Currently a good part of Chilean companies are, as a result of the scope of the globalization process, in full implementation and certification work under different ISO regulations (Quality, Environment and Occupational Health and Safety) as well as other systems (such as HACCP). However, it is not the final step in the normalization process in management or administration systems, but rather the prelude: Soon, standards that directly address the human capital of companies will also be required, that is, the Standards on Social Responsibility.
The history
Work is considered one of the most integral expressions of the personality of human beings, with man acting in front of it with the fullness of his moral, intellectual and physical faculties. Through it, he exercises or applies the forces of the body and soul to the benefit of producing something useful or satisfying a need.
Certain thinkers of the nineteenth century came to consider that human beings produced "use values" for other human beings by depositing their own work in various devices or objects, which is what truly adds value to other people or to the rest of society.
Throughout human history, particularly since the changes imposed by the industrial revolution in the 18th century, it is possible to appreciate significant changes in man's relationship with the planet and within his own society. Thus, the Industrial Revolution raises economic, social and environmental changes. The first modern factories appear, the artisan society of the Middle Ages is eliminated and human slavery as such is abolished.
The organization of the first industries represented the existence of environmentally adverse conditions for workers. They worked in dark workshops thickly laden with clouds of dust, smoke, gases, and vapors from the manufacturing processes, where men, women, and children worked 12 or more hours a day. The life expectancy of the population as a result of occupational accidents and diseases was not more than 30 years (1).
However, and especially from the beginning of the 20th century, with the new Taylorian concepts of the division of labor, technological development and increasingly complex industries required specialized workers and more difficult to replace, a situation that began to create awareness among industrialists on the advantages of not having injured or sick personnel, as well as stopped machines or equipment.
This will also have an influence on the development of social security programs in mainly developed countries.
On the other hand, from the period that followed World War II, the need arises to standardize production methodologies. Thus, the first ISO standards emerged, whose support is and has been to promote the development of standardization and related activities around the world to facilitate international exchange and cooperation.
It was not until the 1980s that the first ISO standards applicable to Quality Management (1987) (2) appeared. Subsequently, ISO standards applicable to Environmental Management Systems (1996) (3) will be added, as well as voluntary standards not accredited as ISO but adopted as standards in many countries such as the OHSAS 18.001 (4) standard that specifies the requirements that must comply with an Occupational Health and Safety Management System.
With regard to specific regulations on human resources and in relation to corporate social responsibility, in October 1997 the SA 8000 Standard was delivered to the Council of Economic Priorities of the United States, the principles of which are based on human rights, which every society Civilized guarantees and that consequently, companies must adopt according to the demands of a modern, humanized and projected conception in the common good.
The Standard and its implication
What exactly does the term SA 8000 mean? It is a standard that was promoted by the Social Accountability International (SAI), which is a non-profit organization dedicated to the development, implementation, and supervision of demonstrable social responsibility standards.
The SA 8000 standard is based on international human rights standards including the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. There are nine principles on which this rule is based, which are related to the prohibition of child labor; forced labor; the Safety and Health of Workers; Freedom of Association and Right to Collective Bargaining; Fair working hours and wages; elimination of disciplinary and discriminatory practices in the workplace and, finally, deadlines that allow the company to adapt in the implementation of this rule.
The SA 8000 standard, as well as the ISO standards, is a voluntary protocol that follows the same trend as these, as it also includes a verification process and corrective actions. One of the objectives of the SA 8000 standard is to establish a verification system that guarantees minimum working conditions, eliminating the forms of child labor, forced labor and slavery, as well as overwork or extended hours.
Relationship with certifiable ISO standards
What is the relationship between management systems oriented towards corporate social responsibility? Much, because these standards (SA 8000) integrate not only safety and social responsibility aspects, but also environmental aspects and health and social security simultaneously.
The spirit of the SA 8000 standard is supported by the belief that all workplaces must be managed in such a way that they guarantee basic human rights and that the company assumes its responsibility in this system as it happens with the rest of the systems. ISO. Today there is a growing impulse, especially in the developed countries of the European bloc, to encourage its use in the countries that supply raw materials, such as Chile.
In addition, these standards (such as the ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 standards, among others, are already being) may very soon become the new barriers for tariffs for our exports to the countries that make up the World Organization of Commerce.
Moreover, according to the information available, the way has been paved for the birth of an ISO standard on social responsibility. From March 4 to 11, 2005, the first meeting of a Working Group for the development of the ISO 26000 standard on social responsibility was held in Salvador de Bahía, Brazil. In the process of preparing this standard, which is expected to be ready in less than 3 years, Chile has already been participating through a special delegation.
Give back to your country
In Chile, there are already companies that have implemented management systems oriented towards community social responsibility, as is the case of some large copper mining companies such as Minera Escondida and Cerro Colorado, owned by BHP Billiton, which has the policy to invest 1% of its profits in supporting community initiatives (7). Currently, BHP Billiton in Chile is in the process of unifying its Management Systems (ISO 14001, OHSAS 18001 and SA 8000) under an Integrated HSEC System (8).
In summary, in Chile, the adoption of Integrated Management Systems (SIG) has focused on a stepped model towards Total Quality Management. The foregoing has started with the standardization of Quality Management Systems (QMS), Environmental Management Systems (EMS) and Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems (SSSO) finally. As the top of the pyramid of integration in a Global Management System in modern companies, the incorporation of Social Responsibility Management Systems (SGRS) will also be required very soon, this particularly with the advent of the ISO 26,000 standard and the operating standard SA 8000.
References
1. Ackerknecht, Carlos. 2002. Safety and Risk Prevention. Occupational Risk Prevention Course. Environmental Management and Regulation Program. Faculty of Engineering. University of Santiago, Chile. 47 pp.
2. Chilean Standard ISO 9001: 2000. Of. 2001. Quality Management Systems - Requirements.
3. National Institute of Standardization. 2004. International Standard. ISO 14001: 2004. Environmental Management Systems - Requirements with guidance for their use.
4. National Institute for Standardization. 2004. Chilean Standard. 18001. Of.2004. Management systems. Occupational Risk Prevention - Requirements.
5. Azqueta, Diego. 2002. Introduction to Environmental Economics. Ed. Mc Graw-Hill Professional. 420 pp.
6. UL Latin America. Management Systems Certification. <www.ul-latinamerica.com>.
7. BHP Billiton. Escondida Mine. Relationships with the community. <www.escondida.cl>.
8. BHP Billiton. Cerro Colorado Mine. Sustainable development. <www.escondida.cl>.
Author:
Marcos Antonio Tricallotis Campaign
