Mississauga, Ontario – August 22, 2008 - IAPA (Industrial Accident Prevention Association) proudly presented Baxter Corporation’s Alliston manufacturing facility with a Level III Health & Safety Achievement Award on August 21, 2008.  The facility, located in Alliston, Ontario, since 1957, manufactures life-sustaining intravenous (IV), nutritional, peritoneal dialysis, and hemo dialysis solutions for Canadian patients and health care institutions.

Baxter’s Alliston facility showed its commitment to health and safety by meeting legislative compliance and having a lost-time injury (LTI) frequency well below its rate group average. As part of a proactive commitment to workplace health and safety excellence and shared accountability, employees of Baxter’s Alliston facility are actively engaged in incident-prevention initiatives, such as risk assessments, ergonomics analyses, and preventive safety education and training.  Baxter’s employees also have access to a range of wellness programs including hearing conservation, blood pressure and cholesterol clinics, and onsite physiotherapy. IAPA conducted an on-site verification of the facility on February 15, 2008.

“The Baxter Corporation is to be commended for seeing health and safety as a true core business value,” says Maureen Shaw, President & CEO, IAPA. “Everyone in this facility is engaged and committed towards achieving health and safety excellence. It is ingrained in this facility’s culture and this award shows that investing in the well-being of employees improves not only businesses but communities as well.”

“Environment, health, and safety covers a wide range of priorities at Baxter, from ensuring employees a safe and productive workplace to reducing the company’s impact on the environment. Baxter is very honoured to have its commitment and results recognized by IAPA,” says John Eley, Director of Manufacturing, Baxter Corporation, Alliston facility. “At Baxter, we promote a culture that values the health, safety, and well-being of our employees.  Baxter’s Alliston facility exemplifies a strong safety culture, with active participation from our 400-plus employees who embrace our philosophy that business success is dependent upon safety success.”

To qualify for this top-level award, Baxter’s Alliston facility met IAPA’s Level III Award criteria as outlined in a self-assessment report. The firm successfully demonstrated legislative compliance, effective prevention methods and management practices, and a LTI frequency that met IAPA requirements specific for all three levels of the awards program. This includes how a firm assesses and controls its hazards, as well as a demonstrated and continued commitment to health and safety.

For more than 50 years, Baxter Corporation’s Alliston facility has been manufacturing products that help save and improve patients’ lives. Baxter’s Alliston facility is the longest standing parenteral solutions plant in Canada and the only Canadian manufacturer of renal peritoneal dialysis solutions. The 180,000 square foot facility has been in Alliston since 1957 and currently employs over 400 people.  Baxter's facility in Alliston produces life-sustaining intravenous (IV) and nutritional, peritoneal dialysis, and hemo dialysis solutions, 99 per cent of which are sold in Canada.  Baxter consistently exceeds environmental standards and the Alliston facility was one of the first in North America to achieve OHSAS 18001 compliance and the first Baxter manufacturing facility in North America to achieve ISO 14001 environmental standards compliance.

As a subsidiary of Baxter International Inc., Baxter Corporation (Canada) develops, manufactures, and markets products that save and sustain the lives of people with hemophilia, immune disorders, cancer, infectious diseases, kidney disease, trauma, and other chronic and acute medical conditions.  As a global, diversified healthcare company, Baxter applies a unique combination of expertise in medical devices, pharmaceuticals, and biotechnology to create products that advance patient care worldwide. Learn more about Baxter Corporation (Canada) at www.baxter.ca.

IAPA is a not-for-profit, member-driven organization operating in Ontario since 1917. Representing approximately 50,000 member firms and more than 1.5 million Ontario workers, IAPA is Canada’s leader in w

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For more information, contact:

Lena Wan
Communications & PR Specialist, IAPA
Tel: 905-614-4272 ext. 2247
E-mail: lwan@iapa.ca                                         

Heather MacDonnell
Baxter Corporation
905-281-6398
heather_macdonnell@baxter.com

IAPA President & CEO Maureen Shaw presented a Level III Health & Safety Achievement Award to John Eley, Director of Manufacturing, Baxter Corporation (Alliston) on August 21, 2008.