Social audit preparation checklist
To be ready for a social compliance audit, a workshop needs complete and mutually consistent personnel and social security records, payroll and time records, overtime consents, OHS documents, safe site conditions and informed workers before the auditor arrives.
Where should audit preparation start?
Preparation starts with obtaining the brand’s current code of conduct and the benchmark the audit will use. Then documents, site conditions and worker awareness are reviewed as three separate areas.
Auditors read documents against each other rather than one by one: hours in time records must match payroll, payroll must match SGK filings, and SGK records must match the people actually working on site. The goal for every item below is not just that it exists, but that it is consistent with the other records.
This list is a general starting point; your brand or scheme may ask for more.
What should personnel files contain?
- Copy of each worker’s ID and age verification (nobody under 15 may work; workers under 18 should be listed separately).
- SGK employment notification filed before the start date (Law No. 5510, Art. 8).
- Signed employment contract, in a language the worker understands, with a copy given to the worker.
- Pre-employment health report and periodic health examination records.
- OHS training attendance records and certificates.
- Exit notifications and final settlement documents for leavers.
- Valid work permits for any foreign workers.
What is checked in wage, hours and leave records?
- Time or clock-in records (keeping at least the last 12 months ready is good practice).
- Payroll, bank payment records and signed payslips.
- Proof that overtime is paid with a 50 percent premium (Law No. 4857, Art. 41).
- Workers’ overtime consents and a tracker showing annual overtime stays within 270 hours.
- Records showing the working week stays within 45 hours and the working day within 11 hours (Art. 63).
- Records of at least 24 consecutive hours of weekly rest in every seven days (Art. 46).
- Annual leave records: 14, 20 or 26 days depending on service; at least 20 days for workers under 18 or over 50 (Art. 53).
- Legal basis for any deductions (advances, garnishments) and evidence workers were informed.
Which OHS documents must be ready?
- Current risk assessment (Law No. 6331, Art. 10).
- Emergency plan, emergency teams and drill records (Art. 11).
- Appointment of an OHS specialist and workplace physician, or a contract with an OHS service provider (OSGB) (Art. 6).
- Worker OHS training records, before starting work and at regular intervals (Art. 17).
- List of certified first-aid staff.
- Periodic inspection tags and records for fire extinguishers.
- Periodic inspection reports for electrical installations, compressors and lifting equipment.
- Accident and near-miss records.
- PPE issue records.
Which building, subcontracting and chemical documents are requested?
- Business opening and operating licence; occupancy permit (iskân) where applicable.
- Lease agreement if the premises are rented.
- Fire brigade approval or fire safety documents, depending on local practice.
- List of subcontractors, with the brand’s approval for each.
- Chemical inventory and a Turkish-language safety data sheet (SDS) for each chemical.
- Waste management records and contracts with licensed waste companies.
What is checked on the shop floor?
- Emergency exits: unlocked, unobstructed, opening outwards, marked and lit; escape routes free of stock.
- Evacuation plans posted where workers can see them.
- Fire extinguishers: enough of them, accessible, inspection in date; fire alarm working.
- First-aid kit: stocked, in date, location marked.
- Machine guards: needle and belt guards on sewing machines, hand protection on cutting machines.
- Needle policy: broken-needle log and replacement procedure in use.
- Electrical panels: covers closed, access clear, warning signs; no exposed wiring.
- Lighting and ventilation adequate in work areas.
- Toilets and washbasins: clean, sufficient, separate for women and men, soap available.
- Drinking water: free, clean and easy to reach.
- Canteen or eating area: clean and separate from production.
- Chemical area: labelled containers, spill containment, SDS nearby, suitable PPE.
How do you prepare for worker interviews?
Preparing for interviews means making sure workers know their rights, not coaching them on what to say. Coaching workers or falsifying records is a serious finding; in amfori BSCI, not falsifying information is one of the crucial questions.
- Give workers written and verbal information on working hours, overtime pay, annual leave and weekly rest.
- Make the grievance channel (box, phone line, representative) known and easy to use.
- Make sure payslips are given to workers regularly.
- Explain to managers and supervisors that interviews are confidential and held without management.
- Commit in writing that no worker will face any consequence for taking part in an interview.
Frequently asked questions
- Can documents be digital?
Yes, as long as they can be opened quickly on audit day and signed versions exist for documents that need signatures (contracts, overtime consents, payslips).
- What if we find a missing document?
Do not backdate documents. Acknowledging the gap and starting corrective action is always less risky than a falsified document.
- Does our own subcontractor also need to prepare?
Yes. Brands often audit subcontractors too, and unapproved subcontracting is itself a finding. List every workshop you use and obtain the brand’s approval.
- Does OBCO offer pre-audit support?
Yes. OBCO offers suppliers pre-assessments and training; this support does not replace the brand’s independent audit.