New Toolkit to Tackle Modern Slavery in Construction
The issue of modern slavery in construction is more pressing than ever, raising the question: how serious is the problem in the industry? A new methodology, called the Operational Toolkit: Combatting Slavery in the Built Environment, aims to help businesses in the sector address modern slavery through effective due diligence.
Released by the Supply Chain Sustainability School (SCSS), the toolkit provides valuable resources for clients, contractors and suppliers, empowering them to collaborate and build essential skills throughout their supply chains.
Created by Action Sustainability, the toolkit is designed to support organisations committed to fighting labour exploitation in the built environment.
Understanding the risks of modern slavery in construction
The construction industry faces significant risks of modern slavery due to ongoing labour and skills shortages. According to the SCSS, this has led to a heavy reliance on temporary migrant workers, agency staff and sub-contractors.
Such arrangements can create a fertile environment for exploitation, particularly when businesses are squeezed by low profit margins and strict deadlines.
As companies rush to meet project timelines, the usual protocols for bringing workers onto sites may be ignored, leaving workers vulnerable to exploitation.
The SCSS’s toolkit directly addresses these risks, offering practical advice for organisations of all sizes. By focusing on prevention and proactive site management, the guidance helps construction firms take meaningful steps towards a safer and more ethical industry.
Practical tools for businesses
The Operational Toolkit is designed to be both practical and easy to use, offering step-by-step guidance on identifying and managing risks. It was developed in collaboration with the Built Environment Against Slavery Group, bringing together insights from various industry stakeholders.
Anna Slatcher, Senior Sustainability Manager at Barratt Redrow, sees this toolkit as an essential resource: “At Barratt Redrow, we are committed to preventing, identifying, managing and mitigating modern slavery and labour exploitation risks in our operations and supply chain.
"This guidance will be a valuable resource for us and our industry partners to improve our understanding of and mitigate and monitor, labour risk on our sites.”
Anna highlights that the toolkit provides clear, actionable steps for recruitment, site setup and management. The guidance is designed to help teams identify "red flags" that could otherwise be missed, ensuring that every worker is protected from exploitation.
Jo Potts, Sustainability Director at Balfour Beatty and Co-Chair of the Built Environment Against Slavery Group, also emphasises the importance of these resources.
“Operating responsibly and with integrity whilst upholding the highest ethical standards is critical to success. It must be at the heart of how the construction and infrastructure industry conducts business.
“By equipping our teams with the necessary tools and knowledge, we can significantly reduce the risks of exploitation within our projects and across our supply chain.”
Key risks and recommendations
The toolkit highlights six key risks of modern slavery in construction and offers recommendations for organisations to prevent, identify and manage these risks. From labour sourcing to site management, the guidance ensures that companies take a proactive approach to tackling modern slavery.
Action Sustainability’s Senior Consultant and author of the toolkit, Emma-Jane Allen, stresses the importance of embedding modern slavery due diligence into everyday operations: “It's essential to embed modern slavery due diligence into 'business as usual' site setup and management. Due diligence is about taking proactive steps to prevent, identify, manage and mitigate the risks of modern slavery and labour exploitation.”
Allen adds, “This Operational Toolkit empowers those on the front lines of site management to do just that.”
The toolkit provides site-specific insights and actions, making it a valuable resource for anyone involved in site setup or management. By using the guidance, organisations can ensure they are creating exploitation-free environments for all workers.
An industry-wide call for action
The construction sector plays a critical role in addressing modern slavery and this toolkit serves as an industry-wide call to action. As the industry faces growing pressures around labour shortages and tight deadlines, the risk of exploitation increases. The SCSS’s toolkit is designed to help businesses navigate these challenges while maintaining the highest ethical standards.
By integrating modern slavery due diligence into their operations, companies can safeguard workers and ensure their projects are free from exploitation. The guidance is not only a response to the current state of the industry but also a proactive measure to prevent future risks.
As Jo puts it: “Empowering our people to tackle modern slavery is integral to reducing the risks of exploitation within our projects and across our supply chain.”
The release of the Operational Toolkit marks a significant step forward in the industry’s commitment to addressing modern slavery.
With clear guidance and practical tools, construction companies are better equipped to create safer, more ethical workplaces for everyone involved.
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