Workforce Health, Safety and Wellness
Many of our employees live and work in emerging markets where security issues including civil unrest, armed and organized criminal activity, and terrorism may threaten personal security. When intense political and civil unrest spread across Nicaragua in 2018, more than 200 individuals were shot and killed, and over 2,000 were wounded. Millicom did not suffer the loss of any employees or business activities during that time, in part because of the sound controls put in place.
Millicom manages the health, safety, and well-being of its employees based on international (OHSAS) standards and industry best practices, with advice and support from local authorities.
Our central security and safety team empowers and trains operational teams, and every market has a professionally trained and certified physical security and health and safety officer. All third-party vendors and partners must abide by our security and safety standards.
In 2018, we successfully operated our businesses with a reduced number of health and safety-related incidents, both employee-related, as well as with contractors and outsourced service providers. No employee fatalities occurred in 2018. Other statistics from this past year include:
- 80 percent reduction in the overall number of fatalities, with two fatalities reported among contractors, down from a total of ten in 2017
- 71 percent decrease in Lost Time Incident Rate for incidents causing greater than three days’ absence from work, with Total Incident Rate remaining stable from
- Our Costa Rica, El Salvador and Guatemala operations achieved externally verified health and safety accreditations, which means 100 percent of all Millicom operating entities are aligned to OHSAS and ISO standards
While we are proud of our 2018 health and safety accomplishments, we also understand there is always more work to do. In 2019, as we prepare for transition to the new ISO Health and Safety 45001 standard, we will address several specific observations from external audits related to increased engagement from all levels of management, further engagement of appropriate staff committees, and increased support for well-being, mental health and travel.