Almirall
Corporate

Almirall - Ranke Química reduced its accident rate by 57% in 2007

  • The company has its own Health and Safety Service to instigate and improve health and safety plans in line with guidelines set by a committee

  • Last year Almirall was awarded the OHSAS 18001 certificate from TÜV Rheinland, which guarantees the application of occupational health and safety criteria in excess of those of current legislation standards in Spain
Barcelona, 14 November 2008.- The Almirall fine chemistry business unit (Ranke Química, S.L.)has been recognised for its low accident rate by the Autonomous Commission for Safety and Hygiene at work in the Chemical and Related Industries (COASHIQ).

The pharmaceutical company reduced its accident frequency rate by 57% last year, making it a top results achiever among Fine Chemistry companies. Almirall has its own Health and Safety Service which, under committee guidelines, heads the defining, instigation and continuous improvement of the various prevention plans.

The awarding of the diplomas took place last week during the COASHIQ assembly held in Barcelona.

Almirall milestones in Health and Safety in 2007

Health and safety of staff members in the workplace is a priority and strategic factor for Almirall. In 2007, after an exhaustive assessment and auditing process, the certifying entity TÜV Rheinland awarded the company the prestigious OHSAS 18001 certificate, which guarantees that Almirall will continuously apply occupational health and safety criteria beyond those of current legislative standards in Spain.

As part of its continuous improvement process, Almirall has been implementing health and safety action plans for some time. In 2007 some of the main actions in the different Almirall centres in Spain were:

  • Alertino Campaign.  Awareness and training of employees in health and safety issues. "Health and safety at work: our most active ingredient" was the campaign’s title.
  • Almost 2,000 participants at health and safety courses, with an average of 7.8 hours per employee. 
  • 65 risk assessments at sites and work stations. 
  • Over 100 safety inspections and internal audits. 
  • 230 improvement suggestions notified by employees. 
  • 340 corrective and preventive actions completed.
“These actions are an example of how important Health and Safety is for our company,  as they form part of our business culture where working conditions for employees hold top priority.”, sums up César Hernández, Coordinator for the Health and Safety Service in Almirall.

COASHIQ

COASHIQ is a non-profit Private Business Organisation in the Chemical Industry, adhered to FEIQUE, which includes over 200 companies in the Chemical, Petrochemical, Petroleum and Pharmaceutical sector with around 85,000 employees.

COASHIQ is fully devoted to promoting safety of people and facilities, studying national and international standards, exchanging experiences and applying results in the member companies.

About Almirall
Almirall, an international pharmaceutical company based on innovation and committed to health, headquartered in Barcelona, Spain, researches, develops, manufactures and commercialises its own R&D and licensed drugs with the aim of improving people’s health and wellbeing.
 
The therapeutic areas on which Almirall focuses its research resources are related to the treatment of asthma, COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease), rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, psoriasis and dermatology in general.
 

Almirall is currently present in over 70 countries with direct presence in Europe and Latin America through 11 affiliates.

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