Effective January 1, 2012, California Senate Bill 657, the California Transparency in Supply Chains Act (S.B. 657), requires companies doing business in California to disclose what efforts, if any, they are taking to eliminate human trafficking and slavery from their supply chains. Hyster-Yale Materials Handling, Inc. strongly supports this law and takes multiple steps to ensure that we are in compliance with this law.
What does Hyster-Yale do to evaluate and address the risks of human trafficking and slavery?
Hyster-Yale is concerned about the risk of engaging vendors who may be involved in human trafficking and slavery. Hyster-Yale provides its employees with training so that they can recognize red flags and know when and how to address potential violations of the law.
Do you conduct audits of suppliers to evaluate compliance?
While Hyster-Yale does not conduct a physical audit of each of our supplier locations, we do train our employees to recognize the signs of human trafficking and slavery. If an employee encounters a suspicious situation, HYSTER-YALE will investigate to ensure that our business is conducted ethically and within the law.
Do you direct suppliers to certify that materials incorporated into our products comply with the law regarding slavery and human trafficking of the country or countries in which they do business?
We require our suppliers to comply with our Business Partner Code of Conduct in which we clearly indicate that the supplier is required to follow the law with regard to slavery and human trafficking. HYSTER-YALE requires, in all vendor contracts, that the supplier certify it is operating within the law in the countries in which they operate.
What do you do to maintain internal accountability standards and procedures for employees or contractors’ facilities to meet company standards regarding slavery and human trafficking?
All employees are required to take Code of Conduct training on an annual basis. Human trafficking and slavery are against the law, and against our Code of Conduct. Hyster-Yale does not tolerate violation of the law, or violation of our Code of Conduct and disciplinary action will be brought. For employees, this could include termination of employment. For contractors, this could include termination of the relationship.
What does Hyster-Yale do with regard to training of employees and management who have direct responsibility for supply chain, particularly with respect to mitigating risks within the supply chain of products?
Key management personnel within our procurement groups are trained about human trafficking and slavery. In turn, these key personnel become trainers for the rest of our procurement employees.
To view the final report from the California Alliance to Combat Trafficking and Slavery Task Force, please click here.
