Apply for Accreditation
SAAS thanks all organisations for their interest in accreditation by SAAS to conduct SA8000 certifications. Dedication to this type of quality monitoring promotes social responsibility among businesses worldwide. SAAS accepts applications for Certification Bodies to conduct certification audits to SA8000. Applicant organisations may apply for accreditation in one or more countries and are accredited based upon their ability to satisfy the SAAS accreditation criteria. Organizations interested in applying to be accredited by SAAS must meet the criteria set out in SAAS procedures. See below for more details.
CBs accredited by SAAS are invited to apply to conduct BSCI audits as well but must apply directly to BSCI.
Accreditation for SA8000 Certification
Certification Bodies interested in conducting SA8000 audits must conform to requirements set out in both SAAS procedures and ISO/IEC 17021-1:2015. SAAS Procedure 200 specifies requirements regarding the conduct of SA8000 audits and the assessment process of organisations against the SA8000 Standard. The systems set out in Procedure 200 are binding to CBs accredited by SAAS for performing SA8000 certification audits. Procedure 200 deals with certification body audit processes to reliably assure consistent application of the SA8000 audit requirements by its audit team members.
SAAS Procedure 201A and Procedure 201B describe the accreditation requirements and process by which SAAS operates and by which SAAS requires the CBs to operate. They describe the process for granting and maintaining accreditation for CBs that deliver SA8000 certification and define the rights and responsibilities of SAAS and the accredited CBs, as well as the SAAS activities required for assessing and accrediting CBs.
ISO/IEC 17021 contains principles and requirements for the competence, consistency, and impartiality of an audit and the certification of management systems of all types (e.g. quality management systems or environmental management systems) and for bodies providing these activities. CBs interested in accreditation by SAAS must meet these requirements as well.
Application Materials for Accreditation For SA8000 Certification
The Application Requirements for accreditation to conduct SA8000 certification audits require the documents as described below.
Normative Documents for SA8000:2014 Audit Process
- SA8000:2014 Standard and Related Documents
- New: SAAS Procedure 200: 2019, V4.2: Audit Requirements for Accredited Certification Bodies for the SA8000 Program
- SAAS Procedure 200A:2020: Audit Requirements for Social Fingerprint
- SAAS Procedure 201A: 2015: Accreditation Requirements
- SAAS Procedure 201B: 2015: SAAS Competence Requirements for SA8000 Social Accountability Personnel
- ISO/IEC 17021-1:2015
- SAAS Application Form
- Application Documentation Checklists, consisting of: SAAS Checklists for Transition to SA8000:2014:
SA8000:2014 Procedure 200:2015 Checklist #2
SA8000:2014 Procedure 200A:2016 Checklist #3
SA8000:2014 Procedure 201B:2015 Checklist #4
SA8000:2014 Procedure 201A and ISO 17021-1:2015 Checklist #5
SA8000:2014 Auditor Competence Matrix - SAAS Fee Schedule
- Description of Initial Accreditation Process
- SAAS Sample Accreditation Agreement
Note: As part to the accreditation process, once an applicant CB has met the criteria for SAAS accreditation for SA8000 and been approved by SAAS , the CB will need to sign a separate contract with SAI regarding the use of the Social Fingerprint and royalty fee structures for the SA8000 system. - SAAS Complaint and Appeals Guideline
- SAAS Sample Accreditation Certificate
- SAAS Certified Facilities Report Form and Instructions
- SAAS Application Form
- Checklist #2
- Checklist #3
- Checklist #4
- Checklist #5
- SA8000:2014 Auditor Competence Matrix
- Supporting management system and audit process documentation.
SAAS emphasizes the importance of fully and completely reading the contents of all of these documents and the Application Form and Document Checklists, enclosing all requested documentation and the application fee. This will speed the application process. Please also direct your attention to your rights and responsibilities as outlined in the various documents. If you have questions, please contact Lisa Bernstein.
Applying For Accreditation For SA8000 Certification
Please be aware that the initial accreditation process can take between 6 to 18 months for completion, with an average timeframe of 12 months. Learn more about the process of accreditation by visiting the Application Procedure page and by downloading a description of the initial accreditation process by SAAS for SA8000 from the Document Library. Please also visit the Document Library to review the updated policies and procedures.