Durban — The SA Bureau of Standards (SABS) has said that every South African company should have a whistle-blowing management system.
The SABS said this after publishing its SA National Standard (SANS) 37002 Whistle-blowing management systems — Guidelines.
The SANBS said the document provides the framework and guidelines for any organisation to implement a whistle-blowing management system based on the principles of trust, impartiality, and protection.
SABS acting chief executive Sadhvir Bissoon said: “Whistle-blowing has the potential to prevent and eliminate corruption, fraud and illegal or wrongful acts that can save companies millions of rand.
“The act of whistle-blowing can be daunting and life-threatening in some cases, and it is important that organisations are cognisant of the need to design systems that can protect the identity of whistle-blowers.”
He explained that the guidelines contained in SANS 37002 are generic and intended to be applicable to all organisations, regardless of type, size, nature of the activity, and whether in the public, private or not-for-profit sectors.
Bissoon said the document is adopted from the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and is the internationally accepted standard for organisations, anywhere in the world, to deal with whistle-blowing.
The document includes guidelines on how to reduce and prevent detrimental treatment of whistle-blowers and others involved, demonstration of leadership commitment to prevent and address wrongdoing, encouraging people to blow the whistle and establishing a culture of openness, transparency, integrity, and accountability, he said.
Also included is a practical framework for receiving, assessing, addressing and concluding whistle-blowing cases.
The SABS said organisations can email [email protected] if they would like to receive training on SANS 37002 or visit the SABS webstore to purchase a copy of the national standard.
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