October 10: Building Responsibly Stakeholder Roundtable and Guidance Notes Launch

After a successful event organized in Paris in April 2019, Building Responsibly gathered its key stakeholders in London on October 10, 2019. This stakeholder roundtable was attended by 27 stakeholders representing national and international organizations, clients, peers, civil society organizations, and service providers.

The event provided an opportunity for BR’s 10 Members (list here) to present the recently released Guidance Notes. The Building Responsibly Guidance Notes are a set of instructions for the practical application of the Worker Welfare Principles. They offer a discussion around the potential issues and challenges faced by the industry on each principle and suggest best practice options for their implementation. The event also offered an opportunity to hear more about the initiative’s progress and goals and to discuss how the Notes can be used by stakeholders.

Please find here a summary of the discussions that were held during the roundtable.

20 Companies Support Building Responsibly Principles

Twenty companies have signed a statement supporting the Building Responsibly Principles in a cross-industry effort to improve the rights and welfare of workers. Developed through the Building Responsibly business coalition, the 10 Principles establish a common, global baseline for the treatment of workers in the engineering and construction industry. 

Many of these companies met at a Contractor Safety Leadership Forum held by Shell on Wednesday 3 October 2018 to discuss and sign the statement of support. The statement also expresses the companies’ intentions to assess the Principles against company practices and integrate them into engagement with contractors.

Peter Nestor, Director of Human Rights at BSR (Business for Social Responsibility), which facilitates the Building Responsibly coalition, commented: “This is an important step in embedding the Building Responsibly Principles throughout the broader engineering and construction industry, as well as throughout other parts of the industry’s value chain. We will work with these companies and other stakeholders to develop the tools and guidance needed to operationalize the Principles on the ground.”

June 21: Building Responsibly Stakeholder Event and Principles Launch

We are pleased to invite Building Responsibly stakeholders to our event in London on June 21, 2018. 

The event will mark the launch of the Building Responsibly Principles and offer an opportunity to hear more about the initiative’s progress and goals; as well as discuss the development of the Building Responsibly good practice notes and more broadly, Building Responsibly future goals via an engaging strategy session.

The Building Responsibly Principles lay out the initiative’s collective perspective on, and commitment to, promoting the rights and welfare of workers in the engineering and construction industry. The objective of having the Building Responsibly Principles is to establish common standards across the industry and spur company and stakeholder action around these key areas of worker vulnerability.

If you are interested in receiving an invitation, please contact us.

Building Responsibly to launch Worker Welfare Principles

On June 21, Building Responsibly will release the Worker Welfare Principles at a stakeholder event in London. These Principles lay out the group’s collective perspective on, and intended commitment to, promoting the rights and welfare of workers in the engineering and construction industry. The objective of having the Worker Welfare Principles is to align expectations and spur company and stakeholder action around these key areas of worker vulnerability.

Over the next three years, these Principles will provide a framework for the future development of good practice notes, implementation guides, and tools. They will also provide a key framework for engaging with subcontractors, governments, and other entities in the construction and engineering value chain.

For more information about Building Responsibly and the Worker Welfare Principles, please contact the Secretariat, BSR. 

CH2M [now Jacobs] launches new industry group to protect worker rights

Read CH2M's article on the launch of Building Responsibly here. 

Excerpt below:

"The group's founding member firms (CH2M [now Jacobs], Amec Foster Wheeler [now Wood], Bechtel, Fluor, Multiplex and Vinci) have committed to policies and programs to respect the rights and improve the welfare of workers within their operations and supply chains. Building Responsibly will enable companies to further advance their programs by sharing best practices, agreeing on common approaches and standards, developing tools and engaging clients, civil society, governments and international organizations. Companies will be able to align with regulations and stakeholder expectations while increasing productivity and fostering a better environment for workers. Membership of Building Responsibly is open to engineering and construction companies that are committed to respecting the rights and welfare of workers."

Humanity United: Announcing Building Responsibly

Read Humanity United's article on the launch of Building Responsibly here. 

Excerpt below:

"The launch of Building Responsibly is the product of two years of stakeholder engagement led by CH2M [now Jacobs], with support from the Institute for Human Rights and Business (IHRB), BSR (Business for Social Responsibility), and Humanity United.

Going forward, Humanity United will continue to support the initiative’s programmatic work in three primary areas: Improving recruitment practices, strengthening subcontractor management, and enhancing living and working conditions for workers. We look forward to working with Building Responsibly to harness the engineering and construction sector’s ingenuity to promote and uphold the rights and welfare of workers around the world."

Bechtel helps launch Building Responsibly

Read Bechtel's article about the launch of Building Responsibly here.

Excerpt below:

"Together with Amec Foster Wheeler [now Wood], CH2M [now Jacobs], Fluor, Multiplex, and Vinci, Bechtel is launching the Building Responsibly initiative focused on advancing efforts of construction and engineering firms to more effectively align with international human rights frameworks, promote a healthier environment for workers, and further improve project delivery and quality for customers. 

“Working with industry is one of the best opportunities we have to progress worker welfare, especially as supply chains and subcontractor relationships are vast, complex, and interconnected,” said Tam Nguyen, Bechtel’s Global Head of Sustainability. “Through greater collaboration, member companies can better achieve our common goal of safety, productivity, and responsible engagement with our workers and suppliers.”