Sedex, Higg Index & BSCI Social Audits: A Practical Checklist for Factory Owners
An audit failure by international certification bodies like SGS, Bureau Veritas, or Intertek can instantly halt shipments for major retail brands. Preparation is not a one-day exercise before the auditor arrives—it must be baked into daily floor operations.
The Critical Audit Focus Areas
- Physical Plant Safety: Unblocked emergency exits with luminous signage, functional fire extinguishers inspected within 6 months, and clear evacuation maps.
- Wages & Working Hours: Strict adherence to statutory minimum wages, documented overtime compensation at 2x rates, and zero 7-day continuous work stretches.
- Personal Protective Equipment (PPE): Masks for shearing and clipping operators, eye protection in dye houses, and rubber mats near electrical panels.
- Digital Document Storage: Keep all auditor-requested building stability certificates, pollution clearances, and PF/ESI receipts organized inside FocusApp Drive.
A clean audit record is one of the most powerful sales assets your export business can possess.
Ayesha Khan
Head of Customer Success, FocusApp
Ayesha spends her days onboarding exporters onto FocusApp and turning their WhatsApp chaos into a working system. Before FocusApp, she ran export operations for a Bhadohi carpet manufacturer for six years.
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