Action Sustainability has launched a new anti-slavery toolkit, titled Operational Toolkit: Combatting Slavery in the Built Environment, for the Supply Chain Sustainability School
A new operational anti-slavery toolkit has been launched for the Supply Chain Sustainability School.
The toolkit is intended to help businesses with their due-diligence in regards to modern slavery.
The built-environment is at risk for modern slavery
Issues and challenges within the built environment put it at an increased risk for modern slavery. These challenges include labour and skills shortages, meaning higher use of migrant labour, agency labour, and sub-contracts.
Low profit margins and strict deadlines can also apply pressures that eventually lead to rules and protocols being more likely to be ignored when bringing new workers onto the worksite.
Key highlights of the operational anti-slavery toolkit include:
- Examination of six key risks in the built environment sector.
- Recommended actions for organisations to take to prevent, identify, manage and mitigate risks of exploitation.
- Signposts to key resources from expert organisations.
Making adhering to regulations easier
Anna Slatcher, senior sustainability manager at Barratt Redrow, said: “At Barratt Redrow we are committed to preventing, identifying, managing and mitigating modern slavery and labour exploitation risks in our operations and supply chain. This guidance will be a valuable resource for us and our industry partners to enable us to improve our understanding of, and mitigate and monitor, labour risk on our sites. It illustrates the practical steps that can be taken in recruitment, site set up and management to identify ‘red flags’ that may otherwise be missed and to empower our teams to ensure a working environment for everyone that is exploitation-free.”
Jo Potts, sustainability director at Balfour Beatty and co-chair for the Built Environment Against Slavery Group, said: “Operating responsibly and with integrity whilst upholding the highest ethical standards is critical to success – it must be at the heart of how the construction and infrastructure industry conducts business. It is therefore integral that we empower our people to tackle modern slavery. By equipping our teams with the necessary tools and knowledge, we can significantly reduce the risks of exploitation within our projects and across our supply chain.”
