Hydraulics Services, Equipment and Supplies
Code of Conduct

From its beginnings in 1983, Industrial and Marine Hydraulics Limited (IMH) has grown to become a recognised hydraulics partner to clients across the globe and in numerous sectors. Throughout its history, the Company has been guided by the values and ethical principles of its founder, Paul Griffiths MBE. Focussing on our customers, acting with integrity and safely delivering world-class products and services has always been the cornerstone of our corporate values.

 

Principle of strict legality

Industrial and Marine Hydraulics Limited (IMH) strictly respects the principle of legality in all activities, both implicitly through its actions and explicitly in contractual agreements. These include payment of applicable taxes and customs duties, compliance with competition and antitrust laws, a strict prohibition of corruption and money laundering, application of state-of-the-art technology, procurement of the required official licences, compliance with export control laws, and respect for the legal rights of third parties.

Consequently, we expect our business partners to act in accordance with the prevailing laws and regulations, to comply with the principles of the United Nations Global Compact and to abide by the rules of the present Code of Conduct. We furthermore expect them to take steps to ensure that third parties engaged for the purpose of fulfilling contractual obligations towards IMH and also comply with this Code of Conduct.

 

Fair treatment of employees

We observe the fundamental rights of our employees based on the applicable national labour laws. The following rules are aligned with the International Labour Organization’s (ILO), Declaration of Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work.

 

Human rights

We respect internationally recognised human rights and actively protect such rights.

 

Child labour

We only employ persons who have reached the minimum legal age for work according to the legislation applicable in the county of employment. Moreover, we respect and uphold children’s rights.

 

Forced labour

We reject all forms of forced labour and respect the principle of freely chosen employment.

 

Freedom of association

We respect freedom of association and the right to form interest groups. We grant our employees the right to articulate their interests within the framework of the labour laws in force in our country.

 

Equal opportunities

We do not tolerate discrimination of any kind, may it be based on skin colour, ethnic origin, gender, age, nationality, social background, disability, sexual orientation, religious belief, or human ideology.

 

Fair working conditions

We pay wages and social benefits equal to or higher than the rates prescribed by national or regional authorities, legal standards, or other labour agreements. The applicable regulations governing working hours and vacation entitlements are observed.

 

Occupational health and safety

We comply with national standards of workplace safety and hygiene and take appropriate measures to ensure that the relevant occupational health and safety requirements are met, in order to ensure healthy working conditions.

 

Environmental protection

We take measures to avoid risks to human life and the environment, limit the environmental impact of their operations, and manage resources responsibly. All processes, operating sites and production resources employed by IMH must meet the applicable legal requirements and standards concerning fire safety and environmental protection.

 

Business relations

Avoiding conflicts of interest

Decisions made by IMH must be based on factual considerations, rather than being improperly influenced by personal interests. If any business partner becomes aware of a potential conflict of interest, this fact must be communicated to IMH immediately.

Free competition

We observe the rules of fair competition, complying with all applicable statutory regulations. Moreover, we refrain from forming cartels or engaging in concerted practices deliberately or incidentally designed to bypass, restrict or distort competition as defined by antitrust laws, or abuse a dominant market position.

Corruption

We agree to abide by the applicable anti-corruption laws. In particular, we ensure that our employees, subcontractors or representatives do not offer, promise or grant advantages to associates of IMH with the aim of obtaining a contract or other preferential treatment in the course of business. The same rules apply to agreements with third parties, concluded in connection with a contract with IMH.

Trade secrets

We ensure that confidential company information is kept secret and intellectual property rights are respected. This condition applies beyond the termination of the business relationship. We furthermore agree to comply with all the applicable data protection laws, and limit their use of third party software (including open-source software and firmware) only within the scope allowed by law and in compliance with the respective license conditions.

Money laundering

We are required to comply with the legal regulations concerning the prevention of money laundering.

Funding of armed groups

We desist from all activities that might directly or indirectly contribute to the funding of armed groups. This includes the observance of international treaties and national laws concerning trade in conflict materials and other natural resources.

Compliance with the Code of Conduct

We expect our business partners and suppliers to communicate the content of this Code of Conduct to all third parties they engage to fulfil their contractual obligations towards IMH, to observe its principles when selecting subcontractors, and ensure they comply with its requirements.

IMH reserves the right to take reasonable steps to verify compliance with the Code of Conduct on the part of its business partners and suppliers. IMH will contact the business partner and/or supplier beforehand to agree on the scope, time and place of such controls.

Any breach of this Code of Conduct constitutes a deterioration of the relationship between IMH and the business partner.  Notwithstanding other rights, IMH reserves the right in such cases to demand clarification of the facts and initiation of countermeasures by the business partner or supplier. In the event that the business partner or partner should fail to provide evidence that appropriate corrective action has been initiated within a reasonable timeframe, or if the breach of the Code of Conduct is so severe that IMH cannot be reasonably expected to continue the business relationship, and notwithstanding other rights, IMH reserves the right to terminate the relationship without prior notice and rescind any associated contracts or agreements.