Scheduling of SIZA audits
The scheduling of third-party audits is an important part of the audit process and it needs to be done correctly. A SIZA audit is not scheduled until it is requested on the MySIZA Platform.
Why is this so important?
MySIZA was developed in such a way to protect all the information shared on it. The online audit request provides the auditor access on the platform only once the audit is formally scheduled and linked to a specific audit team on MySIZA. For an auditor to audit the site, they need to access your SAQ data as well as your previous audit data, and therefore access needs to be granted by formally scheduling the audit online on MySIZA. If the audit is not scheduled correctly on MySIZA, the audit cannot take place.
What is important when scheduling an audit?
- The member must ensure they have completed their respective SAQ (Social and/or Environmental) and that the SAQ has been approved by the SIZA office at least 7 days before the audit date.
- Once the SAQ is approved, the member can select the audit company of their choice on MySIZA to have the third-party audit conducted. The member can obtain quotes and available audit dates from any of the approved audit companies before scheduling the audit, and then select the company that best suits them.
- View the SIZA approved Social/Ethical audit companies here: https://siza.co.za/audits-3/recognised-audit-bodies/
- View the SIZA approved Environmental audit companies here: https://siza.co.za/recognised-audit-bodies/
- The audit company will send the member an audit application package which needs to be completed in full and sent back to the audit company.
- Remember — the member cannot decide which auditor they would like to use, and the member cannot arrange the audit directly with the auditor. This is unethical and it places the auditor at risk as objectivity is now questioned. The process must remain third-party and independent in order for the results to be deemed credible and reliable by buyers. The same auditor is also not allowed to audit the same farm more than twice in a row.
When can the audit take place?
Audits should take place during a period when the employment site is in full operation (such as peak production or harvest). For social audits, in any event, there should be a minimum of two-thirds (66%) of the total number of workers (calculated during the busiest time period) present in the workplace for the audit to be deemed as valid. The workforce must include all types of employees such as permanent, seasonal, contract etc. If any processing or packing facility is on site, this facility should be accessible and in operation to allow for a thorough evaluation by the audit team.
If you have any questions on the scheduling of audits, please contact Werner van Dyk at (021) 852 8184/werner@siza.co.za.