Unit 4: Laboratory Techniques and their Application
Unit 4A
Title: Health and safety in science organisation
ID Number: 20200696
GlaxoSmithKline is a British multinational pharmaceutical company located in London, England. The
main target of this organisation is to help improve the health of people around the globe. They
specialise in research, developing and manufacturing pharmaceutical medicines, vaccines and
healthcare products.
Pharmaceutical companies by law “have to set controls for safe working and consider the human
and financial cost of accidents. There is a duty of care to all employees, contractors and visitors”.
According to the law, companies are legally obliged to create a safe and healthy working
environment so for example the company is accountable to The Health and Safety Executive (HSE)
who can then make unannounced inspections and decide whether to shut a site down if there is
something seriously wrong or if a major & serious accident occurs. The law also states that “The
Employer is responsible for the health and safety of the workforce (staff and contractors), guests and
the general public who may come into contact with the workplace, its products and the local
environment and that Employees are responsible for their own health and safety and that of their
colleagues”. Most of these laws are covered by the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.
Safety plays a major role and is considered as a “fundamental part” in the GlaxoSmithKline company
as both health and safety measures are taken so that it complies with the legislation and how they
enforce these measurements is by implementing focus on preventing incidents before they happen
and ensuring training and awareness activities are carried out on key risks, such as operating
machinery or driving. The company also promotes awareness of health issues and their impact on all
employees and also keep track of any injuries and illnesses that are related to work that occurs on
the GSK premises.
There are many potential hazards that could occur on the GlaxoSmithKline premises for example
environmental hazards such as waste which could cause pollution but what is done instead of waste
streams going to landfill, its seen as a resource that can be used for other necessary purposes
therefore helping to achieve their goal to repurpose all their waste for beneficial use by the year
2030. This also prevents harmful environmental impacts from landfill and keeps materials such as
solvents in circulation for use in new products & isn’t only done for environmental benefits but it’s
also done to achieve economic and social benefits too.
Another potential hazard is when experimenting on animals in the initial stages of drug discovery,
some animals may be rabid or hostile towards the employees therefore risking the employee’s
health and safety and technically this would also affect the animal being tested on as it would lead
them to being put down.
Another potential hazard is the use of chemicals and depending on how hazardous the chemicals
being used are as they can vary from being corrosive, irritant, oxidising, contaminant and etc. As
“GSK is committed to safety in all aspects of its operations, circumstances arise in which workplace
exposure to chemicals may occur” and what is done to protect the health and safety of the workers
is that the organisation’s (GSK) health & safety programmes for chemicals are organised so that it
defines health protective occupational exposure limits providing with useful information on
distinctive chemical hazards which helps support the design of the equipment and facilities so that
1
Unit 4A
Title: Health and safety in science organisation
ID Number: 20200696
GlaxoSmithKline is a British multinational pharmaceutical company located in London, England. The
main target of this organisation is to help improve the health of people around the globe. They
specialise in research, developing and manufacturing pharmaceutical medicines, vaccines and
healthcare products.
Pharmaceutical companies by law “have to set controls for safe working and consider the human
and financial cost of accidents. There is a duty of care to all employees, contractors and visitors”.
According to the law, companies are legally obliged to create a safe and healthy working
environment so for example the company is accountable to The Health and Safety Executive (HSE)
who can then make unannounced inspections and decide whether to shut a site down if there is
something seriously wrong or if a major & serious accident occurs. The law also states that “The
Employer is responsible for the health and safety of the workforce (staff and contractors), guests and
the general public who may come into contact with the workplace, its products and the local
environment and that Employees are responsible for their own health and safety and that of their
colleagues”. Most of these laws are covered by the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.
Safety plays a major role and is considered as a “fundamental part” in the GlaxoSmithKline company
as both health and safety measures are taken so that it complies with the legislation and how they
enforce these measurements is by implementing focus on preventing incidents before they happen
and ensuring training and awareness activities are carried out on key risks, such as operating
machinery or driving. The company also promotes awareness of health issues and their impact on all
employees and also keep track of any injuries and illnesses that are related to work that occurs on
the GSK premises.
There are many potential hazards that could occur on the GlaxoSmithKline premises for example
environmental hazards such as waste which could cause pollution but what is done instead of waste
streams going to landfill, its seen as a resource that can be used for other necessary purposes
therefore helping to achieve their goal to repurpose all their waste for beneficial use by the year
2030. This also prevents harmful environmental impacts from landfill and keeps materials such as
solvents in circulation for use in new products & isn’t only done for environmental benefits but it’s
also done to achieve economic and social benefits too.
Another potential hazard is when experimenting on animals in the initial stages of drug discovery,
some animals may be rabid or hostile towards the employees therefore risking the employee’s
health and safety and technically this would also affect the animal being tested on as it would lead
them to being put down.
Another potential hazard is the use of chemicals and depending on how hazardous the chemicals
being used are as they can vary from being corrosive, irritant, oxidising, contaminant and etc. As
“GSK is committed to safety in all aspects of its operations, circumstances arise in which workplace
exposure to chemicals may occur” and what is done to protect the health and safety of the workers
is that the organisation’s (GSK) health & safety programmes for chemicals are organised so that it
defines health protective occupational exposure limits providing with useful information on
distinctive chemical hazards which helps support the design of the equipment and facilities so that
1
