board for critique. The Advisory Board continues to meet three times a year to evaluate and improve the standards, certification, and accreditation system.

Once SA 8000 was drafted, SAI conducted field tests to verify its effectiveness. Part of this testing took place in factories in the United States, Honduras, and Mexico. The trial run, conducted in October of 1997, tested the code's feasibility by examining whether the factories had the capacity to comply with the standard, whether the information for verification was likely to be available, and whether the standard was useful. Soon after, in 1998, SAI tested the code in agricultural environments in the US State of California, Spain, and Costa Rica. These tests were not meant to evaluate the facility but rather the availability of information that would allow SA 8000 to be effective.

The system developed by SAI has two levels of qualifications: accreditation of auditing bodies by SAI, and certification of production facilities by SAI-accredited auditors. The auditors closely monitor the companies before and after certification to ensure their competence to comply with the standards and to require collaboration with local experts. After certification, the auditors conduct a surveillance audit every six months and then a full audit every three years. Accredited auditing bodies also undergo semi-annual surveillance by SAI. As of June of 2001, 66 facilities in 20 countries are certified to SA 8000 and approximately 1500 are in the process of being evaluated in the hope of becoming certified. The desire for companies to become certified is often based on the requests from customers who wish to do business with SA 8000 certified companies. SA 8000 certification gives consumers a reasonable assurance of compliance with standards.

The SA 8000 system is modeled on the one used by companies to ensure quality control: ISO 9000. Over 300,000 production sites around the world use certification of conformance to ISO to demonstrate to customers that their production systems ensure quality. SA 8000 builds on the proven merits of ISO auditing techniques: specifying corrective and preventive actions; encouraging continuous improvement; and focusing on management systems and documentation that prove these systemsÕ effectiveness. In addition, the SA 8000 system includes three elements essential for social auditing:


Specific performance standards set with minimum requirements;

Auditors are required to consult with and learn from interested parties, such as NGOs, trade unions, and of course, workers; and

A complaints and appeals mechanism allows individual workers, organizations, and other interested parties to bring forward issues of noncompliance at certified facilities.

SAI aims to promote understanding of social auditing techniques and the management systems needed to improve workplace conditions. This ensures that NGOs and unions play a constructive role in the SA 8000 auditing process and that companies develop social accountability policies. The links that SAI maintains with trade unions and NGOs are valuable for the unique knowledge these organizations hold about the communities in which they work. These groups help focus public attention and foster consumer awareness of corporate social accountability.

SAI promotes corporate responsibility awareness through several training programs. The first type of training is a joint program with the International Textile, Leather, and Garment Workers Federation that trains workers in using codes of conduct as a tool to secure improved working conditions. As of June 2001, representatives from 12 countries, including the Philippines, Chile, Bangladesh, and Ecuador, and approximately 6,000 people are expected to participate in the program. Another type of training offered by SAI addresses social auditing and training in the elements of SA 8000. This workshop not only educates and trains auditors in how to conduct social auditing but also provides an opportunity for NGO representatives and other non-auditors both to learn about the social auditing system and to contribute their expertise in human rights and other issues to the dialogue. Finally, SAI conducts a two-day cooperative training for suppliers on how to comply with the different elements of SA 8000.

As for the impact of SA 8000, SAI has received encouraging reports that quality and productivity have improved for SA 8000 certified companies in countries such as France, India, Thailand and the United States. On the other hand, some companies in countries such as India do not have the resources necessary to proceed with certification. There are two types of costs involved in the certification process: first, auditor fees paid to the auditing bodies for their verification services; second, the cost of making changes necessary to comply with the standard. These costs may impede smaller companies or companies in poorer economies from becoming certified. Despite these issues, SA 8000 and SAI's certification program serve as an effective combination through which to promote and verify socially responsible business practices and give ethical purchasers the assurance that companies are following international norms regarding labor standards.

SAI believes that one of the most crucial aspects of the SA 8000 program is its partnership model. Encouraging a constructive dialogue among business, labor and civil society increases the accuracy and viability of audits and the usefulness of the SA 8000 system. SAI believes that such a dialogue also helps further capacity building among stakeholders locally as they forge new alliances. Informing a broad range of stakeholders helps ensure credibility, widespread use and long-term acceptance of the SA 8000 certification system. Input from these diverse actors will allow SAI to continually improve the SA 8000 standard, the accompanying guidance document and related materials, and the systems of accreditation and certification overall.

Prof.Lakshman

SA8000 is a global social accountability standard for decent working conditions, developed and overseen by Social Accountability International (SAI).  SAI offers training in SA8000 and other workplace standards to managers, workers and auditors. It also operates an accreditation agency that lisences and oversees auditing organisations to award certification to employer that comply with SA8000 and to development agencies that comply with the Interaction standard.

SA8000 is based on the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Convention on the Rights of the Child and various International Labour Organization (ILO) conventions.

SA8000 covers the following areas of accountability : -

- Child labour
- Forced labour
- Workplace safety and health
- The right to organise
- Discrimination
- Workplace discipline
- Working hours
- Wages
- Management system for Human Resources

SA8000 Social Accountability International (SAI) Members include: Gap Inc, Coop Italia, Otto Group, Toys R Us, Chiquita, Dole, Eileen Fisher. SAI advisory board members come from Care, Ethos Institute, Tata Industries, TNT, Switcher, Chiquita, Otto Group, Union Network International, UFCW, and Eileen Fisher.

More than 500,000 workers are employed in facilities certified to SA8000, in 52 countreis and 50 industrial sectors. The industrial sectors with the most certifications include: apparel & textiles. building materials, agriculture, construction, chemicals, cosmetics, cleaning services and transportation. The countries withthe most certification to SA8000 include Brazil, India, China and Italy.

The cost of acquiring a certification for a factory, farm or office varies with the number of employees and the location. It can range up to 10-12,000 USD for large facilities - Excerpts from Wikipedia.org

Alternatively, you may also refer http://www.sa-intl.org/index.cfm?&stopRedirect=1 for upgraded info on SA8000 Model.

Regards,

CHRM

"To win...you must stay in the game" - Claude Bristol