Compliance & QHSSE

GAC is dedicated in providing the highest levels of quality, safety and compliance in our services to ensure customer satisfaction.

  • Code of Ethics

    In everything we do, we are guided by the GAC Code of Ethics. It’s more than just corporate window dressing. It is a guide for action, not just words. A true code of practice.

    It covers how GAC people conduct themselves when dealing with each other, customers, suppliers and authorities. It emphasises respect for the law and respect for people. Our determination is to treat customers, suppliers and colleagues honestly, fairly and with dignity.

  • The GAC Anti-Corruption and Bribery Policy lies at the heart of our commitment to conduct all our business in an honest and ethical manner. We take a zero-tolerance approach to bribery and corruption, and aim to ensure that all our staff always act professionally, fairly and with integrity in all our business dealings and relationships wherever we operate.

    Gulf Agency Company Limited is an associate member of the Maritime Anti-Corruption Network (MACN), a global business network comprised of like-minded companies committed to promoting compliance with anti-corruption law. MACN’s vision is to work towards a maritime industry free of corruption that enables fair trade to the benefit of society at large.

    Macn logo
  • Four interlinked elements- Health, safety, security and the environment, create the best working space for GAC’s people and all who receive our services, step on to our premises, board our vessels or sit in our vehicles. Our commitment to health and safety is based on constant vigilance and attention to details. Steady feedback from our customers’ Safety Officers and regulatory authorities ensures our approach to health, safety, security and the environment remains clear, resolute and purposeful. Training, particularly in the offshore sector, is constant and rigorous.

  • All organisations face the possibility of unknowingly harbouring illegal or unethical conduct. The aim of the GAC Whistleblowing Policy is to encourage staff to report any suspected wrongdoing as soon as possible in the knowledge that their concerns will be taken seriously and investigated whilst, at the same time, respecting their confidentiality.

  • Modern slavery is a crime and a violation of fundamental human rights. It takes various forms, such as slavery, servitude, forced and compulsory labour and human trafficking, all of which have the deprivation of a person's liberty by another in order to exploit them for personal or commercial gain in common. GAC Group has a zero-tolerance approach to all forms of modern slavery and are committed to acting ethically and with integrity in all our business dealings and relationships. We seek to implement and enforce effective systems and controls to ensure modern slavery is not taking place anywhere in our own business operations.

  • Our privacy policies are in line with the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) which came into effect on the 25th May 2018, and provides clarity regarding how we collect, store and process your information.

    We encourage all customers to review the policies and become familiar with them:

    What this means for you:

    • More control and protection over your data
    • For newsletter subscribers, you can adjust your permission and privacy settings anytime
    • Standardisation of the European data protection

    We care deeply for all our customers, suppliers, partners and employees, and we trust that these updates demonstrate GAC Group’s commitment to protecting your privacy and respecting your data. If you have further queries, you can address these to [email protected]

Quality, Health, Safety, Security & Environment (QHSSE)

Quality has been at the heart of our working culture since GAC first started up in 1956. Through the effective application of our Quality Management System (QMS), GAC is dedicated in providing the highest levels of quality, safety and compliance in our services to ensure customer satisfaction. GAC's strong Health, Safety, Security and Environment (HSSE) policy is based on the belief that good HSSE management is essential for the well-being of our employees, families, customers, visitors and all other stakeholders in the Group’s services.

HSSE

We apply the same stringent HSSE approach and processes throughout the GAC Group, reflecting our commitment to an effective HSSE Management System to prevent/reduce incidents and the impact of any that do occur.

GAC Group HSSE Management System was developed to set Group minimum HSSE standards to be complied with, within different areas appropriate to GAC business activities.

It applies the principles of ILO (International Labour Organization) health and safety standard, ISO 45001 - Occupational health and safety management systems, and ISO 14001 Environmental management systems. Its purpose is to:

  • Provide HSSE policy guidelines on activities relating to GAC services
  • Present to customers specific HSSE controls implemented within GAC.
  • Provide assurance that our services meet both statutory and client’s HSSE requirements.
  • Aim at continuous improvement of GAC’s HSSE performance.

By implementing HSSE policies and procedures across the organisation, we aim to provide Healthy, Safe, Secured and Environmentally sustainable workplaces in GAC, and focus on safety performance in all our operations.

  • GAC HSSE Policy and Objectives

    GAC Group applies best HSSE practices in line with GAC HSSE Policy. Our goals are simple – no harm to people, no accidents, no security breaches, and no damage to the environment. Every employee at GAC is committed to getting HSSE right, the first time, every time – wherever you go.

    Every GAC company establishes its own HSSE Targets derived from Group HSSE Objectives. Using a combination of proactive and reactive monitoring techniques, progress towards those objectives are measured and areas for improvement identified.

  • GAC has a “no blame” attitude with regards to HSSE reporting (including Personal Injury, Asset Damage, Environmental Incident, Occupational Illness, Unsafe Act, Unsafe Condition, Near Miss or Suggestion). All reported HSSE Issues are duly investigated to identify the causes and prevent re-occurrence.

    Reporting, investigating, corrective/preventive action planning and follow-up of HSSE issues is managed through the Group QHSSE web-based application “GACqhsse”. This system is available to all employees, clients and contractors, and ensures that every HSSE issue is followed up thoroughly.

  • HSSE training is compulsory for new joiners and all GAC employees. To facilitate this, the GAC Corporate Academy (GCA) conducts its own two-week HSSE course using e-learning to provide a strong foundation and working knowledge of HSSE basics, how HSSE is incorporated into our GAC culture, its impact on our relationships with customers, and the role of all GAC employees as HSSE ambassadors.

Quality

GAC is a global service organisation dedicated to consistently providing efficient and competitively priced Shipping, Logistics and Marine services at the highest levels of quality, safety and compliance through world-class leadership, continual improvement, employee development, recognition and social responsibility.

Through the effective application of the Quality Management System, GAC aims to achieve high degree of customer value and satisfaction in the services it delivers.

The GAC Group has developed a quality management system (QMS), which uses ISO 9001:2015 as a framework that allows companies within the Group to document and improve their practices to better satisfy the needs and expectations of our customers, stakeholders and interested parties.

  • Customer Focus

    GAC adopts a customer-first approach which ensures that customer needs and expectations are determined, converted into requirements and met.

    We continually look for ways to interact directly with our customers to ensure that we focus on their specific needs and expectations.

  • Evidence of non-conformance, customer dissatisfaction or process weakness drives our continual improvement system. In the case of nonconformity, immediate correction and possible additional actions are required to eliminate/reduce the likelihood of recurrence.

    Corrective action data is summarised and analysed to identify trends to assess the overall effectiveness of the corrective action system and to develop related recommendations for improvement.

    The corrective actions are considered effective if the specific problem is corrected, and data indicates that the same or similar problems have not recurred.

    The nonconformity process is managed through GACqhsse online system.

  • The procurement process is essential to our organisation’s ability to provide our customers with services that meet their requirements.

    GAC ensures that all purchased products or services included in our final service conform to our specified requirements.

    This is accomplished by closely working with a network of external suppliers whose performance and capability are continually assessed through periodic evaluations audits, performance data analysis and inspection or verification of the supplied products or services.

    The type and extent of control applied to our suppliers and the purchased product or service depends on the impact it may have on the final service provided.

    Our supplier qualification process strives to mitigate supply chain risks by checking that suppliers are suitable to sustainably provide various goods or services.

    As part of the process, providers are required to complete a questionnaire which includes company data, compliance and ethics, as well as information about the quality and health, safety, and environment management systems implemented, IT infrastructure and operational controls. Acceptance of the GAC Supplier Code of Conduct is mandatory for a supplier to be approved.

Online System

Supplier Vetting System

The GAC Supplier Vetting System (GAC SVS) is an online system developed to support GAC companies implementing an effective supplier vetting system and incorporating such a system into their supplier management process.

Supplier vetting
Supplier vetting 2

GACqhsse System

GACqhsse is a web-based application that provides a single integrated database to manage QHSSE Management System sub-processes across the GAC Group.

This platform is designed for used across the entire Group, providing an effective tool for the following critical processes:

  • Management of QHSSE Issues
  • Management of QHSSE Audits & Inspections process

It enables companies to easily manage and control tasks, duties and records, and gives the Group QHSSE Department visibility of companies’ HSSE and operational performance.