Whistleblower protection

Implementation of the Whistleblower Protection Act at keeeper GmbH Industriehafen 9-25, 32479 Hille | Germany

The legislator has transposed the DIRECTIVE (EU) 2019/1937 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 23 October 2019 on the protection of persons who report breaches of Union law (Whistleblowing Directive) into national law and derived the Whistleblower Protection (in German “Hinweisgeberschutzgesetz) from it, which came into force on July 2, 2023. This law regulates the protection of natural persons who, in connection with their professional activity or in the run-up to a professional activity, have obtained information about breaches and report or disclose these to the reporting channels provided for by this law (whistleblowers).

In addition, persons who are the subject of a report or disclosure, as well as other persons affected by a report or disclosure, are protected.

For this reason, keeeper GmbH has set up a reporting system for whistleblowers who wish to report compliance violations (legal violations/administrative offenses). Compliance violations are substantiated indications of suspected legal violations or breaches of regulations.

These include, for example:

• Fraud offenses, antitrust law violations
• Data protection violations and IT security issues
• Violations of financial law and accounting regulations or competition violations
• Discrimination or violations of accounting standards
• Theft of company property or potential bribery offenses
• Violations of occupational safety, environmental protection, or labor laws, etc.
  
  

The full law can be found here: https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/hinschg/BJNR08C0B0023.html

With our reporting system, we provide whistleblowers (employees, temporary workers, external service providers, suppliers, etc.) with the opportunity to report legal or regulatory violations in a protected manner. For this purpose, keeeper GmbH has established a reporting channel and appointed a Whistleblower Protection Officer (Ombudsman).

Please send your report to the following mailbox address:

Whistleblow-Consult
c/o keeeper GmbH
Postfach 3506
32079 Bad Salzuflen

The mailbox is managed exclusively by the ombudsman of the reporting office. Please describe the matter as thoroughly as possible and include your name and address, etc. (email address if desired) in the written report so that we can contact you if there are any questions. We assure you of absolute confidentiality through this channel.

Your data will remain anonymous throughout the procedure and will not be disclosed. Your data will only be made public in the procedure with your written consent. The ombudsman will then take the necessary steps to clarify the matter. You will receive an acknowledgment of receipt within 7 days after submitting your report, and at the latest after 3 months, you will receive feedback on how your report has been handled and what follow-up measures have been or will be taken.