Buyer Compliance Checklist in Apparel Industry

In the apparel manufacturing industry, compliance means conformity to certain standards. Every textile and clothing manufacturing factory should maintain these standards to provide moderate working conditions for their employees. Though there are so many compliance factory around the world but still there are some lacking’s of proper compliance issues. Here we present the Buyer Compliance Checklist in the Apparel Industry.

Many apparel manufacturing factories in the world have very poor productivity. Because they do not care to comply with the labor laws, laws of the land, ILO Conventions & Codes of Conduct. The issues of non-compliance are diverse and varied. Such as-

1. Non-delivery of salary & overtime on time,
2. Forcing labor in the form of coercing workers to work day in and day out.
3. Off the clock work without allowing week-ends and legally mandated holidays.
4. Rampant harassment, insult, and panicky situations in the apparel manufacturing industry.
5. Unsafe & unhygienic work conditions.
6. Lack of medical facilities, so on and so forth.

Workers not getting salary, overtime on designated dates instantaneously become angry, unhappy and so demotivated and frustrated. Each and every other factor mentioned above makes the workers dissatisfied and unhappy on the job. Unhappy and so demotivated employees cannot deliver either quality or productivity. So the garments buyers are asking to maintain social compliance. And Buyer Compliance Checklist has come into the picture for the social complaince audit.

Scientists over the last one and half century made continuous investigations so as to know and understand the reasons of employee motivation and demotivation, why people behave differently on the workplace and how to make workplace attractive and congenial. After the Second World War, hundreds of new states emerged as sovereign nations. Most of the sates made laws related to workplace regulations so that workers can perform their job in congenial work environment in a situation of safety, dignity and with motivation which were conceived of to lead to higher quality and productivity. The factors elucidated above are parts of laws enshrined in the law books of most of the nations. Those and lot of other factors were also enshrined in ILO Conventions designed and put into effect by the International Labor Organization since 1919.

Every country has comprehensive labor laws, which if complied by apparel manufacturing factories may make apparel workplace safe, congenial for worker motivation 7 so for higher quality & productivity. It is very imoportant know what are the List of Buyer Compliance Checklist inthe Apparel Industry, have a look in the following:

List of Buyer Compliance Checklist in the Apparel Industry:

Here is the list of Buyer Compliance Checklist ponts of Apparel Industry in below:

1. Fire & Safety:

• Sufficient Fire Extinguisher,
• Fire Extinguisher Service Checklist,
• Fire Extinguisher Location List,
• Access area without hindrance,
• Fire Extinguisher kept in 3 feet,
• Fire Extinguisher Color Background Marking,
• Space beneath kept empty,
• Evacuation Drill (External) Every Six Month,
• Fire certified person’s photo,
• Evacuation Drill (External) File,
• Evacuation Drill (Internal) File,
• Sufficient Fire Safety trained employees,
• Fire safety trained employees name & Photo List,
• Fire Buckets to Boiler Room with Water and Sand,
• Fire Buckets to E.B. panel Board with Water and Sand,
• Fire Tray with sand,
• Emergency Exit on Open,
• Emergency Exit,
• Emergency Light to All staircases Emergency Light kept on 6 feet high,
• Emergency Light Location List,
• Sufficient Spare Emergency Light in stock,
• Signage Emergency Electricity Switch Off,
• Chemical Users Awareness.

2. License Renewal:

• Inspector of Factory License Renewal,
• Testing Safety Pressure Vessel,
• Report Examination of Pressure Vassals,
• Fire License to Diesel Storage,
• TNPCB Consent Order to Air,
• Plan Approval from TNPCB,
• E.P.F. Code No.
• Stability Certificate,
• Water Testing Certificate,
• Calibration Certificate to All Scales,
• ROC,
• PAN Numbers.

3. HR Documents Checklist:

• New workers personal file,
• Emplyee appointment and Resign File,
• Earn Leave Register and encashment details,
• ID Card Return Issue Register,
• Pay Slip of each employees in every month,
• Service Book Open & Issue Register,
• Appointment Letter Issue Register,
• Sample File,
• Performance Appraisal of workers and NMS,
• Leave Entry & Register,
• Salary Sheet and payment prove,
• Maternity File,
• Short Leave issue Register,
• Increment Posting,
• ID card Return Register,
• Workers List for group Insurance,
• Leave Graph,
• Absent Graph,
• Disciplinary issue handling Procedure.

4. Toilets Areas:

• All toilet seats with proper privacy and lock facility,
• Toilet Seat to Every 20 Women,
• Soap/ Towel,
• Toilet Seat to Every 50 men beyond 100,
• Toilet Seat to Every 20 men upto 100,
• Effective water Sewage system,
• Ladies or Gents Toilet Name Sign in Dual Language and Picture,
• Water tap,
• Bathroom Lock,
• Dust Bins,
• Daily Cleaning Log sheet provided,
• Awareness Quotes in Toilets,
• Buckets with mug at toilets,
• Adequate Water Tabs,
• No smoking Sign in Gents Toilet.

5. Salary Issues:

• Bank Salary Account to all,
• Salary date before 7 every month,
• Basic,
• D.A.
• Unpaid salary are reversed,
• Over Time,
• Double Salary to Over Time,
• Any unwanted deduction for employee,
• Pay Cover Availability,
• Salary registers with employees signature month wise,
• Minimum Wages,
• Other Salary Breakups.

6. Security System:

• Lady Guards,
• Material Inward Register,
• Visitors Note,
• Staff Movement Register,
• Adequate Securities,
• Material Outward Register,
• Others In-Out Register,
• Visitor Pass,
• Vehicle Movement Register,
• Visitor Slip,
• Securities Personnel File.

7. Safety Guards:

• Paddle Mat,
• Needle disposal once in six month,
• Mask,
• Needle Guard,
• Scissors and trimmers are tied,
• Sharp Boxes,
• Sharp Tools,
• Metal Glows on good Condition,
• Ironers wearing slipper,
• Motor Guard,
• Eye Guard,
• Broken Needle Register.

8. Welfare Officer:

• Welfare Officer Intimation Letter to IF,
• Welfare Officer as per rule,
• Welfare Officer Display,
• Welfare Officer Appointment Order display.

9. Dining Hall:

• Dining Hall with sufficient Space,
• Dining Hall with Sufficient Chair/Table,
• Neat and clean area.
• Water Facility.

10. Machinery:

• Machinery Detail,
• Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS),
• Machinery Service Card,
• Personal Productivity Equipment (PPE) Issue Register,
• PPE Awareness.

11. Housekeeping:

• Adequate Housekeeping Employees,
• Gents Housekeeping employees,
• Lady Housekeeping employees,
• Housekeeping Supervisor,
• Housekeeping Time Schedule,
• Brooms Availability,
• Thread Mop Availability,
• Broom Stick Availability,
• Water Mop Availability,
• Harpic Availability,
• Buckets Availability,
• Phenol Availability,
• Towel on all toilet & Bathroom,
• Soap on All toilets & Bathroom,
• MSDS for appropriate place,
• Daily Cleaning Schedule.

12. Maintenance:

• E.B.
• E.B. File,
• E.B. Service Card,
• Rubber Mat to All swtich Board,
• E.B. Meter Reading Register,
• Electricity Board Cardonned off from work place,
• Rubber Mat to E.B. Panel Board,
• Caution board and danger signal on Electricity,
• Authorized Persons Photo Display on E.B. related Rooms.

13. Doctor’s Room:

• Sickness Analysis,
• Medical Issue Register,
• Treatment Register,
• Medicine Stock Register,
• First Aid Training register,
• Accident / injury Register,
• Maternity Follow up file,
• Medical Consolation Graph,
• Maintain first aid kits.

14. Displays:

• Minimum Wages Abstract,
• Factory Act Abstract,
• The Payment of Gratuity Abstract,
• The Payment of Wages Abstract,
• The Payment of Bonus Abstract,
• The Maternity Benefit Act Abstract.

15. Statutory Registers Updated:

• Compensatory Holiday evidence,
• White Wash Register book,
• Health Register book,
• Adult Register,
• Leave With Wages,
• Time Card details,
• Muster Roll,
• Exemption Register,
• Accident Register,
• Dangerous Occurrences,
• Workmen Register,
• Particulars of Room,
• Inspection Register,
• Equal Remuneration,
• Suspension Register,
• Deduction for damages,
• Deduction Register,
• Unpaid Accumulation,
• ESI Accident Register,
• National & Festival Holiday,
• Overtime Register.

16. Wastage Room:

• Floor House Keeping,
• PA system avaiability,
• Buyer code of conduct hangs in Notice board,
• Buyers audit Report & Cap Follow up,
• Development of new buyer,
• Boiler Log Book,
• ETP Register,
• PH Test Value Report Register,
• Machine Maintenance Check Report,
• Wastage Disposal policy and Documents,
• Environment Management system (EMS),
• Notice Board display,
• Company Policy,
• Generator log book,
• Breakdown and Preventive Machine Maintenance Log Book,
• Toilet Check list.

Compliance frameworks allow apparel companies to better manage risk, build brand equity, and establish more seamless supply chains; however, they have to stay abreast of the constantly changing regulatory environment and specific requirements set by buyers if they are to succeed long into the future in the world’s competitive fashion market.