SA8000: Set the organisation and edition boundary
SA8000 concerns workplace conditions and the system managing them.
Set the organisation and edition boundary
For a first application, define sites, workforce and outsourced labour before choosing the CAB. For an existing certificate, record the edition and last certification or recertification year first. A training record does not move a 2014 certificate to 2026. The preparation plan must distinguish an initial certification from the actual transition route.
Define the SA8000:2026 scope
SA8000 concerns workplace conditions and the system managing them. Define preparation through worker rights, recruitment, hours, pay, occupational safety, privacy and grievance mechanisms, rather than treating it as a product quality certificate. SAI’s current standard is SA8000:2026. Confirm in writing which edition the assessment body will use for the proposed audit.
Map workers and operating boundaries
Map permanent, seasonal and agency workers alongside production sites and outsourced operations. Scope example: payroll lists permanent staff, while agency workers operate the same line during peak season. Reconcile contracts, recruitment records, shifts and responsibility arrangements before defining the boundary. Temporary status does not justify excluding those workers’ actual conditions; a headcount limited to direct employees can hide the very work being assessed.
Preparation and the independent assessment body
Review gaps, opportunities for workers to speak and management ownership of corrective work. Discuss certification with a CAB listed in SAAS’s current register; check its country scope and approval to assess the 2026 edition. The consultancy agreement, an accredited body’s audit and its certification decision are separate steps with separate responsibilities.
Official sources
Checked: 3 October 2026. Worked examples are hypothetical evidence-planning cases, not customer transactions.