Our Performance
Occupational Health
Our Occupational Health Service is very active in its aim to optimise the health of all Pfizer colleagues throughout the United Kingdom. In 2007, Pfizer staff accessed our services on 14,911 occasions.
The service provides support in the following key areas:
- Compliance with statutory and corporate health requirements
- Prevention of ill health arising from work
- Minimising the impact on work from ill health
- Promoting and preserving good health
- Providing specialist advice and support.
Health surveillance
Health surveillance is available for all staff and we use a job-based hazard assessment to identify requirements relating to specific activities and individuals. In this way we aim for individuals to be fit for their work and for the work to be suited to the individual.
Our programmes take a risk-assessment and preventative-based approach and are complemented by access to external specialists including ergonomists, psychologists and an Employee Assistance Programme, providing confidential professional advice.
During 2007 we fully met our statutory medical programme requirements and we had a high uptake of other health surveillance programmes and Occupational Health support services. During 2006 we augmented our programmes with a 3 yearly face fit testing for all users of respiratory protective equipment. This programme has now been successfully implemented with all respirator users enrolled and undertaking regular screening.
We continue to take a proactive role in supporting employees in their return to work from long-term illness or injury. The effective management and reintegration of an employee, perhaps absent for some months, requires a constructive and supportive approach, and we facilitate an easier return to work in collaboration with the individual, the manager and Human Resources, through suitable work place adjustments.
During 2007 Occupational Health have focussed attention on ensuring that contractors working on our sites have access to appropriate health surveillance. We are working with contractors’ employers to ensure they provide health surveillance for their staff, proportionate to the risks encountered at work, in the same way that Pfizer provide that service for our own employees. Pfizer is currently preparing a policy on this process to ensure a consistent approach is adopted for each subcontractor onsite.
Analysis of our Health Data
Trends in significant Work Related Illness
Over the last 5 years, we have seen dramatic falls in significant Work Related illness in the areas of Mental Health, Visual Display Units (VDU's), associated ergonomics manual handling and indeed all work related illness. We have also seen a recent resurgence in injuries arising from manual handling, although not to the levels seen in 2001. We have focussed on developing manual handling guidance and training provision and believe that this resurgence relates to better case ascertainment and improved reporting, due to heightened awareness.
Significant Work-Related Injury & Illness
During 2007 there were a total of 845 work related injuries & illnesses from all causes. This is a 22% reduction on 2004 figures. Of the 845 work related injuries & illnesses 63 (7%) were considered more significant in terms of degree or duration of illness or injury, length of absence or treatment required, comparable to reports made to Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) by our US operations, a reduction of 1% compared to last year’s data.
The two pie charts below highlight the nature of these illnesses and injuries in more detail. The first shows clinical effects arising from all injuries and illnesses related to work reported during the year and the second shows the clinical effects of these work-related injuries and illnesses deemed more "significant". Musculoskeletal health effects account for 74 % of “significant” work-related injury and illness, the root cause being slips/trips and ergonomic factors.
Breakdown of All Work Related Injuries and Illnesses 2007
Breakdown of Significant Work Related Injuries and Illnesses 2006
Sickness Absence
We continue to monitor UK absence and the overall UK rate remains unchanged at 5.27 days per person = 2.3%.
Mental Ill Health and Ergonomic injuries
In common with most UK industry, our two biggest causes of long-term absence are mental ill health and ergonomic problems. Published research shows that if individuals are absent for 4 weeks, they have a 10% risk of still being absent at one year; rising to 40% for a 12 week absence. For those absent for one year or more, the likelihood of never returning to work is greater than 90%. Clearly to maximise productivity it is important to understand the reasons for long-term sickness and tackle the root causes.
Mental Health
During 2007 Occupational Health have worked alongside managers and Human Resources to ensure there is greater awareness and understanding of Pfizer’s “Mental Health and Wellbeing” policy at all levels. During the year the focus has been to encourage managers, during discussions with their team, to use the risk assessment tool as an indicator of possible work-related stressors requiring support.
Ergonomics
Data earlier in this report shows that ergonomic issues, particularly manual handling, continue to pose a challenge for Occupational Health. To this end, we have a cross-company ergonomics policy, the implementation of which is supported by a specific guidance procedure on manual handling, with one for DSE in preparation. We are improving the triggers for Task Specific manual handling training, and at Sandwich, following a successful Ergonomics Safety awareness day, are guiding the manual handling champions group to effectively manage manual handling risk. These measures, along with the introduction of processes on Display Screen Equipment and Manual Handling, throughout the company, aim to ensure optimal legislative compliance in these areas of ergonomic interest
Health Promotion
From 1st July 2007, all public places and workplaces became “smoke-free” in England under the Health Act 2006. In the months leading up to the 1st July, Pfizer’s Occupational Health Department worked alongside Safety, Human Resources and Facilities Management to address implementation of this legislation. The impact upon Pfizer was minimal as we already operated a “no smoking” policy and had designated “smoking” areas in key locations outdoors at safe distances from working colleagues.
In support of the above , Pfizer teamed up with Kent and Surrey Primary Care Trusts to roll out on-site smoking cessation support programmes for our Pfizer colleagues and contractors.
Relationship with the Regulators
Pfizer has a strong and open relationship with the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) regarding the early notification of occupational disease. The Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995 (RIDDOR) requires the employer to report cases of work-related disease to the HSE. Reports are submitted and the information is used to target action to improve ill health prevention and control.
In 2007 there were no cases of Occupational Illness to report to the Health and Safety Executive.
During 2007 a new UK Asthma Special Interest Group (SIG) was established sponsored by the HSE. Members of Pfizer Occupational Health were invited to join this group, which will be key in ascertaining best practice in the prevention, early identification and optimal management of occupational asthma.
Supporting Business Continuity and continued Improvement
Occupational Health provides professional input to many areas pertinent to business continuity. This includes First Aid and Emergency Response. During 2007, a site-wide review of the First Aid provision at Sandwich was completed and changes recommended are now being implemented. These changes have helped to ensure that Pfizer colleagues continue to have prompt 24-hour access to the appropriate level of first aid support pertinent to the hazards and risks in their particular field of work.
We continue to work alongside Kent's Strategic Infectious Diseases Control Group, directed by the Department of Health, to ensure we remain updated in regional development planning with respect to pandemic avian flu contingency plans. This links well to work being done on a wider scale by senior risk management teams within Pfizer, who are developing detailed and comprehensive global business continuity plans in respect of this threat.
During 2007 Occupational Health participated in a corporate compliance assurance audit of our EHS management systems in the research facility at Pfizer’s Sandwich site. The outcome was exceptionally positive and the final report provided continuing reassurance to the business that our existing programmes in Occupational Health are robust, capable of withstanding an auditor’s rigorous scrutiny. This is in addition to the support given in health areas of ongoing OHSAS 18001 accreditation at the Sandwich site. (Manufacturing and Research & Development) We were also pleased to contribute to a very successful accreditation from the Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care (AAALAC), with the auditors commenting that “the OHS programme is outstanding and very comprehensive.”
Embracing Diversity
During 2007, Occupational Health supported key initiatives that promote diversity in the workplace and remind everyone of the additional challenges faced at work by those individuals with a disability.
In 2006, following an inspection by a representative of the Royal National Institute for the Deaf (RNID), the Pfizer Research Facility at Sandwich was awarded the “Louder than Words” Charter. This is a great achievement as the charter formally acknowledges that Pfizer provides an inclusive and supportive environment for colleagues who are either deaf or have a hearing impairment. The RNID commented positively on the support and information available to colleagues from Occupational Health via dedicated internal web pages. Further audit led to re-accreditation for “Louder than Words” Charter for 2008, an indicator of our determination to strive for optimal working environment for all our colleagues.
Diversity and Inclusion
It is widely recognised that an effective, healthy and cohesive society can only be achieved by the recognition and full participation of everyone within that society.
The concept of Diversity and Inclusion within Pfizer seeks to minimise and eliminate barriers by looking at three key strands; Diversity of People; Diversity of Thought and Diversity of Leadership within an inclusive culture.
In 2007 Pfizer launched its “Mind and Body” disability network on the back of the existing “Action on Disability” group. These two networks aim to provide a more consistent level of physical access to our sites, raising awareness through a number of initiatives related to disability within the local community. They provide a common forum for support, as well as a link into other initiatives, to those employees with a disability.
During 2006 we participated in a disability benchmarking exercise, the Disability Standard, operated by the Employers' Forum on Disability. This enabled us to compare ourselves to best practice across a range of UK organisations and informed our plans to become leaders in this area. The 2007 benchmarking score showed improvements in many areas ranking us with other leading organisations and earning us a Bronze award.
The “Carers' Support Network” is a resource for Pfizer employees who have caring responsibilities. Balancing work and home is challenging for most employees, but the additional pressures of caring for a dependant adult or child with a disability can be daunting. This network aims to provide carers with ready access to the many different types of support available locally. Occupational Health has guided the Carers' Support network through its first two years and has been instrumental in helping this group agree and organise events, which have put the Network on the map. Exciting developments in this area include the onsite “drop-in” sessions for those individuals with caring responsibilities. These sessions are held at Pfizer every two months and enable Pfizer “carers” to discuss difficult issues and seek advice from members of the Care Network Team.
Health Partnerships
Over the last four years our Occupational Health Dept, in collaboration with the Kent Institute of Medical and Health Sciences at the University of Kent, has provided a training programme for doctors wishing to specialise in the field of Occupational Medicine. In 2007 three trainees successfully completed this rigorous training and are now Consultant Occupational Physicians and accredited specialists in Occupational Medicine. During 2007 Occupational Health have provided a local trainee Occupational Physician with the opportunity to work with the Pfizer Occupational Health team on a regular basis to gain additional knowledge and experience in Occupational Medicine in an industrial setting.
