Compliance Audit Checklist for Bangladesh's Garment Industry
If you're a factory owner, compliance officer, or merchandiser in Bangladesh's garment industry, you already know the drill: a buyer emails saying an audit is scheduled in three weeks, and suddenly every department is scrambling. BSCI, WRAP, and Sedex (SMETA) audits each have their own scoring systems and paperwork, but the underlying expectations overlap heavily. This checklist consolidates all three into one working document you can run through before your next audit date lands on the calendar.
BSCI vs WRAP vs Sedex: What's the Difference?
Before the checklist, a quick orientation — since buyers rarely explain which framework applies and why.
- BSCI (Business Social Compliance Initiative) — A European retailer-driven code of conduct focused on labor rights, working hours, and management systems. Common with H&M, LIDL, and other EU buyers.
- WRAP (Worldwide Responsible Accredited Production) — A US-based certification with 12 principles covering labor, health & safety, environmental, and customs/security compliance (this last part is fairly unique to WRAP).
- Sedex / SMETA (Sedex Members Ethical Trade Audit) — A data-sharing platform plus a 4-pillar audit (Labor, Health & Safety, Environment, Business Ethics) used heavily by UK and EU retailers like Tesco and Primark.
The good news: roughly 80% of what auditors check is identical across all three. Prepare once, and you're ready for whichever your buyer requires.
Pre-Audit Checklist: Documentation
Auditors spend the first hour almost entirely on paperwork. Missing or disorganized documents cost more points than almost anything else.
- Valid business/trade license and factory registration
- Fire license from the Fire Service & Civil Defence
- Environmental clearance certificate
- Boiler certificate (if applicable)
- Employment contracts for a sample of workers across departments
- Wage registers and overtime records for the last 12 months
- Attendance/time-in-time-out records (biometric or manual)
- Worker grievance log and evidence of resolution
- Organizational chart naming a compliance/social responsibility officer
- Subcontractor list, if any part of production is outsourced
- Previous audit reports and corrective action plans (CAPs)
Labor & Working Conditions
- No workers under the legal minimum age (18 for hazardous work; verify with age-verification documents, not just declarations)
- Working hours within the legal limit (typically 48 hrs/week + capped overtime, varies by code)
- Minimum wage and overtime premiums paid correctly and on time
- Freedom of association — no interference with worker committees or unions
- No evidence of forced labor (deposits, ID confiscation, restricted movement)
- Anti-discrimination policy posted and understood by workers
- Disciplinary practices documented — no physical or verbal abuse recorded or reported
Health & Safety
This is the section most closely tied to equipment and instrumentation — and where a lot of factories lose points unnecessarily because instruments haven't been serviced or calibrated on schedule.
- Fire extinguishers inspected monthly, tagged with dates
- Fire alarm and emergency lighting tested and functional
- Emergency exits unobstructed, clearly marked, doors open outward
- Evacuation drills conducted and documented (minimum twice a year)
- First aid boxes stocked and accessible on every floor
- PPE (masks, gloves, ear protection) issued and worn where required
- Needle detector machines calibrated and logged for every metal-contamination-sensitive order — auditors will ask for the calibration certificate, not just proof the machine exists
- Digital thermometers and pressure gauges on boilers, dryers, and steam equipment calibrated within validity
- Lux meter readings on record showing adequate lighting levels at sewing and inspection stations
- Machine guards installed on all cutting and pressing equipment
- Chemical storage (dyes, adhesives) with proper labeling, MSDS sheets, and secondary containment
- Drinking water tested periodically, results on file
Environmental
- Effluent treatment plant (ETP) operational with discharge test reports, where applicable
- Waste segregation (general, hazardous, recyclable) in place
- Energy and water consumption tracked, with reduction targets if the buyer requires them
- Industrial dehumidifiers maintained where fabric or leather storage requires humidity control — auditors increasingly check storage conditions tied to quality claims, not just labor conditions
Management Systems & Business Ethics
- Written code of conduct, translated into the local language, posted visibly
- Internal audit or self-assessment conducted before the external audit
- Anti-bribery and anti-corruption policy communicated to relevant staff
- Data protection practices for worker personal information
- Management review meetings on compliance performance, minuted
The Instrument Calibration Blind Spot
Here's what catches most Bangladeshi factories off guard: labor and safety practices can be genuinely solid, and a factory still loses points because the needle detector, GSM balance, moisture meter, or lux meter hasn't been calibrated within the auditor's expected window — usually 12 months, sometimes 6 for high-risk instruments. Auditors don't take your word that "the machine works fine"; they want a traceable, accredited calibration certificate with a date on it.
If your factory doesn't already have a calibration schedule mapped to your audit calendar, that's the single easiest fix on this whole list. Cintex Calibration Lab is ISO/IEC 17025:2017 and ISO 9001:2015 accredited (BAB, UKAS-recognized) and calibrates exactly the instruments auditors check — needle detectors, electronic balances, moisture meters, lux meters, pH meters, and more — with a standard 3-day turnaround so it doesn't hold up your audit prep.
Quick Pre-Audit Countdown
4 weeks out: Pull all documentation, confirm calibration certificates aren't expiring before the audit date, run an internal mock audit.
2 weeks out: Fix any expired certificates, retrain workers on grievance procedures and code-of-conduct basics, do a walk-through for physical hazards (blocked exits, missing extinguisher tags).
1 week out: Final documentation binder assembled by department, management briefed on likely interview questions, worker representatives briefed on their rights during the audit.
Day of: Compliance officer available throughout, all requested documents retrievable within minutes, not hours.
Need to get your needle detector, GSM balance, or moisture meter calibrated before your next audit? Contact TRIMS BEST LTD or Cintex Calibration Lab at 01975-804911 to schedule accredited calibration with a 3-day turnaround.
