Six global contractors are pushing for better jobsite conditions around the world with the launch this summer of new voluntary “principles” for industry supply chains to “address key areas of worker vulnerability to raise standards and level the playing field so competitiveness is not at the expense of the worker,” said Building Responsibly, a consortium made up of U.S. contractors Bechtel, Fluor Corp. and Jacobs; France-based Vinci; U.K. contractor Wood; and Australian firm Multiplex.

The coalition is aligned with Business for Social Responsibility, a 250-member group of large global corporations in manufacturing, transportation, retail and other industries. Building Responsibly says its member firms employ more than 400,000 and operate in more than 100 countries.

The effort’s baseline principles include banning forced, trafficked and child labor; allowing workers unrestricted mobility and document access; creating grievance mechanisms; and having “respected” wage and benefit pacts and freedom to change employers. Angie Farrag-Thibault, Building Responsibly project lead, says it aims to push the principles to all supply-chain members “even in contexts where the rule of law is limited.”