Safety
Employee health and safety are among Bristol-Myers Squibb's highest priorities. Our long-term vision is to eliminate work-related injuries and illnesses as much as possible.
We strive to maintain performance in the top 25 percent of similar companies.
Injuries and Illness
Our recordable work-related illnesses and injury case rate has decreased 45 percent and our lost workday case rate has decreased 24 percent since the 2000 baseline for this goal. For the period 2007 to 2008, our recordable case rate has decreased by 15 percent and our lost workday case rate has decreased by 24 percent. Bristol-Myers Squibb's performance is in the top 25 percent for recordable case rate and the top 50 percent for lost workday case rate among similar companies, based on most recently available industry data (2007).
We have developed numerous health and safety programs addressing ergonomics, safety awareness, case management and other safety issues.
Fatalities
We had no work-related fatalities in 2006. We had one death in 2007, due to a motor vehicle accident in China. The employee was a distribution supervisor with our Sales and Marketing department in Xinjiang and was on a business trip to Kuerle. We had one death in 2008, due to a plane crash in Venezuela. The employee was a District Manager based in Venezuela, and was on a business trip.
Our manufacturing, research and development, and distribution facilities, which account for approximately 75 percent of our work force, have safety committees in place. The company’s safety teams share best practices and work to improve our safety performance.
The number of automatic external defibrillators available at our sites continues to grow.
June is safety month at Bristol-Myers Squibb, a time to increase employee awareness of the importance of adopting and maintaining safe and healthy behaviors at work and home. Employees and family members participated in poster contests. In 2008, we issued a calendar highlighting these posters from countries and divisions around the world.
Data Collection
Bristol-Myers Squibb uses common definitions, consistent with criteria established by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration for recording occupational accidents and illnesses worldwide.
The data presented here represents our facilities and field sales operations throughout the world from 2006 through 2008. Lost workday case rates include all incidents that involve time away from work. Recordable cases include all incidents of injury or illness that require more than first aid.