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Health programmes

Ergonomics
Reducing ergonomic illness and injury continues to be a key area of focus through Operational Excellence initiatives, business objectives, local consultation, site audits and global training.

The Office Ergonomics Self-Assessment web based tool, which is now active in multiple languages, is well established in Corporate Headquarters locations and is being used in several facilities across the globe. The concept and value of Participatory Ergonomic Improvement teams has been demonstrated at pilot sites and has been built into the company ergonomic risk reduction strategy. Regional focus groups composed of EHM and EHS professionals have worked to create and share good ergonomic practices and solutions.

A musculoskeletal gap analysis tool has been developed and will be used extensively in 2005 to facilitate management of the impact of musculoskeletal injury and illness on employees and the business, from both occupational and non-occupational factors. An initiative is underway to identify employee musculoskeletal risk factors from our general Health Risk Appraisal (HRA) tool and link employees to risk reduction programmes and web based educational materials. To ensure the Employee Health Management group have the right expertise, a full time professional ergonomist has been recruited to lead development of the ergonomic strategy and a significant number of occupational health advisers have enrolled in training courses in ergonomics. These efforts have and will continue to reduce the impact of ergonomic illness and injury and will form the focus of our continued programmes.

In alignment with our workplace ergonomics programmes, we are addressing the management of non-occupational illness and promoting fitness in our workforce. This effort includes wellness programmes, standardised approaches to case management of employees with ergonomic illness or injury, proactive rehabilitation including access to physiotherapy, workplace adaptation and changing behaviours and beliefs of employees and their medical providers. Tools and educational material to assist sites with managing these issues are contained in the GSK musculoskeletal gap analysis tool and will be promoted and used throughout 2005.

Ergonomic improvement teams
In 2001, EHM first identified the need for and implemented its first Ergonomic Improvement Team (EIT) at Barnard Castle to look at the increasing numbers of lost time illnesses and injuries related to musculoskeletal disorders and the risk associated with ergonomic issues in the work place. The work on ergonomics at Barnard Castle was recognised by a Chief Executive Officer’s EHS Excellence Award first place in 2004. This has been recognised as the a gold standard ergonomics programme for other sites to emulate.

Resilience and mental well being
Resilience is the set of skills and behaviours needed to be successful in the midst of a fast-paced and continuously changing work environment. It is the same set of skills that helps prevent work related mental illness. GlaxoSmithKline proactively identifies and manages challenges to employee resilience and mental well being to ensure business success through our people. We will continue to protect and enhance the mental health of employees by fully implementing the requirements of the Global Resilience and Mental Well Being Standard.

This includes:

• Ongoing identification and assessment of job-related risks to mental well being through such tools as the Global Leadership and Organisational survey, numerous business initiatives, and an internet-based team assessment tool
• Reductions in risks and promotion of the general mental well being of employees through such programmes as wellness initiatives and mental health care support systems
• Early recognition and treatment of illness, confidential investigation, reporting and corrective actions to prevent recurrences

GSK was identified as a ‘Beacon of Excellence’ by the UK Health and Safety Executive (HSE) for our personal and team resilience programmes. Since July 2003, 150 teams have been through our on line and team assessment and review process. Analysis of the data shows a clear relationship between workplace pressure and individual health and performance. Compared to the standards set by the UK HSE, which were based on two longitudinal studies, GSK teams perform significantly better in all four key areas (relationships; demands; change; control). The GSK findings are cause for celebration but individual teams’ profiles do vary.

Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)
GlaxoSmithKline provides HIV/AIDS education and healthcare programmes for employees and ensures non-discrimination. While arrangements differ depending on local circumstances, all the programmes are based upon a set of principles that reflect current best practice and draw upon Guidelines agreed jointly by the International Organisation of Employers and UNAIDS. Included in the principles are the following:

• We do not discriminate against any employee based on HIV status
• We do not require HIV testing as a prerequisite for employment
• We provide information and training to staff on HIV and AIDS prevention appropriate to their needs
• We ensure appropriate provision for the care of HIV positive regular employees, their long term partners and immediate families, including access to voluntary testing with counselling, and provision of anti-retroviral medicines

We maintain medical confidentiality at all times.

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