Overview

The Omega program has been developed to make sure that Omega clients are properly protected by

ensuring that their merchandise is manufactured by suppliers who operate in an ethical manner with

due regard to the health, safety, and general working conditions of their staff.

As directed by our client, it is usual that specified active factories are subject to a full evaluation once

per year and that every new factory is evaluated prior to orders being placed. The initial evaluation will

take at least 1 full day and be carried out by Omega auditors, all of whom are SA-8000 certified.

These terms summarize a factory’s overall working conditions based objectively on the audit findings

and are used to obtain an on-going commitment from the factory management to remedy any problem

areas. In addition, Omega formulates a Corrective Action Plan (CAP) which identifies any social

compliance violations and advises how these can be rectified. If required, Omega will conduct follow up

audits to confirm that the agreed Corrective Action Plan has been implemented.

If serious compliance violations are identified, however, Omega will classify the factory as having

"critical violations". Critical violations are as follows:

Child labor: The factory employs persons under the legal minimum working age (or other, if specified by

client) in the production of merchandise.

Forced labor: The factory uses forced, indentured or conscript labor in their manufacturing operations.

Corporal Punishment: The factory uses corporal punishment or other forms of mental or physical

coercion.

Discrimination: The factory does not employ workers based on their abilities, rather than their personal

characteristics or beliefs.

Corruption: The factory has indicated an acceptance of corrupt practices.

Denied Access: The factory does not permit the auditor(s) to enter the factory for the performance of

their duties on the agree date, or within the agreed timeframes, as specified previously.

Health & Safety: The factory has health and safety violations that endanger the lives of workers.

Continuous improvement is behind the whole philosophy of corporate social responsibility. This

approach is widely adopted not only by Omega clients but also by many multi-national companies who

have their own compliance programs. Even where critical violations are absent, Omega will always put

in place a comprehensive Corrective Action Plan to rectify any areas of non-compliance.

Audit Scope

During the audit process, Omega auditors will evaluate whether the factory meets the required criteria

under 10 broad headings. Criteria are set by the legislation of the country / region where the factory is

located, and any additional legislation / requirements set by Omega’s client. It is the responsibility of

each factory to understand the legal requirements to which they must adhere and to ensure that they

keep abreast of any updates or changes to the applicable legislation.

Following is an overview of the 10 main areas considered in an Omega Social Accountability Audit with

more specific subheadings provided where necessary:

A. Prison / Forced Labor

The Omega auditor will assess whether the factory employs workers of their own free will and affords

them the freedom to come and go and work overtime as they please. The factory is not permitted to

employ prison labor. In addition, the factory cannot retain personal documents of or any money from its

employees.

B. Freedom of Association

The Omega auditor will assess whether the workers are represented by a Union / Workers Committee /

Organization which allows them to reasonably voice their opinions to ma