BSCI Code of Conduct

Business partners shall ensure adequate occupational medical assistance and related

facilities.

Business partners shall ensure access to drinking water, safe and clean eating and resting

areas as well as clean and safe cooking and food storage areas. Furthermore, business

partners shall always provide effective Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to all workers

free of charge.

No Child Labour

Business partners observe this principle when they do not employ directly or indirectly,

children below the minimum age of completion of compulsory schooling as defined by law,

which shall not be less than 15 years, unless the exceptions recognised by the ILO apply.

Business partners must establish robust age-verification mechanisms as part of the

recruitment process, which may not be in any way degrading or disrespectful to the worker.

This principle aims to protect children from any form of exploitation. Special care is to be

taken on the occasion of the dismissal of children, as they can move into more hazardous

employment, such as prostitution or drug trafficking. In removing children from the workplace,

business partners should identify in a proactive manner, measures to ensure the protection of

affected children. When appropriate, they shall pursue the possibility to provide decent work

for adult household members of the affected children’s family.

Special Protection for Young Workers

Business partners observe this principle when they ensure that young persons do not work at

night and that they are protected against conditions of work which are prejudicial to their

health, safety, morals and development, without prejudice to the specific expectations set out

in this principle.

Where young workers are employed, business partners should ensure that (a) the kind of

work is not likely to be harmful to their health or development; (b) their working hours do not

prejudice their attendance at school, their participation in vocational orientation approved by

the competent authority or their capacity to benefit from training or instruction programs.

Business partners shall set the necessary mechanisms to prevent, identify and mitigate harm

to young workers; with special attention to the access young workers shall have to effective

grievance mechanisms and to Occupational Health and Safety trainings schemes and

programmes.

No Precarious Employment

Business partners observe this principle when, without prejudice to the specific expectations

set out in this chapter, (a) they ensure that their employment relationships do not cause

insecurity and social or economic vulnerability for their workers; (b) work is performed on the

basis of a recognised and documented employment relationship, established in compliance

with national legislation, custom or practice and international labour standards, whichever

provides greater protection.

Before entering into employment, business partners are to provide workers with

understandable information about their rights, responsibilities and employment conditions,

including working hours, remuneration and terms of payment.

Business partners should aim at providing decent working conditions that also support

workers, both women and men, in their roles as parents or caregivers, especially with regard

to migrant and seasonal workers whose children may be left in the migrants’ home towns.

Business partners shall not use employment arrangements in a way that deliberately does not

correspond to the genuine purpose of the law. This includes - but is not limited to - (a)

apprenticeship scheme