Engagement, remediation and channels to raise concerns

Processes for engagement (S4-2)

Epiroc has sales in around 150 countries and local teams in customer centers in more than 60 countries, that are the key points of contact for customers. This regionalized approach allows Epiroc to stay responsive to specific risks in different markets and pursue opportunities for local partnerships and innovation. 

Epiroc consistently engage with customers to understand their business needs, the associated risks and local safety and regulatory standards and targets. This engagement allows us to develop or customize products that help the customers meet their productivity targets while prioritizing their safety. We gather regular feedback through ongoing dialogues, annual surveys and customer experience forms, which helps us continuously improve. These customer touch points not only help us focus on product safety, but they also inform us about our efforts in areas such as responsible business practices and climate change.

Remediation and channels to raise concern (S4-3)

There are several channels through which customers can reach out or raise concerns about product safety or other issues in the interest of end users. Our global network helps address local safety and regulatory requirements. Our customer centers are in close contact with customers and their employees to understand their concerns and to provide quick solutions when possible. We rely on our customers dialogues and their channels for employees to raise concern and have not identified the need of specific channels for end users to raise concerns directly with us. There is no single person responsible for engaging with customers on product safety at Group level, instead this responsibility lies with each General Manager on a local level. 

Epiroc ensures that any concern about product safety is addressed through formal investigations and corrective actions. Our Product Safety and Liability Policy outlines processes for remediating negative impacts and allowing our customers to raise concerns. Each division, product company and customer center has a product safety committee with the responsibility of coordinating and guiding efforts to prevent and correct risk of injury to persons when using products. The committees are cross-functional and organized with members having authority to take decisions. Any incident in the field, indications of inappropriate design (including non-compliance with local safety laws), manufacturing or workmanship, would trigger the product safety committee to act as per the defined process. In case of significant incidents (e.g., serious injury, death, or substantial property damage), the divisional President and the legal and Insurance function gets involved. Remediation measures and assessment of their effectiveness would be determined on a case-by-case basis and according to the local context. Remediation can include implementing corrective actions and ensuring knowledge-sharing to prevent similar cases from arising in the future. During this product safety process, if urgent information needs to be communicated to a customer to prevent further incidents, an appropriate document is immediately drafted in consultation with the legal team. These notices are given the highest priority. When Epiroc takes necessary corrective actions in the field, such as recalls or upgrades to affected products, customers are notified of these actions and can engage with Epiroc for further information or assistance. Safety information is communicated to customers through safety notices, technical service news bulletins, campaigns, or recalls, prioritizing cases with risks of critical incidents.

Epiroc has zero tolerance for hindering reporting and retaliation if the reporting person has reasonable grounds to believe that the information on breaches reported is true.