Modern Slavery Statement: Engineering Services Consultancy Ltd is not legally obliged to make a slavery and human trafficking statement. However, we have produced this document in order to assure all members of our supply chain that we take issues of and around slavery and trafficking seriously and will not condone it within our supply chain.
Therefore, this statement is made pursuant to s.54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 and sets out the steps that Engineering Services Consultancy Ltd (ESC) has taken and is continuing to take to ensure that modern slavery or human trafficking is not taking place within our business or supply chain.
Modern slavery encompasses slavery, servitude, human trafficking and forced labour. ESC has a zero-tolerance approach to any form of modern slavery. We are committed to acting ethically and with integrity and transparency in all business dealings and to putting effective systems and controls in place to safeguard against any form of modern slavery taking place within the business or our supply chain.
Our Business: Engineering Services Consultancy Ltd is a firm of building services consulting engineers and environmental consultants. From our office in Birmingham city centre we are involved in projects throughout the UK. As consultants, we do not directly employ contractors or contract labour. Therefore, our supply chain consists, in the main, of suppliers of goods (e.g. stationery, printing etc.) and building services (e.g. water, electricity etc.).
Our High-Risk Areas: Use of/employment of suppliers whose practices may not comply with the Modern Slavery Act 2015 (including, but not limited to, their use of staff)
- Any materials supplied to ESC (e.g. stationery supplies) which may have been produced where the Modern Slavery Act 2015 does not apply or by companies that do not comply with legislation
- Increase of risk where an employee does not follow our procedures and policies correctly for whatever reason
Our Policies: We operate a number of internal policies to ensure that we are conducting business in an ethical and transparent manner. These include:
- Anti-slavery policy. This policy sets out the organisation’s stance on modern slavery and explains how employees can identify any instances of this and where they can go for help.
- Recruitment policy. We operate a robust recruitment policy, including conducting eligibility to work in the UK checks for all employees to safeguard against human trafficking or individuals being forced to work against their will.
- Whistle-blowing policy. We operate a whistle-blowing policy so that all employees know that they can raise concerns about how colleagues are being treated, or practices within our business or supply chain, without fear of reprisals.
- Code of business conduct. This code explains the manner in which we behave as an organisation and how we expect our employees and suppliers to act. All employees must agree to this as part of their terms and conditions of employment.
Our suppliers: ESC requires that organisations that provide goods and/or services to them are subject to due diligence where necessary. If appropriate, confirmation will be required via necessary means that the supplier and their supply chain are free from slavery and human trafficking according to the Modern Slavery Act 2015.
ESC will conduct due diligence on suppliers as and when appropriate. This may take the form of internet searches, site visits, requests for information and supplier audits.
Training: We regularly conduct training for all of our employees, part of which covers the indicators of modern slavery and what to do if they suspect that it is taking place within our supply chain. This can take the form of open discussion during team meetings or through review of company policy documents.
Our performance indicators: We will know the effectiveness of the steps that we are taking to ensure that slavery and/or human trafficking is not taking place within our business or supply chain if:
- No reports are received from employees, the public, or law enforcement agencies to indicate that modern slavery practices have been identified.
- Staff are trained on the Modern Slavery Act 2015, ESC’s commitment to the legislation and understand how to raise any concerns.
This Modern Slavery Statement was originally approved by the Directors on 12 June 2017 and is reviewed at least annually as part of our ISO9001 processes.