Risk Assessment Project

ETI Experimental Projects

 

Introduction to Project

Food retailers with enormous and complex supply bases, but limited resources for monitoring them, needed a practical means for reviewing suppliers quickly. They needed a tool to prioritise the problem areas, to target deeper inspections more effectively and to establish likely labour practices across a wide supply base.

Project aims and objectives

To test and improve a one-day, one-person, single-site risk assessment process and establish agreed parameters for its application. To identify the likely incidence of non-compliance in supply-chains in order to prioritise sites for more thorough inspection and follow-up work.

Key achievements and challenges:

Achievements

• Assessment methodology documentation and a framework for its application developed and refined by corporate group
   
• Trial assessments carried out in countries as far apart as Spain and Kenya.
   
• Trade unions and NGOs shadowed a number of these assessments and provided feedback on the methodology and appropriate parameters for its application.
   
• Changes were made to the methodology and framework, including the introduction of a leaflet to inform the workforce of the purpose of the assessment and a reduction in the site size on which this methodology is deemed effective.
   
• A full toolkit and report of the project were launched in May 2004 (link under Project documents below).

Challenges

A number of challenges remain, such as how to minimise the high level of dependency on the ability of the individual auditor and how to maximise the input from workers in such a short space of time.

Plans

The methodology, and framework for its application, will be subject to review and refinement in June of each year.

Who was involved?

Companies:
The Co-operative Group (CWS) Ltd, Fisher Foods, Marks & Spencer, Safeway Stores plc, Somerfield Stores Ltd, J. Sainsburys, Tesco

Trade Unions:
TUC

NGOs:
Africa Now, Anti-Slavery International, CAFOD, CAWN, Oxfam, Quaker Peace & Social Witness, Traidcraft Exchange, Women Working Worldwide.
 

For further information contact:

eti@eti.org.uk

 

 

Project documents:

1. Project Report and Toolkit