All You Need to Know About Factory Audits in Pakistan

Factory audits in Pakistan are a new government initiative designed to explore factory conditions and prevent them from violating labor laws. The campaigns typically involve visits to factories. The auditors scrutinize the factory conditions, check worker hours and wages, and attempt to improve working conditions by facilitating dialogue with management. 

In this blog post, we will discuss all the things you have to know about factory audits in Pakistan. Let’s begin the article. Happy Reading!

What is the Purpose of Factory Audits in Pakistan?

The purpose of a factory audit is to make the factories in Pakistan safe, modern, and compliant with all working conditions. There are many reasons for taking factory audits by the Pakistani government. 

• The main aim of the factory auditor is to reduce the number of working related accidents and injuries among workers. They work on a team to ensure that no worker gets injured in any kind of situation. 
• It also helps save companies from huge tax expenses when they comply with labor laws set by the government. 
• Today, Pakistan is working under the International Labor Organization, known as ILO. To work in this World Trade Organization (WTO) organization, we must comply with the standards and regulations. 
• This move will help Pakistan companies eliminate factories that violate labor laws.

How does a Factory Audit Work?

The main purpose of a factory audit is to uncover problems and inform workers about their rights in terms of labor laws and inspection reports. The auditor starts his office by setting up a team for this purpose. 

He starts the audit by talking to factory owners and explaining the law like minimum wages, working hours, and other terms. Along with that, he takes samples of products and checks sample quality. All this is done to ensure that the products are made in line with the quality standards set by the Pakistan government. 

After that, he has a team of workers to check the working conditions. He will check the factory’s safety, health, and environmental issues and send a report on each issue to government agencies. 

The auditor will also document all discussions with management in the factory and assess the level of response from management. He will also make sure that safety measures are implemented in any area of concern and assess if wages are paid on time.

What are the Laws that Apply to Factory Audits?

There are a lot of laws that relate to factory audits in Pakistan. These may include:

1- Machinery Act

This law relates to machinery, equipment, and power tools. The government body can inspect both old and new machines in factories. There is an option of employees being granted Labor Department badges for identification purposes.

2- Workmen Enrollment Ordinance

This ordinance applies to the employers who are employing 10 or more workers. In these terms, employers have no right to employ a person unless they get enrolled.

3- Occupational Safety, Health, and Hygiene

Under this law, safety measures must be taken in all factories. The working conditions of factory workers were also included in this act. If a worker is injured due to negligence from the management side, he has a right to get compensation from the employer side.

4- Factories Act

This is an act of Parliament that regulates the work of factories. It includes terms related to maximum hours, safety measures, and other labor affairs. It also includes a list of items that can be manufactured in factories.

5- Labor Contracts Ordinance 

This is a law related to factory management contracts. It covers all types of contracts, such as fixed-term and collective and individual contracts.

6- The Bonded Labor System (Abolition) Act

 This is a law that applies to bonded labor and its abolishment system. This law replaced the Bonded Labor System Abolition Ordinance of 1952. According to this law, all kinds of forced labor are abolished, and the employer is not allowed to force their employees for any kind of work without paying their wages on time.

7- The Child Labor Act

This act applies to factories that have more than 5 persons employed. Under this act, a child under the age of 15 years is not allowed to work in factories in any kind of work. It also restricts employers from employing a person between 15 and 18. 

8- The Factories Act (Amendment) Ordinance

This act is an amendment to the existing law. It includes terms related to the employees of factories and their rights and duties. The main new feature introduced by this act includes daily wages for employees in factories where 20 or more workers are employed. 

How to Get Certified by Factory Audits?

It is quite a simple process to get certified by factory audits. Every company that gets certified needs to follow the following steps: 

• First of all, a company representative must apply to conduct an audit. The application is usually submitted online. 
• After reviewing your application, they will contact your company or factory to schedule an appointment date and time in the second step. 
• After the factory audit, you will get a report. It usually takes 3 to 4 weeks for the whole process to complete. 
• After that, you get certified and ready to work with your company with all legal requirements in check. 

 There you have it. We hope you have learned everything you need to know about factory audits in Pakistan. To get top-notch services, you should contact LigerCorp as it is one of the best companies for different types of product audits. 

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