Modern slavery policy.
Preventing forced labour, human trafficking and exploitation across our operations and supply chain.
Audio Light Design is committed to conducting business ethically and responsibly. We will not knowingly tolerate modern slavery, forced or compulsory labour, servitude, human trafficking or other forms of severe labour exploitation in our operations or supply chain.
This policy applies to employees, freelancers, agency workers, subcontractors, suppliers and any other person or organisation working for, supplying or representing Audio Light Design.
Our commitment
Organisation, business and supply chain
Audio Light Design is a UK-based technical production and equipment-hire business operating in the live events sector. Day-to-day operations are overseen by company management and delivered through employees, technical staff and, where required, freelance personnel and specialist subcontractors.
Our principal supply chain includes manufacturers and distributors of professional audio, lighting, video, staging, rigging and power equipment; equipment cross-hire partners; freelance and agency technical labour; transport and logistics providers; PPE, workwear and consumable suppliers; and other specialist event-service providers.
Our approach
We take a practical, risk-based approach. Work must be freely chosen, people must be treated with dignity, and concerns must be taken seriously. We expect the same standard from organisations that supply labour, equipment, transport, materials and services to us.
No person should be coerced into work, trafficked, subjected to threats, debt bondage or restriction of movement, have identity documents retained as a condition of work, or be charged recruitment fees in order to obtain work connected with Audio Light Design.
Core objectives
- Comply with applicable law and support the principles of the Modern Slavery Act 2015.
- Identify and assess potential modern slavery risks in labour sourcing, subcontracting, procurement and logistics.
- Use proportionate due diligence for suppliers and labour providers, with enhanced checks where risk is higher.
- Set clear expectations for fair recruitment, freely chosen work and respectful treatment.
- Provide a route for concerns to be raised without retaliation and respond promptly where concerns arise.
- Use corrective action and, where necessary, reconsider or end relationships where serious issues are not addressed.
- Review this policy and our controls at least annually.
Understanding modern slavery
Modern slavery is an umbrella term covering serious exploitation in which a person cannot freely refuse or leave work because of threats, coercion, deception, abuse of vulnerability or other forms of control.
| Form | What it can involve |
|---|---|
| Slavery or servitude | A person being treated as if they are owned or controlled and denied genuine freedom. |
| Forced or compulsory labour | Work extracted under menace, coercion or penalty where the person has not freely consented. |
| Human trafficking | Recruiting, moving, harbouring or receiving people for the purpose of exploitation. |
| Debt bondage | Work used to repay a debt on unfair or unclear terms, leaving the person unable to leave. |
| Labour exploitation | Serious abuse of workers through control, threats, withheld pay or documents, excessive dependency or similar practices. |
Possible indicators
- A worker appears frightened, controlled or unable to speak freely.
- Someone else holds the worker's passport, bank card or identity documents.
- Pay is withheld, diverted or controlled by another person.
- A worker owes recruitment or travel debt and cannot leave freely.
- Transport or accommodation is controlled in a way that restricts movement.
Context matters
- One sign alone does not prove modern slavery.
- Poor employment practice and modern slavery are not always the same, but both can require action.
- Do not confront a suspected exploiter if doing so could increase risk to a worker.
- Record factual observations and escalate concerns promptly.
The safety and wellbeing of a potentially exploited person comes first. Concerns should be handled sensitively, confidentially where possible and without placing the person at greater risk.
Risk profile in live event production
Audio Light Design works across live events, technical production, dry hire and associated logistics. Our work can involve short lead times, temporary labour, subcontractors, transport providers and equipment or materials sourced through multi-tier supply chains. These features can create modern slavery risk if labour or purchasing controls are weak.
Risk does not mean wrongdoing is present. It determines where we should ask more questions, obtain better evidence or increase oversight.
| Area | Potential exposure | Control focus |
|---|---|---|
| Freelance and temporary labour | Urgent crewing, labour intermediaries and unclear engagement chains | Known providers, clear terms and direct worker contact where practical |
| Subcontractors and agencies | Use of further subcontracting or unknown labour sources | Supplier checks, transparency and escalation of concerns |
| Transport and logistics | Driver dependency, long hours, outsourced haulage and labour brokers | Reputable providers, realistic schedules and clear responsibility |
| Equipment and electronics | Complex international manufacturing and component supply chains | Established suppliers, traceability where proportionate and risk-based questions |
| PPE, workwear and consumables | Low-cost imported goods and multi-tier manufacturing | Avoid purchasing solely on lowest price; use credible suppliers |
| Accommodation and travel | Workers dependent on an organiser or third party for travel or lodging | Reasonable arrangements, freedom of movement and no document retention |
Risk-based due diligence
Checks will be proportionate to the nature of the supplier, service or purchase. Higher-risk situations may justify more information about labour sourcing, subcontracting, countries of manufacture, recruitment arrangements or corrective-action processes.
Short notice is not a reason to ignore obvious red flags. If a labour or supply arrangement cannot be understood well enough to manage a material risk, the project lead should escalate it before committing wherever practicable.
Suppliers, subcontractors and procurement
Supplier expectations
- Comply with applicable laws relating to slavery, trafficking, forced labour, child labour, pay and working conditions.
- Ensure work is freely chosen and workers can leave employment in accordance with lawful notice arrangements.
- Do not charge workers recruitment fees or require deposits as a condition of obtaining work connected with Audio Light Design.
- Do not retain passports, identity papers or bank cards to control a worker.
- Do not use threats, violence, intimidation, deceptive recruitment or debt bondage.
- Take reasonable steps to apply similar standards to relevant subcontractors and labour providers.
- Inform Audio Light Design promptly if a credible modern slavery concern affects work or goods supplied to us.
Baseline checks
- Understand who is supplying the goods, service or labour.
- Use established suppliers where possible and verify basic business details.
- Confirm scope, rates and responsibility for labour sourcing.
- Challenge unusual payment, recruitment or subcontracting arrangements.
Enhanced checks
- Ask for modern slavery or ethical labour policies where risk is elevated.
- Request explanation of recruitment methods and subcontracting chains.
- Seek evidence of corrective-action processes or supplier standards.
- Escalate material concerns to Audio Light Design management before award or continuation.
Concerns and corrective action
Where a concern is identified, Audio Light Design will consider the seriousness, credibility and immediate risk to people. Appropriate action may include further enquiries, additional controls, a corrective-action plan, suspension of new work, reporting to relevant authorities or ending the relationship where necessary and lawful.
We will avoid actions that could unintentionally increase harm to a potential victim. Immediate safety and specialist advice take priority over commercial convenience.
A signed policy alone does not prove that risk is controlled. We focus on whether the arrangement is understandable, whether workers are treated fairly and whether concerns are acted on.
People, recruitment and working practices
Freely chosen work
All work connected with Audio Light Design must be entered into voluntarily. Workers should understand who they are working for, the nature of the work, how they will be paid and any material conditions of engagement.
Never acceptable
- Threatening a worker for refusing work or trying to leave.
- Keeping identity documents, bank cards or wages as leverage.
- Worker-paid recruitment fees, deposits or coercive debt arrangements.
- Deceptive promises about role, pay, hours, location or accommodation.
- Using a third party to control a worker's movement or earnings.
Expected practice
- Clear engagement terms and transparent rates.
- Payment to the worker or legitimate business, not an unexplained controller.
- Reasonable opportunity to ask questions and raise concerns.
- Respectful treatment regardless of employment status or nationality.
- Lawful checks and records without using documents as a means of control.
Recruitment and labour providers
Audio Light Design will use reputable labour providers and agencies where they are required. Where a third party recruits or supplies workers, we may ask how workers are sourced, paid and informed of their terms.
Any indication that a worker has paid a fee, incurred coercive recruitment debt or surrendered documents should be escalated. Substitution, freelance or subcontracting arrangements must not be used to conceal exploitation or avoid basic worker protections.
Young workers and vulnerable people
Audio Light Design will not knowingly use unlawful child labour. Additional care should be taken where age, language, immigration status, financial dependency, unfamiliarity with the UK or another vulnerability may increase a person's risk of exploitation.
Dignity and respect
Modern slavery prevention is part of wider responsible working practice. Harassment, intimidation, discrimination, unsafe working and unlawful underpayment can all create conditions in which exploitation is easier to hide and must be addressed through the appropriate process.
Raising concerns, response and remediation
Speak up
Anyone working for or with Audio Light Design should raise a concern if they believe modern slavery, trafficking or serious labour exploitation may be occurring in our operations or supply chain. Concerns may be raised with an Audio Light Design manager or director. Good-faith concerns will be taken seriously and should not result in retaliation.
Call 999 in an emergency. For confidential advice or to report a concern, contact the UK Modern Slavery & Exploitation Helpline on 08000 121 700 or visit modernslaveryhelpline.org.
How Audio Light Design will respond
- Prioritise immediate safety and avoid actions that could increase danger to a potential victim.
- Record factual information and limit unnecessary sharing of personal details.
- Escalate the concern to appropriate management and seek specialist or legal advice where required.
- Avoid conducting an amateur investigation or confronting a suspected exploiter where this could create risk or prejudice an official investigation.
- Co-operate with relevant authorities where appropriate and lawful.
- Review the supplier, labour arrangement or project controls and take proportionate corrective action.
- Where possible, consider remediation that supports affected workers rather than simply transferring risk elsewhere.
Confidentiality and records
Information about suspected exploitation can be highly sensitive. Records should be factual, securely held and shared only with those who need the information to respond appropriately. Personal data will be handled in line with applicable data protection requirements.
No retaliation
A person must not be disadvantaged for raising a genuine concern in good faith or for refusing to participate in conduct they reasonably believe may involve modern slavery or serious exploitation.
Training, monitoring and review
Awareness and responsibility
Overall responsibility for this policy sits with Audio Light Design management. Managers, project leads and those who engage freelancers, subcontractors or suppliers should understand the main warning signs and know how to escalate concerns.
Training or briefing will be proportionate to role and exposure. People involved in purchasing, labour sourcing or supplier management should receive more detailed guidance where appropriate.
Monitoring priorities
| Area | Examples of information to review | Direction |
|---|---|---|
| Labour sourcing | Use of agencies, crew suppliers, recruitment methods and unexplained intermediaries | Improve visibility |
| Suppliers | Policy responses, subcontracting, unresolved concerns and higher-risk sourcing | Target due diligence |
| Procurement | Very low pricing, unusual payment structures and imported high-risk goods | Buy responsibly |
| Incidents | Concerns raised, outcomes, corrective actions and lessons learned | Strengthen controls |
| Awareness | Briefings, policy communication and management understanding | Build capability |
Effectiveness measures
- Number of modern slavery concerns raised and investigated.
- Number of material supplier concerns requiring corrective action.
- Completion of relevant staff or management awareness briefings.
- Due-diligence checks undertaken where elevated supplier or labour risk is identified.
- Corrective actions completed and recurring issues identified.
- Annual review of the organisation's modern slavery risk profile and controls.
Policy commitments
- Review modern slavery risks at least annually and when material changes occur in operations or sourcing.
- Keep due diligence proportionate and focused on real indicators rather than paperwork alone.
- Record material concerns and actions so that recurring issues can be identified.
- Update supplier expectations and staff guidance when lessons are learned or requirements change.
- Review this policy against current legal and government guidance at each formal review.
Review and approval
- Policy owner
- Audio Light Design Management
- Effective date
- October 2026
- Review frequency
- At least annually, or earlier if there is a material change in operations, risk or relevant requirements
- Next scheduled review
- October 2027
- Document version
- Version 3
- Legal context
- Modern Slavery Act 2015 and current UK Government transparency-in-supply-chains guidance
This policy is an operational policy and does not replace any annual statutory statement that may be required.