SA8000: Build the transition plan from the actual certificate

Build the transition plan from the actual certificate

SAI’s timeline updated 22 April 2026 distinguishes training and self-assessment from recertification. For a hypothetical organisation last recertified in 2024, record the actual next audit and CAB availability rather than adopting another organisation’s dates. Transition is through recertification, not surveillance. Track programme training and submission separately, and obtain a confirmed assessment route; neither a course receipt nor a self-assessment score changes the certificate edition.

Link transition to the correct audit

An existing certified organisation transitions at recertification, not at a surveillance audit. Check SAI’s cohort timetable against the last certification year and the CAB’s approval. Completing training and self-assessment by 31 December 2026 does not mean every organisation must recertify that day. Record the learning deadline and the applicable transition audit as separate obligations instead of one generic reminder.

Separate learning and recertification dates

For a certification or recertification audit in 2026, required training and self-assessment are completed beforehand; the general deadline for certified organisations is 31 December 2026. Transition auditing follows the relevant SAI cohort and CAB plan separately. The self-assessment is a learning tool: track completion, but do not present its score as an audit result or a certificate.

Map workers and operating boundaries

Map permanent, seasonal and agency workers alongside production sites and outsourced operations. Scope example: payroll lists permanent staff, while agency workers operate the same line during peak season. Reconcile contracts, recruitment records, shifts and responsibility arrangements before defining the boundary. Temporary status does not justify excluding those workers’ actual conditions; a headcount limited to direct employees can hide the very work being assessed.

Official sources

Checked: 3 October 2026. Worked examples are hypothetical evidence-planning cases, not customer transactions.

• sa-intl.org
• sa-intl.org
• sa-intl.org