Social Audits

Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) remains a key focus area within the agricultural sector, reflecting the industry’s commitment to creating safe, healthy, and productive working environments. Insights gathered through SIZA Social audits have provided valuable opportunities for farms to strengthen their health and safety systems, enhance worker well-being, and reinforce responsible business practices. The majority… Continue reading Strengthening Occupational Health and Safety on Farms

Creating a safe and healthy workplace is one of the most important investments any agricultural business can make. Every season brings new opportunities to strengthen safety practices and improve operational efficiency. One of the most effective tools available to producers is the Hierarchy of Controls – a practical framework that helps businesses manage workplace risks… Continue reading Building a Stronger Safety Culture with the right PPE controls:

At SIZA, we often see that the most successful audits are not necessarily those conducted on the largest or most structured farms, but those where management pays attention to the basics every day. Audit findings are frequently linked to simple administrative gaps rather than major compliance failures. One of the areas that continues to receive… Continue reading Getting Audit-Ready: Small Actions That Make a Big Difference

Seasonal and temporary labour is a cornerstone of the agriculture sector, allowing businesses to scale their workforce in response to fluctuating demand, especially during peak production seasons. This flexibility offers significant operational and financial advantages, but it also introduces complex risks that, if mismanaged, can lead to legal penalties, financial losses, reputational damage, and even… Continue reading Navigating the Risks Around Seasonal and Temporary Labour

For many agricultural suppliers, peak season brings extremely long days, unpredictable weather, export deadlines, labour shortages and immense operational pressure. Harvest periods often leave little time to complete seasonal work. While these operational demands are understandable, employers must still ensure compliance with South African labour legislation regarding working hours, overtime, and employee rest periods. Failure… Continue reading Managing Overtime During Peak Agricultural Seasons:  When There Simply Aren’t Enough Hours in the Day

Healthy workplace relationships depend on more than compliance with labour legislation. They require trust, communication, accountability, and fair processes that allow both employers and employees to address workplace issues appropriately. Two key mechanisms that support this are the disciplinary and grievance processes. Although these processes are often discussed together, they serve very different purposes and… Continue reading Two Sides of the Same Coin:  Understanding the Difference Between Discipline and Grievance Processes

The credibility of the SIZA programme is built on the strength and integrity of its third-party audit approach. Central to this is the competency of the audit firms responsible for conducting Social (Ethical) and Environmental audits. These firms play a critical role in ensuring that audit outcomes accurately reflect on-the-ground practices, while meeting both local… Continue reading Ensuring Audit Excellence: How SIZA assures stakeholders that Audit firms and Auditors maintain Competency and Credibility

In the agricultural sector, working beyond standard hours is often unavoidable, especially during peak periods or when essential tasks cannot be delayed. Sundays, in particular, may require attention to critical operations such as irrigation, livestock care, or equipment monitoring. While this is part of the reality of farming, it is important for employers to understand… Continue reading Overtime on a Sunday in Agriculture: Getting the Wages Calculation Right

In the agricultural sector, operations are often dictated by factors beyond human control, such as weather events, animal health, perishable produce, and time-sensitive harvests. As a result, urgent or unforeseen work outside normal hours is not uncommon. However, from a legal perspective, not all urgent work automatically qualifies under compliance requirements as “emergency work.” Let’s… Continue reading Emergency Work in Agriculture: Understanding Compliance and Audit Expectations

It is common for agricultural businesses, especially during peak season, to make use of Temporary Employment Services (TES) to supplement their workforce. While this practice provides flexibility and operational support, it has also raised important compliance questions during social audits. Over the past few years, recurring uncertainties have emerged: •     What is required from a… Continue reading Auditing a Temporary Employment Service Provider – What Do You Need to Know?