Message from the CEO

To maintain the trust and confidence of our customers, and to maintain business success, it is vital that we all conduct business with high standards of ethics and integrity.  This doesn’t mean just complying with the spirit and the letter of various laws and regulations.  It also means leading by example in the way that we do business and how we behave towards colleagues, customers, suppliers, and business partners.

Sadly, all organisations face the risk of things going wrong from time to time, or of unknowingly harbouring illegal or unethical conduct. A culture of openness and accountability is essential to prevent such situations occurring or to address them when they do occur.

In the first instance, Biocair wants all employees to feel confident raising concerns with their line manager, or other managers.  However, we realise that sometimes you may not feel comfortable doing this and that is why Biocair is providing a dedicated whistleblowing service through Safecall.

Vincent Howard
CEO Biocair

When should I Speak Up?

When should I Speak Up?

Biocair takes whistleblowing very seriously and is committed to independently investigate any allegations raised. If you see or suspect any wrong-doing Biocair wants to hear about it. You don’t need to have any proof that these things are happening - if you have a reasonable belief, you should report your concerns.

You should use this independent “Speak Up” service if you see or suspect:

  • Bribery, fraud, or other criminal offence
  • A miscarriage of justice
  • A risk to colleague and/or public health and safety
  • A risk or actual damage to the environment
  • A breach of any other legal or professional obligation
  • Discriminatory behaviour
  • Someone is covering up wrongdoing

The “Speak Up” service is not for grievances. A grievance is usually a complaint about something that impacts a colleague as an individual, like how they feel they’re being treated at work. Please see the ‘Got a question?’ section below for more information.

How do I Speak Up?

You can contact your, free and confidential, “Speak up” service 24/7 by calling Safecall on:

  • Europe 00 800 72332255
  • UK 0800 915 1571
  • Canada  1 877 599 8073
  • USA 1 866 901 3295
  • South Africa +44 191 5167764
  • China  10800 744 0605 (China Unicom/Netcom) or 10800 440 0682 (China Telecom)
  • India 000 800 4401 256 
  • Singapore 800 448 1773

For a full list of country freephone numbers visit: www.safecall.co.uk/file-a-report/telephone-numbers/ 

or online through the ‘Share a Workplace Concern’ option below. Your report won’t be traced and Safecall has trained operators to support you. 

As part of your report please think about: 

  • Providing clear details about where and when the issue occurred. This should include Biocair location (for example, name and address of depot / office), dates and any colleagues involved / aware. This will make our investigations a lot easier.
  • You have the opportunity to remain anonymous. While doing so may help you feel more comfortable raising a concern, it may also impact our ability to successfully investigate and resolve the matter. You can also remain partially anonymous, whereby Safecall won’t share your name with Biocair. Making yourself available to be contacted may help the investigator to fully understand the issue and take appropriate action.

FAQs Section

The “Speak Up” service is not for grievances. It’s important to understand that whistleblowing is different to a grievance. Both are equally important and need to be investigated. A grievance is usually a complaint about something that impacts a colleague as an individual, like how they feel they’re being treated at work.

Biocair has a separate Grievance Process to manage these concerns and details can be found in the Biocair Employee Handbook relevant to the country in which you work.

Whether you contact Safecall through the online ‘Share a Workplace Concern’ option above, your report will be managed in confidence. Safecall will pass all the information you give, apart from your name if you wish, to the Biocair Ethics Team who will make sure your concern is looked into thoroughly, confidentially and independently. 

If we need more information to help progress our investigation, we’ll post a request on the Safecall website which you can access using the username and password provided during your original report. You can provide further information, or request feedback on your concern, via the Safecall website. Please leave 5 working days to allow us to make preliminary enquiries.

You have the opportunity to remain anonymous. You may feel more comfortable raising a concern anonymously. Please be aware that an anonymous report may impact our ability to investigate and resolve the matter successfully. You can also remain partially anonymous, whereby Safecall won’t share your name with Biocair. If the investigator can contact you, it may help them fully understand the issue and take appropriate action.

It’s important that we keep things confidential, so we may not be able to tell you about any investigations or actions we take in relation to the issue you’ve told us about. But any updates we are able to provide to you, we trust you treat the information we give you as confidential.