Whistle Blower Policy
1. Introduction
The Board of Directors of Dhofar Power Company has decided that ethics and responsible behavior which define the high standard of governance and business conduct to which we pledge ourselves as an organization must be reviewed, documented and disseminated within the Company. This has always been our core strength and needs to be reinforced through voluntary reporting of irregularities and periodic reviews of business practices.
2. The Policy
As an additional measure a Whistleblower system has also been established. The Company expects employees, customers, suppliers, contractors to not only abide by our standards of business conduct but also to speak out about any concerns they have regarding business ethics, safety, environmental performance, harassment and other employment related matters or other possible breaches of compliance.
3. Reporting
Open and candid communication is an important DPC core value. The Employees, customers, suppliers, contractors are therefore encouraged to raise their concerns with respective function/line managers. However, if complainants are not comfortable in doing so they should send an email to whistleblower@dpcoman.com or drop the complaints in the drop box to raise their concerns. Through these channels complaints would be reported directly to Head of Internal Audit.
The complaints will be investigated by the Head of Internal Audit. In case a complainant is not satisfied with the outcome of the investigation, he/she may raise the concern with the Chairman of the Governance, Risk & Audit Committee (GR&AC). A quarterly report with the number of complaints received under the Policy and their outcomes shall be placed before the GR&AC by the Head of Internal Audit. In case the repercussions of any particular complaint are considered to be of an urgent or deleterious nature, then these should be immediately reported by the Head of Internal Audit to the Chairman GR&AC.
4. Protection of Whistle Blower
Complete confidentiality of complainants will be maintained and the person will be protected from any form of retaliation or victimization for genuinely held concerns that are raised in good faith. At the same time it should be noted that unfounded allegations made recklessly, maliciously or knowing that they were false can expose the complainant to disciplinary action.
In order to further strengthen our ethics compliance program and promote adherence to sound business conduct, all employees, customers, suppliers and contractors at DPC are encouraged to report serious concerns that could have a significant impact on these organizations, such as actions that
- are unlawful or may damage the reputation of DPC.
- are fraudulent and lead to a loss of assets.
- may be intended to result in incorrect financial reporting.
- are in violation of various corporate policies governing business conduct.
- are in violation of Health Safety & Environmental standards applicable to the business.
- give rise to harassment, discrimination or other unfair employment practices.
5. Conclusion
It should however be noted that the "Speak Out" system is not intended to be used for reporting career related issues, e.g., lack of promotion, for which a separate forum exists. DPC undertake that all complaints will be investigated confidentially by independent persons and feedback will be provided to the complainant