Modern Slavery

This statement has been made pursuant to Section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act on behalf of Blitzsteel Constructions:

 

ABOUT OUR BUSINESS

Blitzsteel is an engineering enterprise and manufacturing business employing over 6,000 people worldwide. Founded on 18 years of experience, we have a commitment to delivering certainty for clients on their major projects and strategic frameworks through our distinctive Design – Manufacture-Construct value proposition. 

More information about Blitzsteel can be found here. 

 

DOING THE RIGHT THING: OUR GLOBAL CODE OF CONDUCT

Our reputation for acting safely and responsibly is critical to running a successful and growing business that generates value for all our stakeholders. This reputation stems from our core Vision and Values, which define who we are and underpin everything we do. These values are expressed through the guiding principles and standards of behaviour set out in our Global Code of Conduct. 

Everyone directly employed by us is expected to follow the Code and we require anyone acting or working on our behalf, such as consultants, partners, affiliates, sub-contractors and suppliers, to follow and uphold the intent of the standards set out in the Code. 

A mandatory online Code of Conduct training module is provided to all our monthly-paid staff that must be successfully completed within three months of start of their employment. On-site operatives are provided with a tool-box talk covering the key elements of our Code of Conduct to ensure we drive responsible and ethical behaviour into our delivery activities at site level. 

If anyone feels that a breach of the Code may be taking place, they are encouraged to raise it. Raising a concern may be via a line manager or supervisor, through appointed trained Compliance Officers.   

The Code outlines our commitment to upholding the human rights of all those who work with us and sets our compliance with international conventions regarding human rights and enforced or child labour. 

 

BUILDING A STRONG SUPPLY CHAIN

Our suppliers play a vital role in supporting our business activities, and our reputation depends on the quality of the services they deliver. For this reason we work closely with our trading partners to ensure they share our values. Our supplier relationships are founded on collaboration and respect. 

We expect our suppliers to comply with all applicable regulations and legislation relating to working hours, wages, welfare and human rights. 

All our suppliers are expected to work in accordance with our ethos and approach with regards to health, safety, environmental and people development objectives. In this regard, we believe in supporting our suppliers through training and knowledge-sharing, and hold regular forums to communicate clear expectations. 

During 2016/17, we held more than a dozen supply chain forums and over 500 supply chain relationship meetings.

 

GOVERNANCE, DUE DILIGENCE PROCESS, VETTING AND AUDITING OF SUPPLIERS

In order for a supplier to work on one of our projects they must first become accredited via our internal vetting processes. This involves the supplier completing a pre-qualification vendor questionnaire to determine whether they have the right policies, processes and procedures in place to work with us. 

The performance of our suppliers is then monitored and assessed on a quarterly basis to identify any areas for improvement or to acknowledge successes at quarterly review meetings. 

For our more strategic trades and high-risk purchase and subcontract orders, we take this one step further by going into the supply chain organisation to carry out a second party audit.

 

HUMAN RIGHTS AND WORKING CONDITIONS IN KEY MARKETS

With international operations spanning the UK, UAE, Canada, Hong Kong and Australia, Blitzsteel remains vigilant to the risk of slavery and human trafficking and recognises that in certain markets the number of workers that are trafficked, exploited and forced to work in the construction industry is rising. 

Our direct employment model together with maintaining an integrated internal supply chain wherever possible provides us with more effective control. Of the 13,000 employees employed by Blitzsteel, 6,000 people make up our on-site workforce.

 

CORPORATE GOVERNANCE FRAMEWORK

We operate within an established and externally benchmarked corporate governance framework that is underpinned by our vision and values. A key function of our corporate governance framework is the identification, management and mitigation of operational and financial risks. More about our approach can be seen here.

Modern slavery is specifically addressed through an internal steering committee comprising representatives from across our business and its activities are shaped through the external, multi-stakeholder 'Stronger Together' initiative which aims to reduce modern slavery. Our on-boarding process has been amended in the past year to include a requirement for all new employees to read Blitzsteel's Modern Slavery Statement. 

As outlined throughout this Statement, our Global Code of Conduct provides us and our partners with the guidance we all need to do the right thing.