Beyond Colleague Health and Safety

Beyond Colleague Health and Safety

Our research and development (R&D) site in La Jolla, California is a great example of how strong health and safety performance supports colleague engagement and research productivity. The health and safety program at La Jolla is well established, built on risk assessment and control, and driven by leaders. As oncology and vaccine research advances at Pfizer La Jolla, colleague health and safety is routinely under review to ensure all hazards, including new ones, are well characterized and understood. The Environment, Health and Safety (EHS) team at La Jolla enthusiastically applies its contemporary laboratory safety knowledge and experience to support the research teams. Equally important are the research colleagues themselves, as they take ownership of their health and safety, care for each other, and collectively strive for a workplace free of injury and illness. The results speak for themselves. In 2018, La Jolla had very low injury and illness rates, an excellent record of EHS compliance to regulatory and Pfizer Standards, and also achieved important advancements in oncology and vaccine research.

"'The safety of colleagues and their families is as important as drug discovery productivity at Pfizer' was a rallying call by Rod MacKenzie (now Pfizer Executive Vice President, Chief Development Officer) at the Sandwich site in the late nineties, intended to drive our EHS performance at Pfizer to continuously higher levels. I have never forgotten that principle, and it is as relevant today as it was back then in reminding us of the responsibility that leaders and all colleagues at Pfizer have in ensuring each other's continued safety at work and at home."