The process of the COC factory inspection and the social responsibility factory inspection

December 17, 2025

The General COC (Code of Conduct) factory inspection is a widely adopted social responsibility auditing method. Its standards are based on the core conventions of the International Labour Organization (ILO), covering all aspects of corporate social responsibility. The content of this inspection integrates the core requirements of the majority of brand owners and buyers in the industry, and is the fundamental process for enterprises to obtain social responsibility certification.
The general procedure for the COC social responsibility factory inspection is as follows:
1. First Meeting
After the auditor arrives at the factory, they will first hold a first meeting with the factory management to clarify the purpose of the factory inspection, the standards to be followed, and the local relevant laws and regulations. The meeting aims to confirm the inspection arrangements and ensure that the factory understands that this audit is a collaborative process. During this session, the auditor will:
● Confirm the list of documents to be inspected, including: management system documents, labor contracts, employee handbooks, chemical lists, training records, business licenses, insurance documents, emergency plans, and the past 12 months' work hours and salary records, etc.
● Obtain the factory's floor plan.
● Confirm the authorization for on-site photography.
● Verify that the factory has informed its employees of the inspection arrangements and relevant behavioral guidelines.
● Reiterate the auditor's own business ethics policy.
● Arrange and explain the subsequent employee interview process.
2. On-site Inspection
After the initial meeting, the auditor immediately conducted a comprehensive on-site inspection. This stage aims to assess the actual working environment and operations, and the inspection scope includes, but is not limited to:
● On-site safety and 5S management status
● Safety of the factory building structure
● Fire safety and electrical safety
● Chemical management and storage
● Production operation instructions and sample management
● Control of non-conforming products
● Conditions of dormitories and living facilities
● Signs of child labor or forced labor
The auditor should be allowed to enter all areas and conduct the inspection under normal production conditions to assess the actual daily work situation.
3. Document Review
The auditor will systematically review all the document records that were confirmed during the initial meeting. Through this document review, it is verified whether the actual operations of the factory comply with the established policies and standards, and the information obtained from on-site inspections and interviews is cross-referenced.
4. Employee Interviews
Employee interviews are a crucial part of the COC factory inspection process for collecting evidence. After interviewing the management, the auditors will conduct confidential interviews with a certain proportion of employees in either individual or group form. This is aimed at directly obtaining the employees' opinions and experiences regarding working conditions and the implementation of company policies, and is an important means to verify compliance.
5. Final Meeting
After all on-site inspections and document reviews are completed, the auditor will hold a final meeting to inform the factory management of the audit findings. The key points of the meeting include:
● Clearly point out the non-conformities and their factual basis.
● Propose targeted corrective action suggestions.
● Set the completion deadlines for each corrective measure.
This meeting marks the end of the on-site factory inspection. Subsequently, the factory needs to make rectifications according to the requirements in order to ultimately pass the social responsibility certification.
Summary
The General COC Social Responsibility Audit examines the compliance of factories in terms of labor rights, health and safety, working hours and wages through systematic on-site inspections, document reviews and employee interviews. This process is a core requirement for many brand-certified suppliers, helping enterprises identify management loopholes, continuously improve their social responsibility performance, and ultimately meet international market entry standards.