Promoting Health & Safety Globally

In 2008, we added preventive screenings to our occupational health monitoring programs at key sites. On average, 42 percent of employees who were offered voluntary screenings participated, with some international sites reaching more than 90 percent participation. In addition, a team of U.S.-based occupational health professionals developed Clinical Practice Guidelines for the urgent care treatment of 12 nonoccupational medical conditions. An additional program focused on employee health education during the 2008 infection control campaign. GOHS added new "Seasonal Influenza" and "Germ-Free Workplace" pages to our Web site.

Based on the success of this offering, the number of sites now participating in the program was expanded early in 2009.

In addition, we developed and piloted a series of occupational health performance measures at manufacturing sites around the world, with 94 percent of manufacturing sites participating. During the six-month pilot, more than 20,000 medical surveillance screenings were conducted by Abbott Occupational Health professionals. We also carried out a survey of field employees who commute between a variety of clinical facilities such as doctors' offices, operating rooms and medical laboratories. The survey was carried out to identify occupational health needs in 60 countries. The top issues raised were work-life balance, ergonomics and health promotion. To address these, we will develop new programs and policies in 2009.

Global Environmental and Occupational Health e-Library

Working with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the University of Illinois at Chicago, Abbott helped develop the GeoLibrary, a Web-based global library of educational materials and practice tools in environmental and occupational health. The GeoLibrary gives health and safety professionals no-cost access to important training materials on environmental and occupational health. Particularly in developing countries, where access to formal health training is limited, the GeoLibrary's resources will give health and safety professionals invaluable online training resources on how to best address occupational and environmental health hazards.

In addition to a $50,000 grant from Abbott Fund, Abbott's Global Occupational Health Services department participated in a Steering Committee and provided technical support, contributed training materials, and assisted in publicizing the site to users. Abbott was the only corporate sponsor of the project, and WHO recently highlighted the GeoLibrary project as one of its first successful collaborations with a corporation in the field of occupational and environmental health. For more information, visit www.geolibrary.org.

CRASH Program

To stem the tide of traffic deaths among teens – the leading killer for that age group – Abbott has pioneered an innovative, "real world" program in Lake County, Illinois, to foster safety by engaging high school students in the science behind vehicle accidents. CRASH is a hands-on interactive classroom approach that integrates simulations of car crashes and crime scene investigations into the scientific curriculum. By creatively engaging teens in the topic of safe and responsible driving, CRASH aims to change perceptions of road safety and help reduce the staggering 44 percent vehicle crash fatality rate among teenage drivers.

Introduced in 2007, CRASH furthers Abbott's mission to enhance science education and to improve and serve the communities in which our employees live and work.

OSHA-Abbott Alliance

In 2006, we expanded our role in the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Alliance program, which brings organizations with safety and health expertise together with OSHA to help prevent injuries, illnesses and fatalities in the workplace. Among the 2006 highlights:

• We worked with the nursing home industry, a priority industry for OSHA, to develop practical programs and processes to help reduce injuries and illnesses suffered by employees.
• Abbott and OSHA collaborated with Georgetown University's Center for Business and Public Policy, which published eight new case studies for business schools to use to teach students about the business value of effective health and safety programs. The case studies were presented at a Georgetown University McDonough School of Business–sponsored seminar "Engaging Tomorrow's Leaders in Safety and Health: The Case Study Approach."
• Our expertise in contractor safety in Puerto Rico led to a regional alliance with OSHA Region 2 and Puerto Rico OSHA (PROSHA) to improve the safety and health of employees in the construction industry, which was identified as a priority on the island. In 2006, we held four training sessions at Abbott, OSHA and industry facilities in Puerto Rico and trained more than 150 construction professionals. We are working with PROSHA to explore expanding the training programs to technical and vocational schools.

For more information about the program, visit www.osha.gov.