The United States is home to two of the 27 AstraZeneca manufacturing sites and two of the 11 AstraZeneca research and development centers. Accordingly, the contributions of AstraZeneca US to the corporation’s global safety, health, and environment (SHE) efforts include programs designed to protect employee health and safety, as well as our commitment to making meaningful contributions to the company’s world-wide objectives and reputation. The summary of our US initiatives below reflects only a portion of AstraZeneca’s global activities in this area. The AstraZeneca Global Corporate Responsibility Summary Report and web site offer a detailed discussion of our world-wide progress.
Our approach to SHE management
The AstraZeneca global safety, health, and environment management system sets the framework for our US SHE programs. It helps us manage risks, set annual goals, facilitate reporting and feedback, train our staff, and judge compliance with requirements. In the United States, we employ a SHE leadership team that develops strategy, tracks performance, and delivers expert advice and guidance to our facilities. Line management remains accountable for performance and compliance, and our sites are responsible for implementing local management systems and meeting goals and objectives. Yearly, each site and function provides senior management with a certified report that summarizes the company’s performance and identifies objectives for the following year.
Behavior-based programs at our Newark, Delaware, and Westborough, Massachusetts, locations have led to recognition by our global parent company. Both facilities have received the AstraZeneca CEO Award for Safety, Health, and Environment. Our Newark site has received the National Safety Council’s award for “Significant Improvement “ for 2004 and 2005. Our R&D Boston research facility has received this award for their performance in 2005
Workplace safety
Our employees operate in many environments, including offices, laboratories, and automobiles. We are committed to keeping our employees safe and healthy. To support this commitment, we deliver a range of programs designed to maintain a safe work environment, manage risks, and empower employees to effectively manage their health and well-being. At our Newark, Delaware and Westborough, Massachusetts facilities, for example, we employ rigorous and highly focused behavior-based safety programs—to engage employees at all levels in the resolution of safety concerns.
Driver safety
Every workday in the United States, thousands of AstraZeneca employees drive nearly half a million miles on interstate highways, back roads, and crowded city streets. Their job? Educating healthcare providers about the benefits and safe use of our products.
We employ a Sales safety, and health manager whose job is to spearhead initiatives, such as Road Scholars, that help to ensure that members of our commercial organization stay safe behind the wheel. In March 2005, AstraZeneca launched this comprehensive driver safety program for all US-based employees with company vehicles because we were dissatisfied with our performance in this area. Our goal is to decrease collision numbers, reduce injuries, and increase productivity. To date, we have made measurable strides toward this goal, and we continue to make progress toward accomplishing these results. Globally, we have established an objective of reducing the combined frequency rates of employee accidents and new cases of occupational illness by 50% by 2010 compared with a 2001/2002 reference point.
Elements of the Road Scholars Program
- Gather data on drivers and vehicles, flag events to each driver, and report to line management as they happen
- Review accident records and driving performance as a part of overall performance evaluation
- Assign a risk classification to all drivers, and take steps to improve driving performance
- Don’t wait: immediately initiate appropriate training, and closely monitor progress
Employee health
A healthy life begins with a healthy lifestyle. We know it. Our employees know it. We’re working hard to promote healthy lifestyles for all our employees. The following initiatives are designed to help our employees and their families replace unhealthy behaviors with healthy ones.
Health risk management program
We are committed to helping our employees like Wendi Pedicone stay healthy by offering healthy choices, as well as to protecting our bottom line by helping our workforce maximize their productivity. “AstraZeneca makes it so easy for me to stay healthy,” says Pedicone. “It offers secure walking areas, healthy choices in the dining centers, flexible work hours, and an environment that supports my medical appointments.” Each year, our employees have the option to participate in voluntary health risk assessments. These assessments start with confidential online health surveys designed to pinpoint areas of highest health risk, followed by recommended actions to mitigate those risks. Employees at high risk for health problems are offered lifestyle coaching. Clearly, our employees are as committed to protecting their health as we are. As part of our commitment, AstraZeneca offered our US employees $600 a year off the cost of their healthcare benefits to participate in the survey: more than 95% of our employees participated.
Fighting cancer in the workplace
One day in 2004, AstraZeneca Communications Analyst Wendi Pedicone took a break from work to receive a free mammogram and clinical breast exam that AstraZeneca provided at our Wilmington, Delaware, headquarters. The screening resulted in a diagnosis of breast cancer. Today, after receiving chemotherapy and other treatment, Pedicone credits that mammogram and breast exam with enabling her to be alive today.
"The clinical breast exam is what truly saved my life," says Pedicone. "My tumor didn't show up on the mammogram. Most mammogram programs do not include the exam, but, thankfully, AstraZeneca’s program did."
The breast cancer screening program is one of several such programs instituted by AstraZeneca to promote the well-being of its employees as part of the CEO Cancer Gold Standard™, a US initiative of the CEO Roundtable on Cancer. David Brennan, Chief Executive Officer, AstraZeneca PLC, is a founding member of the Roundtable, a group of CEOs and business leaders who have pledged to use business to fight cancer and save lives. To qualify for the Gold Standard, companies must provide counseling and medicine to help smokers quit; promote physical fitness, healthy eating habits, and weight management; provide access to cancer screening; and eliminate cost barriers so that those who have cancer can participate in clinical trials.
More information on the Gold Standard Program is available at www.cancergoldstandard.org.
To commemorate World Heart Month, AstraZeneca sponsored a month of educational activities for our headquarters employees, including free cholesterol and blood pressure screenings, a heart walk, and an information session with AZ Cardiovascular Brand Team leaders. These programs were designed to create awareness about the importance of a healthy lifestyle for employees, family, and friends.
Boston discovery facility
One example of how we deliver healthcare solutions for patients in ways that respect the environment is our state-of-the-art Boston discovery facility. Most of our 66-acre Boston campus abuts environmentally sensitive private and public land, including a 593-acre reservoir that supplies drinking water to more than 100,000 local residents. The facility also adjoins 145 acres of conservation land with hiking trails and parks. A local forest and trail association enjoys an easement through the property, and a 100-foot-wide conservation area rings much of the property’s perimeter. We built our facility in partnership with local planning and conservation authorities, and still maintain close working relationships with neighbors and regulators. At AstraZeneca US, we hope to continue carrying out our search for life-enhancing medicines on campuses that respect, preserve, and promote their environmentally sensitive surroundings.
Environmental stewardship
AstraZeneca is working continuously to manage our US environmental footprint responsibly. All AstraZeneca business areas share common goals in waste management, energy conservation, and product stewardship. Each of our sites is pursuing programs designed to foster the trust of the communities in which we operate, the respect of regulators, and the protection of our environment.
Energy conservation and climate change
AstraZeneca is committed to conserving energy where possible and to contributing meaningfully to international efforts to manage climate change. As a global company, we have recently established ambitious world-wide targets for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. AstraZeneca US is committed to doing its share to help the company meet this target.
Globally, we aim to reduce the absolute greenhouse gas emissions associated with our global operations by 12% by 2010 compared with 2004 levels. More information on our company-wide efforts to conserve energy and the global effort to manage greenhouse gas emissions and reduce society’s contribution to climate change is available in our Global Corporate Responsibility Summary Report at www.astrazeneca.com/article/511606.aspx.
AstraZeneca is pursuing opportunities to integrate new technologies and alternative energy resources at our US facilities. In 2005, we began the process of transforming our site-specific work into a nation-wide energy management and conservation strategy. This work is helping AstraZeneca identify and pursue energy-related projects across the United States and strategically manage energy use.
Fleet vehicle fuel efficiency
In 2004, fleet vehicles operated by AstraZeneca US consumed 7.3 million gallons of gasoline at an average fuel economy rate of 21.85 miles per gallon. This level of energy use equated to approximately 80,000 tons of greenhouse gas emissions. In 2005, the AstraZeneca Fleet Department introduced a hybrid vehicle program designed to support environmentally friendly technology. We purchased 20 vehicles for use in field sales activities. We expect that by 2010 this program, combined with improvements in vehicle maintenance and enhanced driver training to help maximize fuel efficiency, will help reduce fleet-related greenhouse gas emissions by 12%.
Commuter benefits
To help reduce auto emissions associated with employee travel to and from work, AstraZeneca provides employees who commute to work with a variety of options and services, including carpool networks, telecommuting opportunities, and WageWorks® pretax services for mass transit use.
Recognition for our efforts
AstraZeneca US headquarters in Delaware was recently named one of the "Best Workplaces for Commuters" by a public-private group advocating employer-provided commuter benefits. The group, established by the EPA and the US Department of Transportation, recognizes employers whose commuter benefits reach a national standard of excellence.
Waste reduction and management
We continue to look for opportunities to minimize waste. Currently, approximately 70% of the hazardous waste and half of other waste generated at our US sites is recycled, reused, or burned as an energy source.
AstraZeneca has set an ambitious global goal of an 11% reduction from 2005 levels in the total amount of waste it generates world-wide indexed to sales (tons/total waste generated [tons/$m sales]) by 2010. In the United States, we are working to deliver meaningful contributions to this goal.
One example: our close association with the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) Waste Minimization Consultation Program. DNREC works directly with our facilities to identify source-reduction and waste-reduction opportunities. When completed, the program is expected to help us reduce both the volume of hazardous waste and our operating costs.
Product stewardship and pharmaceuticals in the environment
Our commitment to safety, health, and the environment also includes efforts to better understand and manage the way our products interact with the environment. Globally, we have put programs in place that integrate safety, health, and environment standards in product development and manufacturing design. Other programs integrate our safety, health, and environmental practices throughout our supply chain to promote vigilance and performance by our partners.
In recent years, improvements in testing technology have led to sensible questions about whether trace amounts of pharmaceuticals and other personal care products in surface waters, ground water, drinking water, and sewage pose a threat to human health or the environment. Findings to date indicate that quantities detected in the environment are unlikely to threaten human health or aquatic life in the short term. Nevertheless, a better understanding of the potential long-term ecological effects of pharmaceuticals in the environment continues to be a priority area of study for AstraZeneca environmental scientists. Our scientists are working both independently and in collaboration with other organizations to advance research in this area. To read more about our initiatives in this area, please refer to our Global Corporate Responsibility Summary Report at www.astrazeneca.com/article/511649.aspx.
Within the United States, we participate actively in industry groups studying the scientific and policy issues associated with the environmental impacts of our products. Our staff is also directly engaged in our company-wide efforts to better understand and respond to the “pharmaceuticals in the environment” issue. We recognize that important policy and scientific questions remain as we continue to work to ensure that our products are manufactured, used, and disposed of in a manner that minimizes their potential impact on the environment.
Employee programs
Our employees are at the heart of our commitment to safety, health, and the environment. One significant component of our work in this important area involves our voluntary efforts at the grassroots level by a dedicated staff of environmental stewards. The Delaware-based AstraZeneca Employee Environmental Committee (AZEEC) encourages environmental responsibility by motivating employees to become more aware of, and take action on, environmental issues.
This group spearheads employee involvement in a number of environmental protection activities, including Adopt-A-Highway, the Christina River Watershed Cleanup near our headquarters in Wilmington, Delaware, and an Earth Day event at our headquarters. These activities help to raise awareness and encourage conservation.
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Global Safety, Health, and Environment (SHE) Objectives and Targets (2006-2010) |
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Objective |
Target |
Implementation |
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Aim to eliminate all work-related injuries and cases of ill health by providing a safe and healthy work environment and promoting health and well-being. |
Reduce by 50% from 2001/2002 levels the combined frequency rate of accidents resulting in fatal or serious injuries and new cases of occupational illness. |
Across AstraZeneca, including in the United States, functions and sites are developing and implementing local plans designed to help ensure delivery of these global targets by 2010. Specific US initiatives include:
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Aim for continuous improvement in the sustainability of all our activities by, among other things, economizing on the use of natural resources and working to eliminate pollution. |
Hold steady our total emissions of gases with global warming potential at 2001/2002 levels. |
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Reduce total waste, indexed to sales, by 11% from 2005 levels. |
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Train, empower, and require individuals to take personal responsibility for safety, health, and the environment. |
Institute locally derived and implemented training and behavioral initiatives designed to continuously improve our SHE culture across the organization. |
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