VALUES AND COMMITMENTS AT OWENS & MINOR
At Owens & Minor, we believe that the way we do our business is as important as the business we do. Simply stated, operating with integrity and with high ethical standards is the O&M way of doing business. Our Code of Honour provides guidance for dealing with customers, suppliers, other employees, competitors, and the public with integrity and in an ethical and appropriate manner.
Our Company respects international social compliance and environmental principles aimed at promoting and protecting human rights and the environment. Our policies align with the goals of several international standards, including the International Labor Organization’s Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work. These values are formalized in our Human Rights In Employment Policy and Instructions.
Our acknowledgment of these international principles is consistent with our dedication to enriching the workplace, preserving the environment, and strengthening the communities where we operate.
The Supplier Social Compliance Standards - Reflecting O&M Values
The Supplier Social Compliance Standards (SSCS) are a vital pillar of O&M’s workplace accountability programs. These standards are driven by the belief that good corporate citizenship is essential to our long-term business success and must be reflected in our relationships and actions in our workplaces and the workplaces of those who are authorized to directly supply our business. Recognizing that there are differences in laws, customs, and economic conditions that affect business practices around the world, we believe that shared values must serve as the foundation for relationships between Owens & Minor and its suppliers. SSCS communicates our values and expectations and emphasizes the importance of responsible workplace policies and practices that generally comply, at a minimum, with applicable occupational safety and health, environmental and labour laws and regulations. The standards outlined below reflect the values we uphold in our own policies, and we expect our suppliers follow these standards and requirements and to communicate these standards throughout their supply chains.
Business Integrity
Our compliance program is designed to ensure we adhere to all applicable global laws and regulations and to encourage our teammates to speak up when needed. Owens & Minor strives to foster a culture of doing the right thing, which includes candid communication when an issue arises.
Freedom of Association and Collective Bargaining
Respect employees’ rights to freedom of association, to engage in other protected activities and the right to refrain from such activities. Where employees are represented by a legally recognized union, the right to have their chosen representatives have reasonable access to the employees in order to represent them and bargain in good faith with such representatives.
Protection Against Child Labour
Suppliers shall not employ any person under the age of 15. If local law sets minimum age lower, but is in accordance with developing country exceptions under the International Labor Organization Convention 138, the lower age will apply.Suppliers shall not recruit child labour nor exploit children in any way. If children are found to be working directly for the supplier, the latter shall seek a sensitive and satisfactory solution that puts the best interests of the child first.
Prohibit Forced Labour and Abuse of Labour
Prohibit physical and mental abuse of employees as a form of discipline and prohibit the use of all forms of forced labor, including forced prison labour, indentured labour, bonded labour or slave labour and the human trafficking associated with such abuses.
Prohibit Discrimination
Prohibit discrimination and harassment on the basis of legally-protected characteristics in all aspects of employment, including the recruitment, hiring, placement, training, compensation, treatment and advancement of employees.
Work Hours, Wages, and Benefits
Compensate employees relative to the industry and/or local labour market. Operate in full compliance with applicable wage and hour and benefits laws.
Provide a Safe and Healthy Workplace
Strive to provide a secure, safe and healthy workplace. Maintain a productive workplace by complying with all applicable occupational safety and health laws, rules and regulations as well as by mitigating the risk of accidents, injury, and exposure to health risks.
Protect the Environment
Conduct business in compliance with all applicable environmental laws, rules, and regulations.
Business Integrity
Strive to provide a workplace free of bribery and corruption by complying with all applicable laws relating to bribery, money laundering and/or corruption as well as prohibiting the exchange of money or anything else of value to or from anyone, including government officials, to influence actions or obtain an improper advantage.
Conflict Minerals
Supplier will responsibly source “conflict minerals”(tin, tantalum, tungsten or gold) from either mines and smelters outside the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and neighboring countries, or mines and smelters that have been designated as “conflict free” by EICC-GeSI (Electronic Industry Citizenship Coalition–Global E-Sustainability Initiative) and will develop and provide written evidence documentation of their own due diligence programs to ensure “conflict free” supply chains.
Compliance with Applicable Laws and Standards
Suppliers to O&M are required to generally comply with all applicable local and national laws, rules, regulations and requirements in the manufacturing and distribution of their products and supplies and in the provision of services.
Demonstration of Compliance
In order to minimally comply with the SSCS, a facility must demonstrate the absence of violations in each of the following: Child Labour; Forced Labour; Abuse of Labour; Freedom of Association and Collective Bargaining; Discrimination; working conditions that present imminent threat, serious injury or threat to employees.
This requirement is a part of all agreements between O&M and its direct and authorized suppliers. We expect our suppliers to develop and implement appropriate internal business processes to ensure compliance with the SSCS. O&M routinely utilizes independent third-parties to assess suppliers’ compliance with the SSCS. The assessments generally include confidential interviews with employees and on-site contract workers. The supplier is expected to work with O&M to implement any corrective actions needed. In the event the supplier fails to fully comply with the SSCS, O&M reserves the right to issue corrective action and/or remedies including but not limited to possible termination of supplier’s agreement(s) withO&M. By receipt of this policy statement our expectation is that suppliers will adhere to the standards outlined in this document or demonstrate that a similar policy is currently deployed at their company.
If you have any questions or you would like to discuss our supplier social responsibility requirements in more detail, please email GM-CODEOFHONOR@owens-minor.com. If you need to report an issue anonymously, you can report online or through our Ethics Hotline phone number. Instructions are available at www.OMICodeofhonor.com. Our Code of Honor, which is our guideline for ethical behavior,is also available via that site.