Health and safety
We continue to promote a health and safety culture throughout our Group. We have a duty to employees, customers and others involved in our businesses (for example contractors and suppliers) to make sure our retail stores, distribution centres and offices are safe places to work. We view standards of health and safety required by law as only a minimum. We continuously seek to exceed legal requirements by:
- Having operational safety policies for each business and ensuring their effective implementation through local business teams;
- Ensuring health and safety is given the same importance as all other business matters and that it is not cash constrained;
- Seeking best practice throughout our businesses by, amongst other things, identifying workplace hazards, prioritising risks, and in ensuring we have appropriate control measures in place to minimise those risks;
- Fostering a culture where health and safety is always on the agenda;
- Continuously reviewing risk assessments and accident statistics for businesses across the Group to sustain a culture of prevention; and
- Ensuring that health and safety training is provided for employees so that they can fulfil the health and safety responsibilities and duties allocated to them. We believe that excellent health and safety standards contribute to the development of our employees, our key resource, and lead to excellent business performance.
Enforcement activity
There was one prosecution during the year, which related to an incident in April 2008.
- Prosecution
This relates to an incident in April 2008, where a kitchen implement fell from a Boots UK store canteen window injuring a child. Boots UK pleaded guilty to the breach of health and safety legislation and a fine of £6,500 was imposed. - One improvement notice was served on a store requiring a repair to a door containing asbestos insulation. No asbestos was exposed or released. The door was subsequently removed. The notice was complied with.
- Two improvement notices were served in respect of machinery compliance. The necessary measures were taken and the notice complied with.
- One improvement notice was served regarding a faulty fork-lift truck. The vehicle was repaired and the notice complied with.
Health and safety initiatives
Health and safety information relating to legally reported accidents, pharmacy dispensing errors and environmental incidents is collected on a monthly basis across our businesses using standardised criteria and definitions. This information is reported to the Board each month and reviewed at every Board meeting.
Actúa Ahora focus on health and safety
Throughout April and May 2008, Alliance Healthcare España's Actúa Ahora campaign focused on health and safety in the workplace. In April a notice was sent to employees with advice on health and safety issues and was followed in May with a detailed leaflet that was also distributed to employees.
Health and safety in Russia
In March 2009, the Multiregional Work Safety Protection Committee, an independent government body, began a performance review covering seven regional offices of Alliance Healthcare Russia, our principal Russian pharmaceutical wholesaling business. Various factors have been taken into consideration, including noise, vibration, lighting levels, ventilation, temperature, humidity and injury prevention. Alliance Healthcare Russia successfully passed this performance review and received documentation confirming that its workplaces continue to meet high standards.
Legally reportable accidents
| Year ended 31 March 2009 |
Year ended 31 March 2008 |
|
|---|---|---|
| Employees: number of work-related fatalities | 1 | - |
| Employees: work-related ‘major’ accidents/injuries | 86* | 9* |
| Employees: work-related ‘over three-day’ lost time accidents/injuries |
647 | 646 |
-
*Boots UK has changed the way in which it records reportable incidents which has resulted in an improvement
in its reporting process.
During the year, there was one work-related fatality as a result of a road traffic accident. A more detailed analysis of this incident is recorded in the Performance section of this report.
