In 2006 two manufacturing sites, Iceland and Zdravlje (Serbia), succeeded in obtaining ISO 14001 certification. This is in addition to our Norwegian facility, which was already ISO 14001 certified.
Our manufacturing sites have demonstrated considerable improvement in Corporate EHS Audit results. It is planned that further sites will seek ISO 14001 certification over the next two years, re-enforcing our commitment to the use of independently verified environmental management systems in our manufacturing locations.
Actavis has been active in tackling compliance issues at some of our new acquisitions. In our Elizabeth (US) and Foshan (China) sites, there have been some wastewater permit exceedances. Local management has engaged specialists to determine the root causes and implement permanent solutions.
Hazardous waste storage issues in Actavis Romania have been addressed, and the issue is now resolved. There were no fines or prosecutions related to environmental issues in any of the existing Actavis facilities. Management at all sites reviews performance regularly to ensure that we continue to meet and, where possible, exceed legal requirements.
Health and safety
Actavis’ Lost Work Day case rate fell to 0.89 per 200,000 hours worked, which is a 26% improvement over the year 2005.
Our Total Recordable Incident Rate (which is a measure of all lost work day cases, medical treatment cases, and restricted work cases per 200,000 hours worked / 100 employees) was 1.4.
Both results are considerably lower than the industry average.
1141 days were lost in 2006 due to work related illness or injury, as compared with 1637 days last year.
The main causes of lost time accidents in 2006 were, again,‘handling, lifting or carrying’ and ‘slips, trips and same-level falls’.
The most common injuries were contusions and lacerations.
There was a 50% reduction in fractures since 2005; however, the proportion of musculoskeletal injuries rose by over 40%. The proportion of hand/finger injuries decreased slightly, but hands and fingers remain the most significant injured body parts.
Managing risks
Risk assessment programmes at manufacturing sites continue to generate vast health and safety improvements in the work place.
Actavis exceeded its risk assessment target in 2006 and has set ambitious targets for 2007.
On average, there are 10 documented inspections per facility per month, compared with 6 per month last year. By the end of 2006, the number of inspections conducted was 37% higher than had originally been planned.
Representatives from various departments and levels of management are encouraged to participate in these observation programmes, which aim to reinforce rules and to identify and address risks.
The Actavis Near Miss Programme increased its momentum in 2006. The overall Actavis Near Miss Reporting rate is 19 per 200,000 hours worked. Our facility management expects this figure to rise during 2007, as employees become more aware of the benefits of such a proactive initiative. By recognising and addressing hazards and injury-free events before they happen, we hope to prevent work-related incidents.
Specific risks, such as potentially explosive environments, have been targeted through special initiatives. Specialist companies provided training and comprehensive ‘ATEX’ site surveys to six operating locations. Our aim for 2007 is to address priority issues to ensure that the risk of serious incidents is reduced to a minimum and to roll out the programme to the remaining operating locations.
The success of the Business Continuity Management programme continues to generate safety improvements, including fire prevention, reduction of explosive risks, and improvements in emergency response arrangements.