Wooden Toy Factory Audit Checklist

An audit is only useful if it tells you whether the factory can repeat a good shipment. A tour, a certificate PDF and a sample room do not answer that question. This checklist sets out the four audit types a wooden toy buyer usually needs, the documents to request before the visit, what to look at on the floor and how to close findings without losing the next order.

Reviewed 29 October 2026. This is a buyer guide, not legal advice.

Four audit types, four different questions

Buyers often say "we need a factory audit" when they mean one of four different things. Mixing them produces a long report that answers none of them well. Decide which question you are buying before you book the auditor.

Audit type	Question it answers	Typical evidence
Social compliance	Are workers employed lawfully, paid correctly and working in safe conditions?	Payroll, attendance, contracts, worker interviews, fire and dormitory checks.
Quality system	Can the factory control incoming material, in-process work and final inspection consistently?	Procedures, inspection records, calibration, non-conformance and CAPA logs, traceability.
Environmental and chemical	Are chemicals stored and used safely, and is waste handled without contaminating product or water?	Chemical inventory, SDS, storage, wastewater, waste transfer, air extraction.
Security and anti-counterfeiting	Can the site control access, cargo and production of a branded programme?	Perimeter, visitor logs, CCTV, sealed cargo, sub-contractor control.

A toy programme usually needs the first three, and the fourth when the buyer is a brand with its own security standard or a marketplace requirement. The scope should name the site, the product lines and the period covered. An audit of a trading office is not an audit of the factory that makes the toy.

Documents to request before the visit

Ask for the pack in advance and read it before you travel. A factory that cannot produce these documents before an audit usually cannot produce them during one.

Document	What it should show
Business licence and site registration	Legal entity, registered address and the site actually being audited.
Site plan and floor layout	Production, warehouse, chemical store, spray area, packing, waste and exits marked.
Employee roster and organisation chart	Headcount by department, supervisors, and the person accountable for safety and quality.
Payroll, attendance and contracts	Wage calculation, hours, overtime, leave and the sample records the auditor will test.
Fire, electrical and building checks	Extinguishers, alarms, drills, earthing and inspection records.
Chemical inventory and SDS	Every coating, solvent, adhesive and cleaner on site, with storage location and SDS.
Equipment list and calibration	Machines, guards, maintenance and calibration certificates for measuring equipment.
Inspection and CAPA records	Incoming, in-process and final checks, plus recent non-conformances and how they were closed.
Sub-contractor list	Any process sent outside the site, with the approval and control method.
Previous audit reports	The last report, the findings and the evidence that each finding was closed.

Read the payroll sample against the attendance sample. If the two do not reconcile, the audit has already found something more important than a missing form.

What to look at on the floor

The floor tells you whether the paperwork is alive. Walk the route of the material, from unloading to loading, rather than following the showroom route.

Exits and aisles. Are exits unobstructed, unlocked during working hours and marked? Can workers reach them from the furthest bench?
Electrical. Are panels closed, cables protected, plugs earthed and temporary wiring absent?
Machine guarding. Are saws, drills, sanders and presses guarded, and are interlocks working rather than taped?
Wood dust. Is extraction connected and running, is dust accumulating on beams, and are filters maintained?
Chemical storage. Are coatings and solvents segregated, labelled, ventilated and away from ignition and food?
Spray and drying. Is the booth maintained, is PPE used, and are wet articles kept away from packing?
PPE. Are masks, eye protection and hearing protection available and actually worn at the machines that need them?
Timber storage. Is stock off the floor, dry, pest-controlled and separated by species or grade?
Foreign-body control. Are blades, staples, screws and broken tools controlled, and is there a metal-detection or visual check where the buyer requires it?
Traceability. Can a finished carton be linked to a production date, a material batch and an inspection record?
Packing and loading. Is the correct artwork used, are cartons sealed and counted, and is the loading area protected from rain and contamination?

Take photographs with permission and note the location. A finding without a location is difficult to close and easy to dispute later.

Worker interviews and records

Worker interviews are the part of a social audit that cannot be replaced by a document review. They should be private, in the worker's own language where possible, and representative of the departments and shifts on site.

Recruitment. Were fees charged, were identity documents retained, and is the worker's age verified?
Hours. What is a normal week, how is overtime recorded, and can the worker decline overtime without penalty?
Pay. Is the wage calculation explained, are deductions lawful, and is overtime paid at the required rate?
Contracts. Does the worker have a copy in a language they understand, and does it match the actual terms?
Safety. Has the worker been trained on the machines they use, and do they know what to do in a fire?
Grievance. Is there a route to raise a problem without fear of retaliation, and has it been used?

Compare the interview answers with the payroll and attendance records. The gap between the two is usually where the real finding sits.

Writing a CAPA that actually closes

A finding is not closed by a promise. It is closed by evidence that the cause was addressed and that the fix survives a normal production week.

State the finding precisely. Location, machine, record or worker group, date and what was observed. "Poor safety culture" is not a finding; "guard missing on sander 3 at 10:20" is.
Name the root cause. Missing part, unclear procedure, no training, no owner, no budget or a sub-contractor outside the system.
Choose a corrective action that matches the cause. Replacing a guard is corrective; adding a daily guard check with a named owner is preventive.
Set a date and a responsible person. Both should be visible to the buyer, not buried in an internal list.
Attach evidence. Photographs, a revised procedure, a training record, a maintenance ticket or a payroll correction.
Verify later. Re-check the item on the next visit or by video call, and record the result. A CAPA that was never verified is still open.

Ask for the CAPA log rather than a set of separate letters. The log shows whether findings are being tracked as a system or answered one email at a time.

How to verify an audit report

A PDF with a logo is not verification. Check the following before you rely on a report:

Entity and site. Does the report name the legal entity and the factory address that will make your goods?
Scope. Does it cover the product lines, processes and shifts you are buying from?
Date and cycle. When was the audit performed, and what is the scheme's validity window? An old report describes an old system.
Auditor and scheme. Is the auditor accredited for the standard, and can the scheme's own database confirm the report?
Findings and closure. Are the findings listed with evidence of closure, or only a summary grade?
Sub-contractors. Does the report cover any process that is actually outsourced?

Where a report is shared under confidentiality, the buyer should still be able to see the site, the date, the scope and the findings. If the factory cannot show those four things, treat the report as a marketing document rather than evidence.

Twelve-point buyer checklist

Is the audited site the site that will produce the order?
Does the scope cover your product lines and the shifts that run them?
Is the audit date current under the relevant scheme's cycle?
Are payroll and attendance records reconciled, not just present?
Were workers interviewed privately in their own language?
Are exits, alarms and fire drills evidenced, not only installed?
Are machine guards and interlocks working on the machines used for your product?
Is wood dust controlled at the source and not only swept up?
Are chemicals segregated, labelled and backed by SDS that match the inventory?
Is there a foreign-body control step where your specification requires one?
Can a finished carton be traced to material batch and inspection records?
Is every finding in the CAPA log owned, dated and verified?

What BETTERMU can supply

The social-compliance, quality and chemical-management reports held for the site, shared with the buyer under confidentiality with the site, date and scope visible; the buyer should confirm the current status with the issuing body.
The pre-audit document pack: licence, site plan, roster, chemical inventory and SDS, equipment and calibration list, inspection and CAPA records.
A named quality and safety contact for the audit, plus access to the production areas, warehouse and chemical store.
CAPA responses with photographs, owner, date and re-check evidence for each finding.
Notification of a change of site, production line or sub-contractor before the affected goods ship.

We share the reports we hold and the records behind them. We do not invent a grade, backdate a report or claim a scheme membership that the scheme's own database cannot confirm. The buyer should verify the report with the issuing body, and we will support that check.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a social audit and a quality audit?

A social audit checks employment, wages, hours and worker safety. A quality audit checks whether the factory can control materials, processes and inspection consistently. A toy programme usually needs both, plus a chemical and environmental review.

How long is a factory audit report valid?

It depends on the scheme and the buyer's own policy. Reports are a snapshot of a date, not a permanent status. Check the audit date, the scope and the scheme's current cycle rather than relying on the cover page.

Can a trading company pass an audit for a factory it does not own?

The report has to name the site that actually makes the goods. An audit of a sales office does not cover a separate production site, and a sub-contractor's process should be included in the scope if it is part of your order.

What should a CAPA contain?

A precise finding, the root cause, a corrective action, a preventive action, a named owner, a due date and evidence of completion. A later verification date and result are what turn a promise into a closed item.

Do you allow unannounced audits?

Buyers and their nominated auditors can arrange site visits under the commercial agreement. The useful condition is access to the production floor, the warehouse, the chemical store and the records, not a rehearsed showroom tour.

What if a previous audit found a serious issue?

Ask for the finding, the root cause and the evidence of closure, then re-check the item on site. A serious finding that is genuinely closed is less worrying than a clean report with no CAPA log behind it.

Can BETTERMU provide a social compliance certificate?

We can share the reports issued to the factory and the records behind them. The buyer should verify the report with the issuing body, because a certificate image alone does not confirm the site, scope or current status.

Send us your product list

Tell us the items, quantities and the market you sell in. We will come back with a quotation, the documentation we can supply, and the next step.

Request a quotation