Assignment 1 – Unit 4 Lewis Keyte
Health and Safety in Science Organisations
Introduction
In modern times, organisations have to comply with the compulsory legislations provided by the
government. These legislations are signed to ensure the protection and safety of employees and
consumers while in a working environment. This means that companies are obligated to provide their
own policies which dictate the boundaries and standards in the workplace, acting as a set of rules or
guides for employees to follow. If an organisation or brand decides to disregard any of the mandatory
legislations, then the employer suffers the possibility of being sent to prison for Health and safety (H&S)
offences. The company also may be sanctioned a fine for compensation and evading the health and
safety laws.
Companies have to provide a maximum safety effort and minimise as many risks as possible to prevent
these hazards from occurring. Risks may be managed differently in other departments as the risks may
be more likely to occur in one place than the other. These potential dangers can range from hazardous
chemicals such as irritants, toxins, pressured gas or corrosive material, to vehicle usage such as
forklifts and falling from heights. To rise above these circumstances, companies apply policies to oblige
by the compulsory legislations set by the government. These policies aim to prevent harm to
employees and customers by minimising threats.
All organisations in the UK have to implement a policy which will prevent the chances of injury to
workers and consumers. The organisation ‘GlaxoSmithKline’ is no different.
An introduction to GlaxoSmithKline and their Importance in the pharmaceutical industry
GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) is a British founded pharmaceutical organisation dedicated to developing
medicines and vaccines to treat; bacterial infections, respiratory diseases and ongoing cures for
cancers. The GSK was merged through a business deal between two
companies known as GlaxoWellcome and SmithKline in the year 2000.
As of 2020, they are now the leading pharmaceutical company within
the UK and the top 10 largest medical related company in the world.
The GSK manufactures billions of healthcare products each year
through its manufacturing department. In 2019 alone, studies
conducted from gsk.com suggest that 701 million vaccine doses and
4.2 billion total healthcare products were produced and sold within the
same year. This makes the organisation have an essential presence in the pharmaceutical industry with
a title of being the number one leading company in the production of vaccines.
With an investment of £4.6 billion in R&D in 2019, GlaxoSmithKline is a worldwide leading company in
the production and research of medicines with thirty different vaccines for all stages of life to prevent
over twenty-one diseases such as the recent discovery of a vaccine to treat meningitis B, (inflammation
of the brain and spinal cord) through the use of a remedy known as bexsero which was discovered in
, 2014 and was later approved in September 2015 in the UK by the Medicines and Healthcare Products
Regulatory Agency (MHRA).
Since 1995, The GSK has also invented two vaccines to treat hepatitis A (a condition in which the blood
containing viral bacteria which damages the liver) as the viral bacteria caused a large increase in cases
involving liver malfunctioning through imported foods. In older people, generally above the age of 70,
this virus can become fatal through liver failure as the organ becomes more susceptible throughout
ones’ lifetime, especially to alcohol, drugs and harmful bacteria. And with the increase in trade over the
years, larger imports of products, food in particular, become thriving zones for the development of the
virus as the eventual digestion of the food will cause the bacteria to easily travel into the body,
especially the liver. Imported food through trade is commonly dispatched in large, metal containers
where the product is tightly stacked together. Foods such as vegetables and fruit are vulnerable to the
contamination of bacteria as they’re growth process is undertaken within the ground, where many
bacterial cells may flourish. If a single product such as an apple is tainted with bacteria, then the entire
container of apples will also become polluted. This process is known as cross-contamination and this
effect can impact multiple people. Because of this potential outbreak, the two vaccines known as havrix
and hepatyrix were developed by GlaxoSmithKline in 1995, where they were both approved by the
American Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the World Health Organisation (WHO) in 2005. The
similarities of the vaccines make the differences between the two seem almost unidentifiable as they
both consist of the same end result, to dispose of the harmful bacteria. However, havrix consists of
preservatives to prevent the contamination of foreign bacteria which may develop in the vaccine.
Hepatyrix does not contain any preservatives as it is suspected that it may affect the efficiency of the
drug if incorporated.
The GSK has also developed the vaccines for the treatment of damaging bacteria which forms tetanus,
(bacterial toxin which affects nervous system and causes severe pain in muscle contractions, especially
the jaw) and varicella (severe rashes and blisters caused by the varicella zoster virus [chicken pox]).
Because of the tetanus vaccine, the total number of cases of tetanus has significantly lowered
throughout the years through the invention of GlaxoSmithKline’s boostrix vaccine which is commonly
distributed to younger adults during their school years. This vaccine can also treat other infections such
as pertussis, a respiratory disease which causes violent coughing and uneasy breathing and diphtheria
which create bacterial poisons in the mucous membranes within the nose and throat. If left without any
treatment, these bacterial infections can severely endanger the body as they can enter the blood
stream where they have the power to cause extreme blood clotting which can block the arteries leading
to the heart, causing heart failure or strokes. Boostrix is an example of an inactivated vaccine which
injects dead bacterial cells into the bloodstream to allow for the body’s immune system (white blood
cells) to adapt and respond to them effectively in the future. By exposing the body to germs which have
already deteriorated rather than that of alive bacteria, the weakened pathogen is left undefended which
allows for minimum effort to dispose of them, while also being useful in the sense of allowing the body
to analyse its structure which allows for the immune system to modify itself which enhances its
efficiency in dealing with infectious bacteria. The boostrix vaccine was approved for use and was
initiated to the public in 2005 by the United Kingdom’s MHRA (Medicines and Healthcare products
Regulatory Agency) and the United States’ Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the same year. In
2004 (one year before the approval of boostrix), the total number of cases involving tetanus, in the UK
alone, exceeded twenty cases. By 2019, GlaxoSmithKline’s boostrix vaccine lowered the number of
Health and Safety in Science Organisations
Introduction
In modern times, organisations have to comply with the compulsory legislations provided by the
government. These legislations are signed to ensure the protection and safety of employees and
consumers while in a working environment. This means that companies are obligated to provide their
own policies which dictate the boundaries and standards in the workplace, acting as a set of rules or
guides for employees to follow. If an organisation or brand decides to disregard any of the mandatory
legislations, then the employer suffers the possibility of being sent to prison for Health and safety (H&S)
offences. The company also may be sanctioned a fine for compensation and evading the health and
safety laws.
Companies have to provide a maximum safety effort and minimise as many risks as possible to prevent
these hazards from occurring. Risks may be managed differently in other departments as the risks may
be more likely to occur in one place than the other. These potential dangers can range from hazardous
chemicals such as irritants, toxins, pressured gas or corrosive material, to vehicle usage such as
forklifts and falling from heights. To rise above these circumstances, companies apply policies to oblige
by the compulsory legislations set by the government. These policies aim to prevent harm to
employees and customers by minimising threats.
All organisations in the UK have to implement a policy which will prevent the chances of injury to
workers and consumers. The organisation ‘GlaxoSmithKline’ is no different.
An introduction to GlaxoSmithKline and their Importance in the pharmaceutical industry
GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) is a British founded pharmaceutical organisation dedicated to developing
medicines and vaccines to treat; bacterial infections, respiratory diseases and ongoing cures for
cancers. The GSK was merged through a business deal between two
companies known as GlaxoWellcome and SmithKline in the year 2000.
As of 2020, they are now the leading pharmaceutical company within
the UK and the top 10 largest medical related company in the world.
The GSK manufactures billions of healthcare products each year
through its manufacturing department. In 2019 alone, studies
conducted from gsk.com suggest that 701 million vaccine doses and
4.2 billion total healthcare products were produced and sold within the
same year. This makes the organisation have an essential presence in the pharmaceutical industry with
a title of being the number one leading company in the production of vaccines.
With an investment of £4.6 billion in R&D in 2019, GlaxoSmithKline is a worldwide leading company in
the production and research of medicines with thirty different vaccines for all stages of life to prevent
over twenty-one diseases such as the recent discovery of a vaccine to treat meningitis B, (inflammation
of the brain and spinal cord) through the use of a remedy known as bexsero which was discovered in
, 2014 and was later approved in September 2015 in the UK by the Medicines and Healthcare Products
Regulatory Agency (MHRA).
Since 1995, The GSK has also invented two vaccines to treat hepatitis A (a condition in which the blood
containing viral bacteria which damages the liver) as the viral bacteria caused a large increase in cases
involving liver malfunctioning through imported foods. In older people, generally above the age of 70,
this virus can become fatal through liver failure as the organ becomes more susceptible throughout
ones’ lifetime, especially to alcohol, drugs and harmful bacteria. And with the increase in trade over the
years, larger imports of products, food in particular, become thriving zones for the development of the
virus as the eventual digestion of the food will cause the bacteria to easily travel into the body,
especially the liver. Imported food through trade is commonly dispatched in large, metal containers
where the product is tightly stacked together. Foods such as vegetables and fruit are vulnerable to the
contamination of bacteria as they’re growth process is undertaken within the ground, where many
bacterial cells may flourish. If a single product such as an apple is tainted with bacteria, then the entire
container of apples will also become polluted. This process is known as cross-contamination and this
effect can impact multiple people. Because of this potential outbreak, the two vaccines known as havrix
and hepatyrix were developed by GlaxoSmithKline in 1995, where they were both approved by the
American Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the World Health Organisation (WHO) in 2005. The
similarities of the vaccines make the differences between the two seem almost unidentifiable as they
both consist of the same end result, to dispose of the harmful bacteria. However, havrix consists of
preservatives to prevent the contamination of foreign bacteria which may develop in the vaccine.
Hepatyrix does not contain any preservatives as it is suspected that it may affect the efficiency of the
drug if incorporated.
The GSK has also developed the vaccines for the treatment of damaging bacteria which forms tetanus,
(bacterial toxin which affects nervous system and causes severe pain in muscle contractions, especially
the jaw) and varicella (severe rashes and blisters caused by the varicella zoster virus [chicken pox]).
Because of the tetanus vaccine, the total number of cases of tetanus has significantly lowered
throughout the years through the invention of GlaxoSmithKline’s boostrix vaccine which is commonly
distributed to younger adults during their school years. This vaccine can also treat other infections such
as pertussis, a respiratory disease which causes violent coughing and uneasy breathing and diphtheria
which create bacterial poisons in the mucous membranes within the nose and throat. If left without any
treatment, these bacterial infections can severely endanger the body as they can enter the blood
stream where they have the power to cause extreme blood clotting which can block the arteries leading
to the heart, causing heart failure or strokes. Boostrix is an example of an inactivated vaccine which
injects dead bacterial cells into the bloodstream to allow for the body’s immune system (white blood
cells) to adapt and respond to them effectively in the future. By exposing the body to germs which have
already deteriorated rather than that of alive bacteria, the weakened pathogen is left undefended which
allows for minimum effort to dispose of them, while also being useful in the sense of allowing the body
to analyse its structure which allows for the immune system to modify itself which enhances its
efficiency in dealing with infectious bacteria. The boostrix vaccine was approved for use and was
initiated to the public in 2005 by the United Kingdom’s MHRA (Medicines and Healthcare products
Regulatory Agency) and the United States’ Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the same year. In
2004 (one year before the approval of boostrix), the total number of cases involving tetanus, in the UK
alone, exceeded twenty cases. By 2019, GlaxoSmithKline’s boostrix vaccine lowered the number of
