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Whistleblower system
The whistleblower system represents a system for reporting compliance violations at the German “Knappschaft-Bahn-See”. It is an important component of the compliance management system.
Our whistleblower system is open to all members of staff of the KBS, as well as to persons who maintain or maintained contact with the KBS due to their professional activities and wish to report legal violations, committed in connection with a professional, corporate, or service-related activity for the KBS.
Please keep in mind that the whistleblower system serves the reporting of specific compliance violations, not the reporting of general complaints.
What is a compliance violation?
A compliance violation occurs whenever members of staff of the KBS violate the applicable national law, and the applicable law of the European Union, corporate guidelines, or the corporate values of the KBS.
Compliance violations may range from the prohibited acceptance of gifts, via data protection breaches, to fraud. But it may also be a case of statements made by officials, which represent a violation of the obligation to be loyal to the constitution.
It is important that the respective initial suspicion is always sufficiently justified.
You can find additional information here.
How do I correctly report a hint?
Generally speaking, hints should initially be reported to the internal reporting office (Compliance Team). For the hint to be duly investigated, it is important for the hint to be as concrete as possible.
Therefore, please keep in mind the following questions when reporting a violation:
Who? What? When? How? Where?
It is important for your descriptions to be clear for people from different professional backgrounds. With a view to this, it is helpful for you to remain available for further questions. As a matter of course, the entire communication may take place via the whistleblower system in this instance as well. The hints are treated with absolute confidentiality on the part of the Compliance Team.
In addition, it is possible to report a hint to the external federal reporting office at the German Bundesamt für Justiz.
Legal Information
- Whistleblowers, who at the point of time of reporting had sufficient reason to assume that the reported information regarding violations was true, may not be made redundant due to the hint, and they may not be made to fear any other detriments, even if the hint turns out to be unjustified in retrospect.
- In case of improper use and/or proven forwarding of knowingly false or misleading information, deliberation with a view to disciplinary measures and/or civil-/criminal law procedures remains reserved.
- The persons affected by the report are protected and supported, if and as long as their culpable participation in a compliance violation has not been proven.
Special information regarding misconduct as defined in section 197a of Vol. V. of the German Social Security Code (SGB V) (Accounting fraud and corruption in the healthcare sector) should always be sent direct to the KNAPPSCHAFT. You will find the required contact data here.