Human rights performance information

ABB maintains and regularly reviews a list of sensitive countries where it has, or considers engaging in, business operations. Human rights, as well as legal, financial and security criteria, are included in risk assessments, and are among the factors in deciding whether ABB does business in a particular country.

Based partly or wholly on human rights considerations, ABB has not taken any business with Myanmar or North Korea for several years. ABB completed its withdrawal from Sudan in June 2009.

All countries in ABB's sustainability management program are asked to report any incidents of discrimination. Five substantiated cases of discrimination and 32 of harassment were reported in 2011, resulting in six terminations, three resignations and a range of other measures, including warnings, counseling and further training.

Freedom of association and collective bargaining, child labor, forced or compulsory labor

There were no ABB operations identified during 2011 to be at significant risk concerning employee rights to freedom of association and collective bargaining, incidents of child labor, or incidents of forced or compulsory labor. In ABB's supply chain, 11 cases of underage labor were found at two suppliers in 2011. Immediate corrective measures were introduced to safeguard the rights of the children.

ABB sees the training of security personnel, as well as ABB country and regional managers, on the human rights dimensions of security work as important. It has been part of general security training in different parts of the world for several years. By the end of 2011 more than 850 managers in more than 90 percent of ABB countries had been trained on crisis management; depending on local needs, some of that training contained sessions on human rights.

New Group-wide security guidelines are being drawn up, based on the Voluntary Principles for Security and Human Rights. They are due to be finalized in 2012. ABB already requires due diligence on all security companies according to ABB and international standards, and the new guidelines will establish standard operating procedures for security providers to include instructions on human rights issues.

In addition, ABB's country and regional security heads have been made aware of growing stakeholder expectations that human rights need to be observed, and of the kinds of human rights issues that could arise in communities where ABB has operations or business activities.

All countries in ABB’s sustainability management program are asked to report any incidents of indigenous rights violations. No such incidents were reported in 2011.

These data are not available. ABB is involved as a supplier in thousands of projects worldwide each year. Depending on the scope and size of the project – such as larger power infrastructure projects – some will require at least an Environmental and Social Impact Assessment performed by the customer. The data are currently not consolidated by ABB.

ABB has a number of formal grievance mechanisms, including a third-party run Business Ethics hotline available round the clock and an Ombuds program, where employees can report concerns confidentially. Figures are available for cases of discrimination and harassment (HR 4); other data are not available.