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Sustainability

Human rights

We are committed to protecting human rights throughout our business operations and extended supply chain, ensuring that everyone who works with and for us is treated with respect, fairness, and dignity.

Respecting human rights is one of our key material issues and an essential part of our sustainability strategy and our ESG framework. This means that understanding and addressing potential human rights issues is a matter of priority.

Our commitments are set out in our Code of Conduct, and we work in accordance with our Social Performance Framework, the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, and the Fundamental Conventions of the International Labour Organisation (ILO).

Petrofacts

Enhancing worker

welfare

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Improving human rights through innovation and collaboration

We continue to innovate and improve our labour rights screening process within our vendor management system. This process is now fully automated, with 100% all vendors and suppliers screened against human rights criteria when pre-qualified, and required to read and commit to Petrofac’s Labour Rights and Worker Welfare Standards.

We are screening those third parties already registered on our system and yet to be selected for prequalification and, where any issues are found, we work with third parties to improve their understanding of our Standards and support their efforts to comply fully.

We also continue to share good practice through our engagement with industry and other stakeholders, such as the Building Responsibly Group of engineering and construction companies.

We've outlined the steps we're taking to protect and respect human rights throughout our
business operations and extended supply chain below.

Evaluating our performance

We assess our operations for human rights issues and take a risk-based approach to addressing any incidents of modern slavery related to forced and bonded labour, worker welfare infringements, and other labour rights abuses. This review is detailed in our annual Modern Slavery Statement, published in accordance with the UK Modern Slavery Act 2015, which outlines the steps taken in respect to human rights.

Conducting in-depth audits

We aim to conduct periodic in-depth human rights audits of our EPC project sites to assess worker welfare conditions and identify any labour rights concerns. These comprise:

  • Inspecting accommodation
  • Interviewing worker
  • Evaluate the impact on local communities
Refreshing labour rights awareness training

To remind our subcontractors of the importance of worker welfare, the principles we follow, and the support we make available on each of our project sites, a programme of labour rights refresher training was implemented (aligned to the International Finance Corporation Standard on Environmental & Social Sustainability, Labour Standard 2).

Maintaining project grievance processes

At each project site, we operate grievance processes designed to be transparent and accessible and based on engagement and constructive dialogue. Workers can raise complaints and suggestions for improvement anonymously or in person, and we engage with all parties to support the fair and prompt resolution of any issues presented.

Giving a voice to workers

In 2022, audit feedback highlighted that workers employed by some lower-tier subcontractors still feel uncomfortable raising formal grievances. To address this, we continued to elevate the role of project welfare committees, enabling these workforce groups to raise concerns and improvement requests on behalf of their constituencies without fear of retaliation.