Sedex Members Ethical Trade Audit (SMETA) Best Practice Guidance

The audit body ensures that the auditor assigned to an audit is aware of the background and context, and that
they meet the basic level of competencies outlined for members in the SMETA guide to Social Systems Auditor
Competencies on the member resources of Sedex.
Additional information on auditor competencies is publicly available at GSCP: “GSCP Reference Tools for
Auditing Competence”.
The most appropriate auditor, in terms of skills, experience, gender, ethnicity, language ability etc., should be
carefully considered at the audit planning stage, against the information provided in the SAQ and other sources.
For larger audits, an audit team may be needed. This should meet the following criteria:
l The audit team is led by a qualified team leader.
l The team includes at least one auditor who meets the criteria of the SMETA BPG Auditor
Competencies.
l The team possesses or has access to knowledge of local working conditions i.e. by using an
experienced auditor or through the use of guidance notes.
l The team can communicate in the main languages spoken by both management and workers at the
employment site. When this is not possible, translators should be used.
l The team has at least one member that has knowledge of the applicable industry.
l All team members shall be qualified under the audit body’s quality system, including the use of
specialists.
l The worker gender balance and cultural norms will be taken into account when selecting the audit
team. If this is not possible it should be noted on the SMETA declaration at the beginning of the report.
l If a translator or other external expert is to be used the team leader must ensure that they have
satisfied themselves that no conflict of interest arises.
6.2.3. Communication with the site
When an audit request is made, the auditor should obtain a completed Site Profile / SAQ (for Sedex both are
together in the SAQ), from the employment site, either directly or via Sedex.
Where possible, the auditor should also review copies of recent audit reports, including all corrective actions
and outstanding non-compliances. This information allows auditors to plan the audit, taking into account
important aspects such as working hours, shift patters, the use of agency labour and the possible need for
interpreters.
Once an audit is booked on a site, the auditor should forward, at least the following information to the main
contact at the employment site:
l The Standard or Code that the site will be audited against.
l The agreed scope of the audit in terms of companies / sites / buildings.
l Documentation that needs to be available during the audit (see “Guide to Pre-audit information”)
l Key people to be available on the day of the audit.
l Arrangements for employee interviews.
l Confidentiality / data protection.
SMETA Best Practice Guidance (4-Pillar Version 4.0, May 2012)
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