Whistleblower Channel

Speaking up is positive for Laerdal Medical

Laerdal Medical believes that openness and good communication throughout the organisation promotes a better work culture. We therefore have established a Whistleblower Channel that makes it possible for employees and external parties to report concerns about possible illegal actions and breaches of Laerdal Medical’s Code of Conduct and Supplier Code of Conduct.

    

How to report a concern

Laerdal Medical encourages all employees, business partners, customers and other stakeholders to report and discuss issues of concern with relevant persons in Laerdal.

Where reporting of concerns to your contact person in Laerdal is difficult or not possible, you may report directly to Laerdal Medical’s independent Whistleblower Channel managed by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). PwC is committed to a high ethical standard and will handle all notifications confidentially.

There are three ways to use the Whistleblower Channel:

    1. Fill out the form by clicking here
    2. Send an e-mail to: [email protected]
    3. Post a letter, mailing it to: PricewaterhouseCoopers, Attn. Marianne S. Pilgaard, Postboks 748 Sentrum, N-0106 Oslo, Norway

   

     

What information should be reported?

Laerdal Medical encourages everyone to report issues of concern that may threaten the company's finances, operations or reputation. This also includes violations of any of the ethical commitments included in Laerdal Medical’s Code of Conduct and Supplier Code of Conduct in areas such as environment, human and labor rights, equality and diversity, health and safety, business ethics and anti-corruption, conflict of interest and professional behavior.

Examples of breaches include, but are not limited to:

    • Suspicion of fraud, corruption and accounting offenses
    • Error reporting or manipulation of information
    • Harassment or bullying, discrimination and racism
    • Poor working environment
    • Damage to the environment

All employees of Laerdal Medical have the right and responsibility to report concerns. Customers, suppliers, others related to Laerdal Medical and external parties are encouraged to report. Anyone reporting concerns can do so without fear of reprisals.

The whistleblower decides what information is to be provided. However, to ensure sufficient information to be able to perform adequate follow-up actions, the reports should include as much details as possible and, if available, supporting evidence.

You may report anonymously, but when doing so you must be aware that the receiver may not give feedback. Furthermore, proper investigation may prove difficult if the information provided cannot be tested or verified and the investigator is unable to obtain further information from the whistleblower.

   

How concerns are handled

Laerdal Medical's basic principles for handling reports are:

    • All reports are taken seriously
    • Fair, open and objective follow-up
    • Protection of anonymous whistleblowers
    • Confidentiality and information security
    • No whistleblowers will be subject to reprisals
    • Non-anonymous whistleblowers will get timely feedback and information about the process

PwC will perform a preliminary evaluation and quality assurance of all notifications received through the Whistleblower Channel before delivering an initial report to Director HR & IT in Laerdal Medical. If the report reveals conditions that require investigation, an investigation team will be appointed.

Unless the whistleblower has chosen to remain anonymous, he/she shall receive sufficient information on the continuing process and outcomes within due time.

    

Protection of sources

The identity of the whistleblower shall not be disclosed, unless permission in writing has been obtained from the notifying party. The protection of identity shall also be taken into consideration during the initial evaluation and the subsequent risk assessment when scoping the investigation, hereunder the existing level of risk exposure without disclosing the name of the notifying party. All investigations will be conducted in a confidential manner, so that information will be disclosed only as needed to facilitate review of the investigation or otherwise as required by law.

   

Personal data

Handling of reports of concerns will be done in accordance with the Norwegian Personal Data Act and Regulations on the Processing of Personal Data.