So clause 1.1.6 states:
The company shall have a confidential reporting system to enable staff to report concerns relating to product safety, integrity, quality and legality.
The mechanism (e.g. the relevant telephone number) for reporting concerns must be clearly communicated to staff.
The company’s senior management shall have a process for assessing any concerns raised. Records of the assessment and, where appropriate, actions taken, shall be documented.
For the company's senior management to have a process for assessing concerns raised, the confidential reporting system must alert the internal senior management. If the confidential reporting system targeted an (independent) outsider, that would preclude any possibility of appropriate actions resulting from confidential reports because the information wouldn't be directed to the company's senior management.
There's also a conflict of interests raised if confidential reporting goes to an external body because there would be the potential for maliciously making false reports of wrong-doing by disgruntled employees, routed in the idea that confidential reports made to an external authority could result in penalties for the company. An internal confidential reporting system isn't completely free from the possibility of abuse, but I'd say there's less of an incentive for malicious abuse.
In general, I agree that paper-based systems are not the best option for confidential reporting.. Happily, there is a free confidential reporting tool here:
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With the above web form, all you need to do is set up an email address for confidential reports to be submitted to, and communicate that email address to your staff. Ideally, food businesses should have multiple reporting channels, so including a phone line in addition to a web form. Using the free confidential reporting system on Food Portal, sites would still need to do an effective job of communicating to staff how to access the confidential reporting system, and what email address to report to. That said, this presents an immediate solution that safeguards the anonymity of the reporter, so I hope this helps :)
Edited by Charles.C, 13 July 2021 - 11:26 AM.
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