QHSE

Our prime directive is no harm to personnel or the environment. Our core belief is that nothing is more important than our personnel's health and safety, and on this, we are uncompromising to the last.

As a responsible company and a part of a world-wide business, we focus on transparency regarding human rights and decent working conditions. The Norwegian Transparency Act from 2022 sets requirements helping us as a company to fulfill the expectations of our stakeholders. A yearly statement for our work in this connection could be found here in [Norwegian] and [English] versions.

ISO 9001

Improving our quality of service and exceeding customer expectations

ISO 14001

Reducing our environmental impact and managing our responsibilities

Magnet JQS

We are registered and compliant according to Magnet JQS

Our vision is zero harm to people and the environment as a result of JWS’s business. We shall conduct our activities so that people, the environment and values ​​are not subjected to unnecessary strain. Our HSE concept include conditions affecting both the working environment and the external environment. Our activity shall always deliver HSE-results as expected by our stakeholders and the society in general.

All statutory and other relevant requirements related to JWS’s operations shall be followed.

JWS’s processes shall be continuously improved so that the impact on people and the environment is constantly reduced. This shall be achieved by a strong focus on risk reduction, reporting and processing incidents and accidents, as well as a good interaction with customers and other stakeholders. JWS strives to ensure good HSE performance and improvement.

Our employees are committed to fulfill their duties in accordance with the customers, other stakeholders and their own company HSE requirements, and are committed to continually improving our impact on health, environment and safety.

JWS processes are managed by a management system that is established according to the requirements of ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 45001. JWS AS is certified according to ISO 9001 and ISO 14001.

JWS will focus on the delivery of services that meet high HSE standards so that impact on humans and the environment is kept well within the relevant requirements. It is of supreme importance that good solutions in the areas of ergonomics, use of resources and safe operation are used in delivering the services.

Corporate culture in JWS is characterized by good teamwork between skilled and motivated employees, good communication, inspiring leadership, clear environmental focus, and a safe and stimulating work environment.

JWS is committed to deliver high quality services for special cleaning, swarf-handling, drill cutting handling and other requested services which our competence cover to suit the customers and other stakeholders requirements and expectations. Every activity shall be performed in accordance with all legal and other relevant requirements related to the assignment.

JWS is to achieve high customer satisfaction by working safely and delivering services of the right quality at the agreed time and price. Good HSE performance and good communication with the customer during the missions will form the basis for good results in these areas. Our activity shall always deliver HSE-results as expected by our stakeholders and the society in general.

Processes of the company shall be continuously improved through a strong focus on risk reduction, reporting and management of incidents and accidents, as well as good interaction with customers and other stakeholders. JWS is dedicated to ensuring quality achievement and improvement.

JWS processes are managed by a management system that is established according to the requirements of ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 45001. JWS AS is certified according to ISO 9001 and ISO 14001.

Corporate culture in JWS is characterized by good teamwork between skilled and motivated employees, good communication, inspiring leadership, clear environmental focus, and a safe and stimulating work environment.

There shall never be any doubts regarding our employees integrity. We must act honorably and never be influenced unrightfully in ethical matters.

We will engage others in a respectful and equal manner. This equality is regardless of gender, race, religion or political views.

Personal interests will not influence our deciscions to conflict with JWS Gruppens interests.

Recieved confidential information will be treated and handled confidentially, unless said information is against the law.

All JWS Gruppen employees have an ultimate responsibility to people and the environment.

Guidelines

  • Gifts: Quality, price and availability are the only criteria to use when purchasing or selling goods or services in JWS Gruppen. To avoid any suspicions regarding our integrity, any gifts from external parties are to be politely declined and returned. Profiled gifts with symbolic value are not considered gifts.
  • Representation and travels: All representation, without exceptions, is to be approved by a superior officer. All travels and sustenance during representations is to be paid in full by JWS Gruppen.
  • Arrangements and events: All arrangements and events hosted by JWS Gruppen is to be paid in full by JWS Gruppen.
  • Loyalty: Everyone in the JWS Gruppen must be loyal to decisions, colleagues and adhere to the company's values. Loyalty also means working for the good of the company and the group in a long-term perspective.
  • People and environment: Everyone in the JWS Gruppen must use their expertise in such a way that it benefits people, the environment and society.
  • Confidentiality: Everyone in the JWS Gruppen has a duty of confidentiality when it comes to business secrets and information that is given in confidence. However, this does not apply to information that has unlawful content.
  • Co-workers: Everyone in the JWS Gruppen actively supports colleagues who have gotten into difficulties due to actions that are in accordance with the company's ethical guidelines, and who have tried to comply with these to the best of their ability.
  • Human rights and decent working conditions: Everyone in the JWS Gruppen recognizes the safeguarding of human rights and decent working conditions as fundamental, regardless of where you are represented in the world. Everyone is expected to respect and promote basic human rights and international labor rights conventions through their representation or association with JWS.
  • Equality and diversity: JWS Gruppen will show respect for everyone, and work actively towards a good and healthy work environment, characterized by equality and diversity for all. JWS Gruppen does not condone or accept any form of discrimination of it’s employees nor any of it’s subcontractors. Discrimination is hereby defined as exclusion or preferential treatment based on race, gender, age, disabilities, sexual orientation, religion, political views, national or ethnic origins.
  • Conflict of interests: No one in the JWS Gruppen shall have relationships that create doubts about loyalty to the JWS Gruppen and the company's interests, or which may in any way have a negative impact on the person concerned's freedom of action or judgement. Board positions or active participation/ownership in commercial companies must in each case be clarified with the managing director or the person he/she authorizes.
  • Distribution of information: No one in the JWS Gruppen contributes to the electronic or postal distribution of material of a pornographic, racist or criminal nature.
  • Purchase of sexual favors: Any purchase of sexual favors goes directly against JWS Gruppen values, and will not be tolerated.
  • Duty to warn: Everyone in the JWS Gruppen has a duty to report objectionable circumstances. Examples of objectionable conditions are violations of JWS Gruppen's values, ethical guidelines and regulations as well as violations of public laws and regulations.
  • Corruption: In their work, everyone employed by the JWS Gruppen or working on behalf of the Gruppen must follow the laws and regulations that apply and carry out their work in accordance with good business practice, our values, and ethical guidelines. JWS Gruppen has zero tolerance for corruption in any form, including bribery, facilitation payments and trading in influence. We will comply with all applicable anti-corruption laws and regulations and take active steps to ensure that corruption does not occur in relation to JWS Gruppen´s business activities.
JWS Gruppen is committed to conducting our business activities in an open and transparent manner. We will work to ensure that all our partners and suppliers work in a transparent manner and are committed to combat corruption. All transactions must be contractual, legal and of normal business nature

Use of any drugs or alcohol is not tolerated in a workplace setting, due to concerns regarding the level of competency, safety, working environment required, as well as the individual workers personal health.

None shall immediately lose their job due to substance abuse without a possibility to remedy their problem.

Protecting a coworker by ignoring or covering their substance abuse is not helping. It is of vital importance that everyone takes reponsibility for a clean and substance free working environment.

Any employee turning up for work under the influence of drugs or alcohol will be immediately turned away from said working place. The issue will be addresed the following day by a their superior.

An employee with substance abuse problems will be offered an indivudually tailored help program together with our Occupational Health Partner based on the AKAN model.

JWS shall respect internationally recognized human and labor rights both in its own operations and in our value chain.

Applicable laws and regulations, including internationally recognized conventions on human rights and decent working conditions, must always be complied with.

We respect and promote the UN's basic human rights and the International Labor Organization's (ILO) core conventions. JWS strives to follow the UN's guiding principles for business and human rights and the OECD's guidelines for multinational companies.

We shall contribute positively and constructively by influencing the work for human rights, the prevention of child labor and safeguarding labor rights, both internally and towards our suppliers, subcontractors and trading partners.

Safeguarding human rights and decent working conditions is a central part of our ethical guidelines, which apply to all employees, board members, managers, hired personnel, consultants, company representatives and everyone who performs work on behalf of or otherwise represents JWS. Everyone is responsible for familiarizing themselves with and complying with the standards and principles described in the ethical guidelines.

We expect suppliers, subcontractors and trading partners to act in line with the purpose of the policy and follow all internationally recognized human rights principles and fundamental employee rights as described above as well as local legislation within their geographical areas, throughout the value chain. In this connection, a separate policy for sustainable procurement has been drawn up.

In contracts with suppliers, subcontractors and other trading partners, it is required that the content of this policy, our ethical guidelines and Policy for sustainable procurement shall be followed.

As part of the improvement work for a responsible supply chain, JWS has established a system to ensure systematic auditing and follow-up of suppliers, including checking that human rights and decent working conditions are safeguarded as described above.

JWS expects suppliers and partners to respect basic requirements for the environment, social conditions and ethical business operations. We want to do this in close collaboration and in dialogue with our suppliers and partners. JWS expects the suppliers to pass on these guidelines to their subcontractors and contribute to their compliance with them, in addition to working to com with the requirements on their own behalf. Suppliers and their sub-suppliers must keep informed of and follow the applicable requirements in law, regulations other public orders that apply to the supplier's business and respective areas of responsibility. The supplier is responsible for having the necessary licenses and permits to carry out his business.

Requirements for the supply chain

Suppliers and contractual partners must respect basic requirements for the environment, social conditions and ethical business operations. Goods and servic delivered to JWS must be produced under conditions that are compatible with the requirements stated below. The requirements are based on central UN conventions, ILO conventions and national labor legislation at the production site. Where national laws and regulations cover the same subject as these guidelines, the strictest requirements shall apply.

Environment:

  • Measures to reduce negative effects on health and the environment throughout the value chain must be carried out through minimizing emissions, promoting efficient and sustainable resource use, including energy and water and minimizing greenhouse gas emissions in production and transport. The local environment at the production site must not be exploited or damaged by pollution.
  • National and international environmental legislation and regulations must be complied with and relevant emission permits must be obtained.
  • It is not desired that suppliers use substances with the potential to cause serious health effects such as cancer, mutations, reproductive harm and other environmentally harmful substances.
  • Suppliers must, to the greatest extent possible, use products that can be reused and have a life cycle with a low environmental impact. Unnecessary packaging must be avoided.
  • Suppliers must actively work to minimize the negative impact on the external environment.

Social conditions:

  1. Forced labour/slave labor (ILO convention no. 29 and 105)
    1. There shall not be any form of forced labour, slave labor or involuntary labour.
    2. Workers shall not have to deliver a deposit or identity papers to the employer and shall be able to freely terminate the employment relationship with reasonable notice.
  2. Trade union organization and collective bargaining (ILO Convention No. 87, 98, 135 and 154)
    1. Workers shall, without exception, have the right to join or establish trade unions of their own accord, and to bargain collectively. The employer must not interfere with, prevent or oppose trade union organization or collective bargaining.
    2. Trade union representatives must not be discriminated against or prevented from carrying out their trade union work.
    3. If the right to free organization and/or collective bargaining is limited by law, the employer must facilitate, and not prevent, alternative mechanisms for free and independent organization and negotiation.
  3. Child labor (UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, ILO Convention No. 138, 182 and 79, ILO Recommendation No. 146)
    1. The minimum age for workers shall not be less than 15 years and in line with i) the national minimum age for employment, or; ii) minimum age for compulsory school attendance, with the highest age applicable. If the local minimum age is set at 14 in line with the exception in ILO Convention 138, this can be accepted.
    2. New recruitment of child workers in violation of the above-mentioned minimum age shall not take place.
    3. Children under the age of 18 must not perform work that is harmful to their health, safety or morals, including night work.
    4. Action plans must be established for the rapid phasing out of child labor that is in breach of ILO Conventions 138 and 182. The action plans must be documented and communicated to relevant staff and other stakeholders. Arrangements must be made for support schemes where children are given the opportunity for education until the child is no longer of compulsory school age.
  4. Discrimination (ILO Convention No. 100 and 111 and the UN Convention on Discrimination against Women)
    1. There shall be no discrimination in terms of employment, remuneration, training, promotion, dismissal or retirement based on ethnicity, caste, religion, age, disability, gender, civil status, sexual orientation, trade union work or political affiliation.
    2. Protection must be established against sexually intrusive, threatening, insulting or exploitative behavior and against discrimination or dismissal on unfair grounds, e.g. marriage, pregnancy, parenthood or status as HIV-infected.
  5. Brutal treatment (UN Convention on Civil and Political Rights, Art. 7)
    1. Physical abuse or punishment, or the threat of physical abuse is prohibited. The same applies to sexual or other abuse and other forms of humiliation.
  6. Health, environment and safety (ILO Convention No. 155 and Recommendation No. 164)
    1. Efforts must be made to ensure workers a safe and healthy working environment. Hazardous chemicals and other substances must be handled properly. Necessary measures must be taken to prevent and minimize accidents and health damage as a result of, or related to, conditions at the workplace.
    2. Workers must have regular and documented training in health and safety. Health and safety training must be repeated for newly employed and redeployed workers.
    3. Workers must have access to clean sanitary facilities and clean drinking water. If relevant, the employer must also provide access to facilities for the safe storage of food.
    4. If the employer offers accommodation, this must be clean, safe, sufficiently ventilated and with access to clean sanitary facilities and clean drinking water.
  7. Salary (ILO Convention No. 131)
    1. Salary to workers for a normal working week must at least be in line with national minimum wage regulations or industry standards, whichever is higher. Salary must always be sufficient to cover basic needs, including some savings.
    2. Pay conditions and payment of wages must be agreed in writing before the work begins. The agreement must be comprehensible to the worker.
    3. Deductions from wages as a disciplinary reaction are not permitted.
  8. Working time (ILO Convention No. 1 and 14)
    1. Working hours must be in line with national laws or industry standards, and not exceed working hours in accordance with applicable international conventions. Normal working hours per week should not normally exceed 48 hours.
    2. Workers must have at least one day off per 7 days.
    3. Overtime must be limited and voluntary. The recommended maximum overtime is 12 hours per week, i.e. total working time of 60 hours per week. Exceptions to this can be accepted if it is regulated by a collective agreement or national law.
    4. Workers must always receive overtime pay for working hours beyond normal working hours (see point 8.1 above), at least in line with current laws.
  9. Regular employment (ILO Convention No. 95, 158, 175, 177, 181)
    1. Obligations towards workers, in line with international conventions, national laws and regulations on regular employment must not be circumvented through the use of short-term engagements (such as the use of contract workers, temporary workers and day workers), subcontractors or other employment relationships.
    2. All workers are entitled to an employment contract in a language they understand.
    3. Apprenticeship programs must be clearly defined with regard to duration and content.
  10. Marginalized population groups (UN Convention on Civil and Political Rights, art. 1 and 2)
    1. The production and use of natural resources must not contribute to destroying the resource and income base for marginalized population groups, for example by confiscating large areas of land, irresponsible use of water or other natural resources on which the population groups depend.

Ethical business operation:

The supplier must behave ethically in every context in connection with production and deliveries to JWS. The following points are particularly emphasized:
  • JWS does not accept that our employees are offered or receive gifts or other benefits that could be perceived as bribes. The supplier must also not accept such practices in relation to its own employees.
  • The supplier must actively ensure that JWS does not become complicit in corruption. The Supplier must not pay bribes on behalf of JWS, and the Supplier must also ensure that JWS does not benefit from corruption carried out further down the value chain.
  • Suppliers who participate in tenders must comply with the guidelines for fair competition, including ensuring that confidential information is kept secret.
  • The supplier must refrain from any form of money laundering and take the necessary precautions to prevent others from using the supplier's financial transactions to launder money.
  • The supplier must not at any time break competition rules, for example related to illegal price collusion and illegal market sharing, or take other actions that violate competition legislation.
  • JWS's suppliers must avoid trading partners who have activities in countries that have been subject to trade boycotts by the UN and/or Norwegian authorities.
  • JWS expects transparency from suppliers, including in connection with the exchange of information that deals with the environment, social conditions and ethical business operations.
  • JWS's suppliers must not evade taxes or fees, and must follow tax rules and international conventions in the countries where the supplier operates.
  • JWS's suppliers must comply with laws, rules and internal guidelines, as well as act in accordance with good business practice so that stakeholders gain confidence in the business.

Choice of suppliers:

When choosing suppliers, emphasis will be placed on the environment, social conditions and ethical business operations. On request, Suppliers may be required to provide documentation of their environmental performance/environmental management system through e.g. third party verification, certificate. When evaluating offers in connection with requests for offers, emphasis will be placed on whether the supplier has an environmental management system (equivalent to ISO 14001, Environmental Lighthouse, EMAS). JWS's suppliers must have a well-functioning system for handling complaints relating to the environment, social conditions and ethical business operations. The suppliers must ensure that such complaints can be made by workers and external parties such as local communities and civil society organisations.

Follow-up:

On request, suppliers must be able to document how they themselves, and possibly subcontractors, work to comply with the guidelines described here and in other agreement documents, including compliance with internal control requirements. This can be done through follow-up interviews and/or mapping/inspection of the working conditions at the production site. If the company wishes to survey/inspect subcontractors with regard to compliance with the guidelines, the supplier must allow such a survey/inspection and provide the names and contact details of the subcontractors.

Sanctions and revocation access:

Violation of provisions in this document on sustainability constitutes a breach of contract. JWS conducts business that is subject to national and international rules and requirements. For the sake of JWS's business operations and the relationship with the company's customers, it is crucial that the company maintains a good reputation. When assessing what constitutes a significant breach of contract, emphasis must therefore be placed, among other things, on the severity of the breach itself and whether the breach entails loss of reputation or risk of loss of reputation for JWS. In the event of a significant breach of the provisions in this document by the supplier, its subcontractors and/or collaboration partner, JWS has the right to terminate the contractual relationship with immediate effect. If rectification in JWS's assessment is possible and/or desirable, the company must notify the supplier's representative in writing and set a reasonable deadline for rectification of the situation before termination takes place. The following three cases are examples of conditions that will represent a significant breach of contract, if they are not rectified within 30 days after the company has sent a written notice demanding rectification:
  • The supplier does not provide sufficient information to ensure/document that the sustainability policy is complied with.
  • Upon request from JWS, the supplier does not demonstrate sufficient activity to uncover suspicions of a breach of the sustainability policy.
  • JWS points out one or more non-material breaches of the sustainability policy which are requested to be rectified, and the Supplier does not rectify such breaches.
This provision applies in addition to and/or precedes any deviating default provisions in the Agreement.