Wal-Mart's suppliers almost all encountered a notarization audit or a surprise audit, so why should WalMart conduct a surprise audit and under what circumstances should it be arranged?

Wal-Mart usually only takes a surprise audit against the social responsibility ES audit, and there is basically no surprise audit in the FCCA and anti-terrorism SCS audits.

First of all, the factory that got the green light in the audit is the key target. According to Wal-Mart's ES scoring standard, there is no wage time violation in the audit, the documents are complete, the site safety and health conditions are good, and there are few audit findings and even no problem points can give a green light. But the risk of giving a green light is great. The Wal-Mart internal audit team will rush to audit the factory that takes the green light at any time. The consequences can be imagined.

Second, all audits except the initial audit are assaults, conducted by a notary public. Wal-Mart's review is divided into YELLOW FOLLOW UP (red light review), ORANGE FOLLOW UP (orange light review) and so on. In most cases, the notarized bank reviewed is the same as the notarized bank that was last reviewed. For example, the initial review is reviewed by ITS, and the review is still reviewed by ITS.

How to prepare for a surprise audit of Wal-Mart?

If the factory does not want to spend time and energy to check the audit time, please make it ready in the usual time. Because Wal-Mart's requirements for working hours are not particularly high, it is better to prepare for this. Others are rectified or maintained according to the results of the initial review.

SCS certification is usually called SCS audit.

The main differences between SCS certification and GSV certification are as follows:

The initiators of the two are different: the SCS audit was initiated by Wal-Mart; and the GSV certification was initiated by ITS.

The details of the two are different: SCS audit and GSV certification, because the developers, starting points, etc. are different, so the content will be different. 

The subject of execution is different at the time of audit: GSV is performed by ITS, while SCS is not necessarily, it may be ITS audit, or it may be performed by other certification body.

Wal-Mart accepts SEDEX, BSCI, ICTI, WRAP, EICC, SA8000, BAP, Better Work.  Traditional Walmart audit, we generally call it RS audit or ES audit. The audit involves employee benefits, wage hours, health and safety, and environment protection and other aspects of corporate social responsibility; among them, Wal-Mart's requirements for fire safety are recognized by the industry as the most stringent standard for customer audit.

Since May 30, 2016, Wal-Mart has implemented the RS Auditing Pilot for suppliers of Wal-Mart ASDA (including IPL and George) and Massmart retail markets:

Suppliers allowed to participate in the project submit third-party certification audit reports (including eight major certifications such as ICTI, BSCI, SMETA, EICC, WARP, SA8000) to replace the traditional Wal-Mart Responsible Sourcing audit.

Please note that this project is only for suppliers that are sold to the UK market or the South African market. If the factory is sold to other markets (such as the US, Mexico, Canada, etc.), it is temporarily not allowed to participate in this project.

Let's take a look at the specific steps of the test run project!

Step 1: Choose one of the following 8 audit certification projects:

SEDEX, BSCI, ICTI, WRAP, EICC, SA8000, BAP, Better Work Step 2: Complete factory audit

A. If you have completed one of the audit projects: Please submit an existing audit report.

A valid audit report should be:

(1) From the date of publication of the report until the date of submission of the report to Wal-Mart is less than one year, or the validity period of the selected certification program is universal; (2) The audit must be performed by one of the following certification bodies: such as ITS, BV, TUV Sud, SGS, UL, Elevate and AGC.

Note: The above seven certification bodies are also currently designated by Wal-Mart for ethical procurement (RS) audits; among them, AGC is added in 2015.

B. If you have not been certified: Please select one of the eight certification projects and have the factory designate one of the seven certification bodies for audit.

Step 3: Submit the report in one of the following ways

1) Share the report through the SEDEX platform: http://www.sedexglobal.com; 

2) Send the audit report PDF document along with the factory ID number to RSPilot@walmart.com.

Wal-Mart recognizes these certifications, and it is much easier for the factory to become a Wal-Mart supplier. Is it possible to make the certification alternative to Wal-Mart's inspection in the global supply chain? Let us wait and see!

Remarks: This project is only for suppliers that are selling to the UK market or the South African market. If the factory is selling to other markets (such as the US, Mexico, Canada, etc.), it is temporarily not allowed to participate in this project.

Please note that starting Feb 1st of next year, all our factories will have to begin to use APSCA-registered auditors for RS audit going forward and no change for 8 audit programs.

Important Announcement:

Beginning February 1, 2019, Walmart will require that audit reports used to satisfy Walmarts Responsible Sourcing audit requirements be conducted by an APSCA-registered auditor. In the future, Walmart plans to only accept audits conducted by APSCA Certified Social Compliance Auditors; we will let you know when APSCA certification becomes a requirement.

Suppliers are required to ensure that begining February 1, 2019, audits of their facilities are conducted by an APSCA member audit firm and auditor conducting the audit is registered with APSCA.

There are many regulations in the Wal-Mart SCS audit. Today we only talk about the two regulations for chemical leaks and machine protection devices.

Wal-Mart SCS inspection of chemical spills:

1. The responsible persons and workers at all levels of the production department and production line should master the correct use of the eye wash device and be familiar with the installation position of the eye wash device.

2. Eyewashers should be installed in areas where chemicals are used (eg silk screen shops, chemical warehouses).

3. Develop procedures for dealing with chemical spills and identify how to deal with accidents.

4. The two faucets of the eye wash should be discharged normally. The water source of the eye wash should be in accordance with the sanitary conditions.

5. Eyewasher installation location should be within 30m of the chemical warehouse or chemical use point or 15s when needed.

6. When the worker's face, eyes, arms or neck are exposed to chemicals, they should be rinsed with an eye wash.

Wal-Mart SCS Audit Machine Protection Device Regulations:

1. The factory shall conduct pre-job training for machinery and equipment operators, and shall have a job training record and a signature of the training personnel.

2. The rotating parts of the machine should have personnel close to the self-stop protection device and protective cover.

3. The protective platform should be added to the walking platform and lifting platform of the machinery and equipment, and the height of the protective fence should not be less than 1 meter.

4. The protection device of the machine should be in an effective protection state.

5. The operation instructions should be posted on the machine and equipment. The above operating methods and precautions should be detailed.

6. For jobs with occupational injury factors, the factory should be equipped with protective glasses, masks, masks, earplugs, safety helmets and other labor insurance products.

The WalMart anti-terrorism factory audit is also known as the SCS audit. WalMart's requirements for anti-terrorism inspections are strict. There are ten key issues in the SCS audit.

1. What measures does the factory take to ensure the safety of employees? Then how does it implement this program?

2. Can the loading area allow unrelated personnel to enter and exit? What are the rules when entering and leaving?

3. What inspection measures have been taken by the guards for the trucks that have shipped the goods?

4. Have you checked before loading?

5. How to check the seal after loading the goods?

6. How should the application form for the employee in the factory area be confirmed?

7. How to ensure the information security of the factory? What measures should be taken?

8. What should be done to monitor the plant's monitoring measures to achieve better protection?

9. How to control the packaging of the product when it is packaged, so that it is more secure?

10. What issues should I pay attention to when choosing a transportation company?

In summary, when applying for the WalMart anti-terrorism SCS audit, the factory can prepare for the above questions.