This Legal Notice (hereinafter, the “Legal Notice”), together with the Privacy Policy and the Cookies Policy, governs access to and use of this website (the “Website”).

By simply accessing the Website, the person who does so becomes a User of the Website (hereinafter, “the User”). If the User does not agree with this Legal Notice, they must immediately leave the Website without using it.

By accepting this Legal Notice, the User declares:

• That they have read and understand the content of the Legal Notice.
• That they undertake all of the obligations set forth herein.

1. General information about the Website

Owner: NIPPON GASES EURO-HOLDING S.L.U hereinafter, "NIPPON GASES")

Registered office: Calle Orense, número 11, 9ª planta, 28020 – Madrid, Spain.

NIF (fiscal identification): B88128368

E-mail: info@nippongases.com

Registration information: Madrid Companies Register, Volume 37,821, Folio 195, Page 673,683, Entry 8.

2. Exclusion of liability

The User’s access to the Website does not imply an obligation for NIPPON GASES to monitor the absence of viruses, worms, or other harmful computer elements. In any case, the User is responsible for having the tools needed to detect and disinfect harmful computer programs.

NIPPON GASES is not responsible for any damage to the software and/or computer equipment of the User or third parties while using the services provided on the Website or browsing it.

NIPPON GASES is not responsible for damages of any kind caused to the User by telecommunications networks malfunctions or shutdowns that lead to the suspension, cancellation, or interruption of the Website’s service while the service is being provided or previously.

3. Content and services linked through the Website

The Website may include technical links, directories, and even search engines allowing the User to access other websites and portals on the internet (hereinafter, the “Linked Websites”). In these cases, NIPPON GASES will only be responsible for contents and services provided on the Linked Websites to the extent that it has effective knowledge of their illegality and has not disabled the link with due diligence. If the User considers that there is a Linked Website with illegal or inappropriate content, they may notify NIPPON GASES; and NIPPON GASES will review the lawfulnes of the link.

The existence of Linked Websites should under no circumstances be taken to imply the existence of agreements between NIPPON GASES and the owners or persons responsible for such websites, nor NIPPON GASES’s recommendation of, promotion of, or agreement with the statements, content, or services provided by such Linked Websites.

Unless expressly stated otherwise on the Website, NIPPON GASES is unaware may not be aware of the full content and updates of the contents and services on the Linked Websites. Therefore, it is not liable for any damage that may be caused by the unlawfulness, quality, out-of-date nature, unavailability, error, and uselessness of the contents and/or services on the Linked Websites, including any other damage that is not directly attributable to NIPPON GASES.

4. Intellectual and industrial property

All of the contents of the Website, including but not limited to the texts, documents, photographs, graphics, images, icons, technology, software, links, and any other audiovisual or audio content, as well as their graphic design and source code, may beare the intellectual property of NIPPON GASES or third parties. None of the use rights for such intellectual property, recognized by current intellectual property law, may be deemed to have been assigned to the User.

The User declares that they are the sole author of all photographs, images, texts, and/or comments (hereinafter, “the Contents”) that they publish on or send through the Website. The User declares that the use of these by NIPPON GASES does not infringe the rights of any third party. Regarding these Contents, the User freely assigns to NIPPON GASES the rights of public disclosure, reproduction, distribution, and transformation, in all forms of use existing up to the date of acceptance of this Legal Notice. Such assignment applies worldwide and for the time period comprising the entire life of the User plus seventy years after their death or declaration of death.

The trademarks, trade names, or distinctive marks published on the Website are the property of NIPPON GASES or third parties (unless otherwise stated on the Website), and no rights to these may be deemed to have been attributed to the User.

5. Annulment and invalidity of Clauses

If any clause included in this Legal Notice is declared to be null and void or invalid, in whole or in part, such annulment or invalidity will only affect that provision or the part thereof that is rendered null and void or invalid, the Legal Notice will remain valid in all other respects, and such provision will be deemed to not be included, in whole or in part.

6. Applicable law and competent jurisdiction

This Legal Notice will be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of Spain. In the event of a dispute between NIPPON GASES and the User, the courts of the city of Madrid will have jurisdiction, unless applicable law necessarily provides otherwise.

This Legal Notice (hereinafter, the “Legal Notice”), together with the Privacy Policy and the Cookies Policy, governs access to and use of this website (the “Website”).

By simply accessing the Website, the person who does so becomes a User of the Website (hereinafter, “the User”). If the User does not agree with this Legal Notice, they must immediately leave the Website without using it.

By accepting this Legal Notice, the User declares:

• That they have read and understand the content of the Legal Notice.
• That they undertake all of the obligations set forth herein.

1. General information about the Website

Owner: NIPPON GASES EURO-HOLDING S.L.U hereinafter, "NIPPON GASES")

Registered office: Calle Orense, número 11, 9ª planta, 28020 – Madrid, Spain.

NIF (fiscal identification): B88128368

E-mail: info@nippongases.com

Registration information: Madrid Companies Register, Volume 37,821, Folio 195, Page 673,683, Entry 8.

2. Exclusion of liability

The User’s access to the Website does not imply an obligation for NIPPON GASES to monitor the absence of viruses, worms, or other harmful computer elements. In any case, the User is responsible for having the tools needed to detect and disinfect harmful computer programs.

NIPPON GASES is not responsible for any damage to the software and/or computer equipment of the User or third parties while using the services provided on the Website or browsing it.

NIPPON GASES is not responsible for damages of any kind caused to the User by telecommunications networks malfunctions or shutdowns that lead to the suspension, cancellation, or interruption of the Website’s service while the service is being provided or previously.

3. Content and services linked through the Website

The Website may include technical links, directories, and even search engines allowing the User to access other websites and portals on the internet (hereinafter, the “Linked Websites”). In these cases, NIPPON GASES will only be responsible for contents and services provided on the Linked Websites to the extent that it has effective knowledge of their illegality and has not disabled the link with due diligence. If the User considers that there is a Linked Website with illegal or inappropriate content, they may notify NIPPON GASES; and NIPPON GASES will review the lawfulnes of the link.

The existence of Linked Websites should under no circumstances be taken to imply the existence of agreements between NIPPON GASES and the owners or persons responsible for such websites, nor NIPPON GASES’s recommendation of, promotion of, or agreement with the statements, content, or services provided by such Linked Websites.

Unless expressly stated otherwise on the Website, NIPPON GASES is unaware may not be aware of the full content and updates of the contents and services on the Linked Websites. Therefore, it is not liable for any damage that may be caused by the unlawfulness, quality, out-of-date nature, unavailability, error, and uselessness of the contents and/or services on the Linked Websites, including any other damage that is not directly attributable to NIPPON GASES.

4. Intellectual and industrial property

All of the contents of the Website, including but not limited to the texts, documents, photographs, graphics, images, icons, technology, software, links, and any other audiovisual or audio content, as well as their graphic design and source code, may beare the intellectual property of NIPPON GASES or third parties. None of the use rights for such intellectual property, recognized by current intellectual property law, may be deemed to have been assigned to the User.

The User declares that they are the sole author of all photographs, images, texts, and/or comments (hereinafter, “the Contents”) that they publish on or send through the Website. The User declares that the use of these by NIPPON GASES does not infringe the rights of any third party. Regarding these Contents, the User freely assigns to NIPPON GASES the rights of public disclosure, reproduction, distribution, and transformation, in all forms of use existing up to the date of acceptance of this Legal Notice. Such assignment applies worldwide and for the time period comprising the entire life of the User plus seventy years after their death or declaration of death.

The trademarks, trade names, or distinctive marks published on the Website are the property of NIPPON GASES or third parties (unless otherwise stated on the Website), and no rights to these may be deemed to have been attributed to the User.

5. Annulment and invalidity of Clauses

If any clause included in this Legal Notice is declared to be null and void or invalid, in whole or in part, such annulment or invalidity will only affect that provision or the part thereof that is rendered null and void or invalid, the Legal Notice will remain valid in all other respects, and such provision will be deemed to not be included, in whole or in part.

6. Applicable law and competent jurisdiction

This Legal Notice will be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of Spain. In the event of a dispute between NIPPON GASES and the User, the courts of the city of Madrid will have jurisdiction, unless applicable law necessarily provides otherwise.

I enlighet med direktivet (EU) 2019/1937 har Nippon Gases Euro-Holding, S.L.U. godkänt en policy och ett förfarande för visselblåsning för de europeiska företagen i Nippon Gases-koncernen med syftet att fastställa de nödvändiga bestämmelserna för det interna visselblåsningssystemet och de befintliga interna informationskanalerna.

 

Detta dokument sammanfattar de viktigaste punkterna i förfarandet:

 

1. Nippon Gases interna system för visselblåsning

 

Nippon Gases interna visselblåsarsystem är huvudkanalen för rapportering av eventuella oegentligheter som kan innebära överträdelser avseende handlingar eller beteenden som hänvisar till de tillämpningsområden som anges i företagspolicyn för det interna visselblåsarsystemet för Nippon Gases-koncernen.

 

Rapporter kan lämnas in med identifiering av den rapporterande personen eller anonymt.

 

Denna kanal tillåter inlämning av rapporter genom:

• EthicsPoints externa plattform som nås via https://secure.ethicspoint.eu/domain/media/eseu/gui/105848/index.html
  
• E-mail: compliance@nippongases.com
• Hotline för regelefterlevnad (Compliance) (numren för varje land publiceras i EthicsPoint-plattformen)

 

På begäran av den rapporterande personen kan rapporter även lämnas muntligen genom personliga möten eller videokonferenssystem.

  

Alla rapporter kommer att tas emot av den europeiska Chief Compliance Officer och den europeiska Human Resources Director som båda är medlemmar i en kollegial enhet som utför uppgifterna som Internal Whistleblowing System Manager och som hädanefter gemensamt kommer att kallas System Managers.

Det är också möjligt att lämna in en rapport genom att meddela den till sin arbetsledare, den lokala Compliance Champion, eller personalfunktionen eller den juridiska avdelningen.

 

2.  Stegen i förfarandet

 

2.1. Registreringsfasen

 

Alla rapporter som lämnas in till någon av de ovannämnda interna kanalerna, i enlighet med principen om god tro, kommer att bekräftas inom sju dagar efter mottagandet.

Den rapporterande personen måste tillhandahålla de uppgifter som han/hon anser nödvändiga. Om den externa plattformen EthicsPoint väljs måste den rapporterande personen skicka rapporten genom att fylla i det tillgängliga formuläret för datainsamling.

 

2.2.  Analysfas

 

De mottagna rapporterna kommer att bli föremål för en tillåtlighetsanalys. Det interna visselblåsarsystemet omfattar inte rapporter som:

  

• inte faller inom direktivets materiella tillämpningsområde och/eller inte avser fakta/beteende som rör brott mot Nippon Gases uppförandekod eller oegentligheter som kan innebära brott mot de interna bestämmelser som gäller för Nippon Gases koncernföretag;

 

• är baserade på rena rykten och/eller inte är baserade på specifika fakta;

 

• specifikt rör innehållet i en fil/dokument som inte är tillgänglig för företaget och som inte tillhandahålls i kommunikationen.

 

Med hänsyn till ovanstående undantag för otillåtlighet kommer den ansvariga personen att meddela beslutet om tillåtelse/icke tillåtelse till den rapporterande personen.

Analysfasen avslutas med valet av det team/den person som ansvarar för utredningen, vilket kommer att motsvara den lokala compliance-avdelningen eller den/de person/er som utsetts av systemansvariga, beroende på syftet med rapporten. I vilket fall som helst kommer teamet/personen som ansvarar för utredningen aldrig att vara relaterad till de fakta som utreds, för att undvika eventuella intressekonflikter. Om någon av de personer som utsetts att genomföra utredningen har en intressekonflikt i förhållande till de frågor som han eller hon har uppmärksammats på, ska han eller hon avstå från att hantera dem.

 

2.3. Forskningsfasen

 

Undersökningen kommer att inledas så snart som möjligt.

Undersökningen kommer att utföras i enlighet med de definierade interna procedurerna, i enlighet med de garantier som anges i Nippon Gases Europes policy för det interna visselblåsarsystemet och, i vilket fall som helst, garantera för alla berörda personer:

  

• respect for the presumption of innocence and honor, as well as the right to defense;

 

• the right to be heard at any time;

 

• the right to be informed about the actions or omissions attributed to him/her.

 

• the preservation of their identity and the confidentiality of the facts and data of the proceeding.

 

The investigation procedure may include:

 

• respekt för presumtionen om oskuld och heder, samt rätten till försvar;
  
   
• rätten att bli hörd när som helst;
  
   

 

• data analysis and information gathering;

 

• request for expert evidence from internal or external professionals;

 

• other investigative or evidentiary steps that are considered relevant and are the least burdensome possible in relation to the legal position of the person concerned.

 

2.4. Resolution phase

 

The System Managers shall make an assessment of the facts/conduct that is the object of the report, based on the investigation conducted, and shall communicate their findings to the parties concerned as soon as possible.

 

In the event of non-compliance by an employee, the System Managers will forward the file to the Human Resources Department for appropriate action to be taken.

 

The resolution period may not exceed three months from receipt of the communication or, if no acknowledgement of receipt was sent to the reporting person, three months from the expiration of the seven-day period after the communication was made, except in cases of particular complexity requiring an extension of the period, in which case, the period may be extended up to a maximum of three additional months.

 

 

3. Protection of personal data

 

The Internal Whistleblowing System is designed, established and managed in a secure manner, so as to guarantee the confidentiality of the persons involved in the reports and the actions carried out in the management and processing of these, as well as data protection.

 

Personal data will not be collected if it is manifestly not relevant to the processing of specific information or, if collected by accident, will be deleted without undue delay.

 

Personal data relating to the information received and to the internal investigations referred to in the preceding paragraph shall only be kept for such period as is necessary in accordance with applicable law.

 

 

4. Protective measures

 

The reporting persons shall be entitled to protection provided that none of the exclusions set forth in section 2.2 apply and provided that the following circumstances are met:

 

• he/she have reasonable grounds to believe that the information referred to is truthful, even if they do not provide conclusive evidence, and the said information falls within the scope of the Internal Whistleblowing System.

 

• the report has been made in accordance with the requirements set forth in the Corporate Policy on the Internal Whistleblowing System and in this Procedure.

 

Persons who have communicated information about actions or omissions anonymously, but who have subsequently been identified, are also entitled to protection.

 

Nippon Gases Group expressly prohibits acts constituting retaliation, including threats of retaliation and attempts to retaliate against persons who file a report that complies with the requirements of the Corporate Policy on the Internal Whistleblowing System and applicable law.

 

The good faith of the reporting person is a prerequisite for his/her protection. The legislation in this area excludes from protection persons who have knowingly submitted false or misleading information, as well as those who have obtained it unlawfully.

 

 

 

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¹Retaliation means any acts or omissions that are prohibited by law, or that directly or indirectly involve unfavorable treatment that places the persons suffering them at a particular disadvantage compared to another in the employment or professional context, solely because of their status as whistleblowers, or because they have made a public disclosure. Among others, the following are considered retaliation for the purposes of the Directive: suspension of the employment contract, dismissal or termination of the employment relationship, demotion or denial of promotion, intimidation, harassment, discrimination, or unfavorable or unfair treatment.

 

²The full document is available here