Social
Human Rights Management
This refers to preventing human rights violations by companies and conducting human rights-friendly business activities. It involves companies making a declaration of human rights policies, fulfilling their obligations to implement and monitor human rights practices, and providing remedies for human rights violations.
To become a trusted company through the establishment of a culture that respects human rights, human rights management must be actively pursued, with the goal of embedding a sustainable culture of respect for human rights in the long term.
Human Rights Management Policy
Vision for Human Rights Management
To prioritize the respect and protection of the human rights of all stakeholders, becoming a global leader in achieving sustainable development and social responsibility.
Goals of Human Rights Management
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01
Protection and Promotion of Human Rights
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Implement policies and programs to protect and promote the human rights of all employees and stakeholders, creating a work environment that is fair and free from discrimination.
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02
Enhanced Transparency
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Build a trusted corporate culture by transparently disclosing all activities and policies related to human rights issues.
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03
Continuous Improvement
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Continuously improve and develop the human rights management system through regular evaluations and training.
Human Rights Management Policy
Haesung DS aims to grow as a sustainable company by respecting and protecting the human rights of all stakeholders affected throughout its business activities, including employees, partner companies, local communities, and customers.
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Prohibition of Discrimination and Provision of Equal Opportunities
Discrimination of any kind based on gender, race, religion, age, disability, or any other reason is prohibited, and equal opportunities are provided to all employees.
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Safe and Healthy Work Environment
Prioritizing the health and safety of employees, Haesung DS provides a safe and hygienic working environment, ensures appropriate working hours, breaks, and leaves, and complies with relevant regulations.
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Prohibition of Child and Forced Labor
Child labor and forced labor are strictly prohibited, and Haesung DS educates and manages partner companies to ensure adherence to these principles.
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Human Rights Education
Regular training on integrity, human rights, and disability awareness is conducted for employees to enhance awareness of human rights and ensure compliance with relevant regulations and the company’s human rights policies.
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Establishment of Employee Code of Conduct and Human Rights Management System
Haesung DS is committed to ensuring that the principles of human rights management are upheld by establishing a code of conduct for employees that covers ethics, labor, health and safety, and environmental information protection.
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Guarantee of Freedom of Association
The company guarantees the freedom of association for employees and strives to improve working conditions and address employee grievances through the effective operation of labor-management councils.
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Establishment of Remedy Procedures
In the event of workplace harassment, sexual harassment, or other human rights violations, Haesung DS has established and operates a prompt and fair remedy procedure to address such incidents effectively.
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Compliance with International Standards
Haesung DS adheres to international human rights standards, such as the UN Declaration of Human Rights and ILO Conventions, and practices human rights management in accordance with global standards.
Haesung DS Co., Ltd. CEO Cho Byung-Hak 
Human Rights Management
Mid- to-Long-Term Goals
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Introduction of Human Rights Management
(2022 - 2023)
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Establishment of a Human Rights Management System
Conducting Human Rights Impact Assessments
Implementing Human Rights Education
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Internalization of Human Rights Management
(2024-2025)
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Regularization of Human Rights Impact Assessments
Expansion of Human Rights Education
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Establishment of Human Rights Management
(2026~)
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Advancement of the Human Rights Management System
Stakeholder Impact on Human Rights Management Issues
| Issue | Issue Definition | Affected Stakeholders | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Employees | Partner Companies | Customers | Local Communities | ||
| Prohibition of Child Labor |
Child labor interferes with children's education and subjects them to physical and mental suffering due to strenuous work. Employment and labor of individuals under the age of 15 are prohibited in South Korea. |
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| Prohibition of Forced Labor |
Forced labor involves compelling individuals to provide involuntary work based on violent circumstances, such as restrictions on movement, physical or sexual violence, or the confiscation of identification documents, regardless of the workers' will or consent. |
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| Responsible Supply Chain Management |
When negative impacts are identified or anticipated within the supply chain, it is essential to exert influence through contractual relationships or, if necessary, suspend transactions to halt or prevent those impacts. |
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| Personal Data Protection |
Individuals have the right to have their privacy protected, and the information of stakeholders, including customers, employees, and partner companies, must be collected and managed in a manner that eliminates the risk of data leakage. |
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| Protection of Human Rights in Local Communities |
Companies should be mindful of their impact on the culture, housing rights, and safety of the communities in which they operate, as they can significantly influence these aspects. |
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Code of Conduct
The Code of Conduct at Haesung DS represents the principles and commitments that all employees must adhere to in order to act with the right values. Accordingly, the Code of Conduct has been established to create a safe working environment, ensure respect and dignity for workers, operate as an environmentally friendly and ethical company, and strengthen legal requirements to promote sound business practices. Additionally, it outlines the expectations for both Haesung DS (hereinafter referred to as "the Company") and its partner companies. All employees and members must comply with this Code of Conduct (hereinafter referred to as "the Code") and are required to ensure that partner companies, including parts suppliers and contract service providers in the relevant business sectors, adhere to these standards. This Code is based on Version 7.0 (2021) of the Responsible Business Alliance (RBA) Code of Conduct and aligns with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. It respects the internationally recognized standards related to workers' fundamental rights, including the International Labour Organization (ILO) Declaration.
1. Safety and Health
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1.1 Occupational Safety
Members who may be potentially exposed to safety hazards (e.g., chemicals, electricity, asphyxiation, falls, fire, and other energy sources) must be identified, assessed, and controlled through appropriate design, management measures, preventive maintenance, safe work procedures, and ongoing safety training. If these hazards cannot be adequately controlled, appropriate personal protective equipment must be provided to members, along with educational materials regarding the risks associated with the hazards. Additionally, reasonable measures should be taken to ensure that pregnant employees are not placed in high-hazard work environments. This includes eliminating or reducing factors that threaten the health and safety of pregnant employees in the workplace, as well as providing facilities for breastfeeding.1.2 Emergency Response Measures
Potential emergencies and the likelihood of incidents must be identified and assessed. This includes establishing plans for emergency reporting, sharing information with members, conducting training, installing appropriate fire detection and suppression equipment, ensuring clear exit signage and the removal of obstacles, and setting up adequate evacuation facilities and recovery plans to minimize damage. These emergency plans and response measures should focus on minimizing harm to human life, as well as environmental and property damage.1.3 Occupational Injuries and Illnesses
Procedures and systems for the prevention, management, tracking, and reporting of occupational injuries and diseases must be established. This includes encouraging members to report any abnormalities, providing necessary medical treatment through the classification and documentation of injury and illness cases, implementing corrective actions to investigate cases and eliminate causes, and promoting measures for returning to work.1.4 Occupational Hygiene
Exposure management systems must identify, assess, and minimize the exposure of employees to chemical, biological, and physical agents. Potential hazards should be eliminated or controlled through appropriate design, engineering, and management measures. If hazards cannot be adequately controlled, appropriate personal protective equipment must be provided to employees who are required to use it. The protection program should include information about the risks associated with these hazards.1.5 Activities that Burden the Musculoskeletal System
Exposure of employees to activities that burden the musculoskeletal system must be identified, assessed, and controlled. These risk factors include repetitive manual tasks, lifting heavy materials, prolonged standing, and excessively repetitive or physically demanding work.1.6 Maintenance of Machinery Safety
Safety hazards associated with production and other machinery must be identified and assessed. If there is a risk of injury to employees due to machinery, appropriate physical protective equipment, safety devices, and protective barriers must be provided and properly maintained.1.7 Hygiene, Food, and Housing
Clean restrooms, potable water, and hygienic facilities for food preparation and storage must be provided for employees. The company-provided housing for employees must maintain cleanliness and safety, ensuring adequate emergency exits, entrances, lighting, heating, ventilation, hot water for bathing and showers, and secure storage for personal belongings with locking mechanisms.1.8 Health and Safety Communication
Appropriate health and safety information and training must be provided to employees in their native language or a language they understand regarding identified hazards that pose risks of exposure to mechanical, electrical, chemical, fire, and physical hazards. Safety information should be prominently displayed within the facility and made easily accessible to employees. Regular training should be provided to all employees before the start of their duties, and efforts should be made to encourage them to enhance their awareness of safety.
2. Environment
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2.1 Environmental Permits and Reporting
All required environmentally-related permits (e.g., emissions monitoring), approvals, and registrations must be obtained and maintained in current status. Compliance with operational and reporting requirements is essential.2.2 Pollution Prevention and Resource Conservation
Emissions fr|om pollution sources and waste generation must be eliminated at the source or minimized through process modifications and the installation of prevention facilities. The use of natural resources, including water, fossil fuels, minerals, and primary forests, should be conserved and preserved through methods such as process modifications, raw material substitution, reuse, conservation, and recycling.2.3 Hazardous Substances
To ensure safe handling, transport, storage, use, recycling or reuse, and disposal of chemicals, waste, and other substances that pose a risk to human health or the environment, such substances must be identified, labeled, and managed appropriately.2.4 Solid Waste
The non-hazardous nature of solid waste must be identified and managed, and efforts should be systematically made to reduce its generation while ensuring responsible handling or recycling.2.5 Air Emissions
Volatile organic compounds, aerosols, corrosives, particulate matter, ozone-depleting substances, and combustion by-products generated during processes must be identified, and they should be treated and discharged in accordance with regulations prior to emission. Additionally, air pollution prevention facilities must be regularly monitored to maintain their treatment performance.2.6 Regulation of Hazardous Substances in Products
All regulations related to the prohibition and restriction of specific substances in production and manufacturing, including labeling for recycling and disposal of materials, as well as customer requirements, must be complied with.2.7 Water Resource Management
A water management program must be implemented to record, characterize, and monitor water sources, usage, and discharge, explore water conservation methods, and control pollution pathways. Before discharging or disposing of any wastewater, its characteristics must be identified and monitored according to regulations to ensure proper control and treatment. The performance of wastewater treatment and suppression systems should be regularly monitored to maintain optimal performance and ensure regulatory compliance.2.8 Energy Consumption and Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Energy usage and greenhouse gas emissions must be recorded, analyzed, and quantified, and this information should be documented and publicly reported internally and externally. Effective methods should be sought to enhance energy efficiency while minimizing energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.
3. Labor
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3.1 Voluntary Employment
Forced labor (such as slavery, human trafficking, and involuntary prisoner labor, etc.) must not be used against the worker's will. Additionally, unreasonable restrictions on access to facilities, including dormitories or accommodations, and limitations on the freedom of movement of workers within the facilities are prohibited. Upon hiring, a labor contract written in a language understandable to the worker must be signed, and a copy should be provided to the worker. In the case of employing foreign workers, original documents such as passports and work permits must be kept by the worker, unless legally required for the employer to retain them. Additionally, workers should not be unreasonably restricted in their movement and must have the freedom to resign at will if they choose to do so. No fees arising fr|om the hiring process should be charged to the workers.3.2 Hiring Age
Children under the age of 18 will not be employed, and a process will be implemented to verify age during the hiring and selection process. For interns, a separate support and management system will be established according to the internship program, and compliance with relevant regulations must be continuously monitored. If child labor is identified, appropriate support and improvements must be made.3.3 Working Hours
Working hours shall comply with the Labor Standards Act, with separate reviews of emergencies or urgent situations. All overtime work must be voluntary.3.4 Wages and Benefits
All wage-related laws, including those pertaining to minimum wage, overtime pay, and statutory benefits, must be complied with. Overtime pay shall be paid at a rate higher than the regular hourly wage, and a clear pay statement must be provided promptly each time wages are paid, allowing for verification that compensation for work is accurately provided. Temporary, dispatched, and external contracted work should be conducted within the limits permitted by law.3.5 Humane Treatment
There must be no violence, sexual violence, sexual harassment, or abuse, corporal punishment, mental or physical coercion, bullying, public humiliation, or verbal abuse towards any workers. Furthermore, there should be no threats of such treatment. Clear disciplinary policies and procedures that may be applicable in the event of violations of these guidelines must be defined and communicated.3.6 Prohibition of Discrimination and Harassment
Efforts must be made to eliminate workplace harassment and unlawful discrimination. Employees must not be discriminated against or harassed in hiring and employment activities based on race, color, age, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, ethnicity or national origin, disability, pregnancy status, religion, genetic information confidentiality, or marital status, including in terms of wages, promotions, compensation, and educational opportunities. Reasonable measures should be taken to allow the practice of religious customs. Additionally, medical examinations and physical tests, including pregnancy or virginity tests, must not be conducted for discriminatory purposes against employees.3.7 Freedom of Association
The rights of employees to freedom of association and collective bargaining, as well as the right to participate in peaceful assemblies, must be respected, along with their right not to engage in such activities. Employees or employee representatives should be able to communicate with management regarding working conditions and company policies without discrimination, and share their thoughts and concerns.
4. Ethics
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4.1 Business Integrity
The highest standards of integrity must be followed in all business activities, and a zero-tolerance policy must be implemented to prohibit all forms of bribery, corruption, extortion, and embezzlement.4.2 Prohibition of Undue Benefits
Bribery or any other means to promise, propose, authorize, provide, or accept undue or inappropriate benefits is prohibited. This includes directly or indirectly promising, proposing, authorizing, providing, or accepting money or valuables through a third party for the purpose of acquiring or retaining business rights or granting business rights to a specific person, or obtaining undue benefits.4.3 Fair Trading, Advertising, and Competition
Compliance with standards for fair trading, advertising, and competition is required.4.4 Protection of Identity and Prohibition of Retaliation
Unless legally prohibited, partner companies must operate reporting channels that ensure confidentiality and anonymity, as well as whistleblower protection programs. Partner companies must inform all employees of the relevant procedures, ensuring that individuals can raise issues without fear of retaliation.4.5 Responsible Sourcing of Minerals
To reasonably ensure that minerals are sourced in a manner that complies with the OECD guidelines or equivalent and recognized due diligence frameworks for responsible mineral supply chains in conflict and high-risk areas, policies regarding the sourcing and management of tantalum, tin, tungsten, and gold used in manufactured products must be adopted, and due diligence must be conducted.
5. Protection of Information and Intellectual Property Rights
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5.1 Personal Data Protection
Efforts must be made to protect the personal data of all individuals related to business operations, including customers, partner companies, and employees. Compliance with privacy protection and information security regulations is required during the collection, storage, processing, transmission, and sharing of personal data.5.2 Information Disclosure
All business transactions must be conducted transparently and accurately recorded to disclose information regarding labor, health and safety, environmental management practices, business activities, structure, financial status, and performance in accordance with relevant regulations and prevailing industry standards. Falsification of records or false statements regarding the actual conditions and practices in related areas of the supply chain are not tolerated.5.3 Trade Secrets
All materials must be managed and protected based on security regulations, and all employees must safeguard any company information of economic value. The acquisition of confidential information through improper means, such as theft, deception, or coercion, is strictly prohibited. Information or materials obtained during the course of employment must not be disclosed outside of designated tangible or intangible locations specified by the company without authorization. This obligation applies not only during employment but also for the duration specified in the security regulations after termination of employment.5.4 Intellectual Property
Intellectual property rights must be respected, and the transfer of technology and know-how should be conducted in a manner that honors these rights. Additionally, information belonging to customers and partner companies must be securely protected.
6. Management System
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6.1 Company's Commitment to Compliance
A social and environmental responsibility policy statement expressing the company's commitment to compliance and continuous improvement shall be approved by management and posted on the respective business site.6.2 Duties and Responsibilities of Management
The identity of the senior management and representatives responsible for the implementation of the management system and related programs must be clearly specified. Senior management shall regularly review the operational status of the management system.6.3 Legal and Customer Requirements
Procedures must be in place to identify, monitor, and understand relevant laws, regulations, and customer requirements, including the requirements of this code.6.4 Risk Assessment and Management
Procedures must be established to identify risks related to compliance, environmental, health, safety, labor practices, and ethics concerning business operations. Appropriate procedural and physical controls shall be implemented to assess the relative importance of each risk and to control identified risks, ensuring regulatory compliance.6.5 Improvement Objectives
A document must be prepared outlining the goals, targets, and action plans for improving social, environmental, and health and safety performance. The progress of participating companies towards achieving these objectives must be regularly evaluated and documented.6.6 Training
Training programs must be implemented for managers and employees to execute policies, procedures, and improvement objectives while ensuring compliance with relevant laws and regulatory requirements.6.7 Communication
There should be procedures in place to communicate clear and accurate information regarding policies, practices, expectations, and performance to employees, partner companies, and customers.6.8 Worker Feedback, Participation, and Grievance-Handling
Procedures must be established to assess workers' understanding of the practices and conditions addressed in this code, including effective grievance-handling procedures. These procedures should facilitate the receipt of feedback or reports of violations and aim for continuous improvement. Workers should be provided with a safe environment in which they can offer feedback and raise grievances without fear of retaliation.6.9 Auditing and Evaluation
Regular self-assessments must be conducted to ensure compliance with legal and regulatory requirements, the content of this code, and contractual customer requirements related to social and environmental responsibilities./div>6.10 Corrective Action Procedures
Procedures must be established to timely address discrepancies identified through internal and external evaluations, inspections, investigations, and reviews.6.11 Documentation and Records
Documents and records must be created and maintained to ensure regulatory compliance and privacy protection, adhering to the company’s requirements for confidentiality.6.12 Responsibilities of Partner Companies
Procedures must be established to communicate the requirements of this code to partner companies and to monitor their compliance with these requirements./div>
Protection of Human Rights
To protect the rights of workers, efforts are underway to prevent key social issues such as 'power harassment,' 'sexual harassment,' and 'corruption.' This includes protecting victims, ensuring the rapid reporting of incidents, taking necessary actions, and implementing measures to prevent future occurrences.
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01
Victim Incident Reporting
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02
CEO Incident Receipt
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03
Review by the Operating Committee
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04
Determination of Penalties Based on Incident Severity and Establishment of Preventive Measures