Managing Risk in Pharmaceutical Industry

This article discusses the identification and management of hazards and risks in the pharmaceutical industry, focusing on Genera, a pharmaceutical company. It explores the use of technology to reduce errors and improve safety, and highlights the importance of employee safety in the production of chemical products. The article also suggests risk management strategies for Genera.

Managing Risk

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
MAIN BODY..................................................................................................................................1
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................4
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................5

INTRODUCTION
Managing risk, is the method of evaluation, identification of the risk which can be arisen
in the organization. With the help managing risk method, company can reduce, coordinate,
monitor and control the impact and probability of risk in the organization (Amalberti and
Vincent, 2019). Genera is an organization which has 100 years of traditions and the origin of this
company is from the Royal Croatian- Slavonian Bacteriological Institute 1901. Also, Genera
company become part of Dechra Pharmaceuticals PLC Groups in second half of 2015. The
numbers of employees in Genera are 220 and the 75% are female who are working in quality
control, production and R&D laboratories (Hillson and Murray-Webster, 2017). In this study will
include, identification of hazard present and risk from the hazards.
MAIN BODY
Identification of hazards and risk form hazards
As Genera became a part of Dechra Pharmaceuticals PLC group which has been
generally engaged in production, research and development, marketing and sales of Veterinary
medicines, animal care products and feed additives. In order to carry out business operations,
company is using a large amount of chemicals for its every day production and these chemicals
may even prove hazardous for employees working in the organization. Also, company also uses
co-formulants or radio active substances in a workplace which is approximately 87,000
kilograms which is a huge quantity. Any mistake from employee during usage or handling of
these active substances could result in destruction and may also put people's life at risk. One of
the major and very hazardous compound which is used by the company is Ethidium which is a
marker molecule used in electrophoresis and is also used for visualization and identification of
nucleic acid bands. One of the major risk which is associated with Ethidium bromide is that it
may have teratogenic or carcinogenic effects this is the effect which can result in cancer to a
person which gets exposed to Ethidium (Morren, 2019). It can increase the risk of cancer by
altering the cellular metabolism and damaging the DNA which makes an interference with a
biological process of a person. Also, it can result in uncontrolled malignant division which
ultimately results in the formation of tumours in a person. If an employee is exposed to acute
ethidium bromide it may cause irritation to a person to the exposed surface it also causes
irritation to the upper respiratory tract, mouth or eyes. Also, ethidium bromide is also listed as
hazardous chemical by European Union Legislation. So, there are risks which are associated with
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active substances ethidium bromide which can have a severe impact on the health of employees
which may also, effect the quality of life and even can die of cancer.
Another hazardous substances, which can have a severe effect on the health of employees
and may put employees life on risk. Although, Levothyroxine has not been classified as a
hazardous chemical by European Union Legislation. There has been no specific exposure limits I
workplace which have been determined. But it has been recommended to manufacturer's that air
concentration should be limited to 0.1 μg/m3. Long-term exposure to Levothyroxine can increase
the risk of weight loss, increased appetite, headache, nervousness, excessive sweating, etc. One
of the major risk of Levothyroxine is that it can increase risk of hyperthyroidism or can pose a
risk of foetal toxicity (Kletz, 2018). So, it is vital for the organization to put every effort to limit
the contact of employees to Levothyroxine during the manufacturing process or using this
chemical. So, these are the risk which are associated with these hazardous chemicals used in a
workplace. It is equally vital for pharmaceutical company like Genera to make a proper risk
assessment and set proper guideline in a workplace to minimize the impact of ethidium and
Levothyroxine on employee health and their quality life. Also, it is important for company to
operate their production process under the health legislation and occupational safety which can
prove to be beneficial for the company (Trevor Jain and et.al., 2018). Genera should adopt a
proper prevention measures in order minimize exposure of employees to active substances in a
workplace and can minimize the risk of employees in workplace. If an organization is not be able
to minimize these risk it can put employees at risk and continuous exposure to these hazardous
chemicals could have a long term health impact on the employee who directly or indirect
involved in the production process of these hazardous chemicals in workplace.
Role of technology in using information to reduce the errors
Genera can also use some technologies for reduce the errors within the organization.
With the help of this technology's management can easily find out the errors which are enhanced
the risk situation and hazard in the company. These technologies are:
Efficient Machines: Genera company also implemented the efficient machineries in their
organization. With the help of those machines the work load of the organization workers will
reduce and also those machineries help management to identify the issues and errors at early
stage. With the help of efficient machinery power all the task of organization will complete at on
time. Also, those machineries are based on modern technologies, according to this management
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and workers be able to identify those factors and issues will be created problem in the
organization. If the management of Genera can get information about all those risks and issue
they can design a plan for successfully handle hazards within the organization.
Better Communication: Communication is also played very significant role to reducing
the errors in the organization. If people are communicated with each other they are share some
information which are can be formal and informal (Mohanna and Chambers, 2018). So,
communication is also very good technique to reducing errors within the firm. If in Genera
employees, workers and management can interact with each other, than they can reveal about the
risk and those factors who are responsible for enhancing hazard in the organization. Because
employees of Genera are working in chemical and hazard situation they have better and more
knowledge about the issue and problem of company. With the help of effective communication
strategy, they can share their problem with the management. So, the management can know
about the issues and shape the plan and can also implement technologies that reduce the errors
and hazard in the pharmaceutical industry.
Security Concern: Security concern also better technology to find out the risk in the
organization. The role of security concern is very wide in the organization. With the help of this
technology management can find out present errors of the firm and also know the impact of their
errors and problem of the organization (Paul, Sarker and Essam, 2015). With the help of security
concern technology Genera management can know those problems and errors which are raise in
the organization and also know about the impact of their errors in the company. According to
this technology management of company can know that how much environment of the firm is
impacted by the hazard and how it can be managed in the organization. With the help of this
technique management of the Genera can design those policies by which they can handle and
manage hazard problem in the company and reduce it.
Computerized Training: Management can also provide training to their employees which
are help workers and employees to maintain risk in the company. With the help of computerized
training program management of company, can provide those remedies and solution which can
be very much helpful reducing the errors in the company. If those errors can be reduced than the
ratio of risk and hazard goes down in the pharmaceutical industry of Genera. Also, just because
of computerized training program employees of Genera first trained on the computer and learn
that how to work on machinery, or they can also perform their task on simulated machineries that
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will also helpful for firm to reducing the risk. So, the technology like computerized training
program is very helpful for Genera to reduce errors, risk and management.
ISO Standards: Genera can also use the help of ISO (International Organization for
Standardization). That will help Genera company to know about hazards, errors and risk. This
system will help management to continuously updating about any type of complaint and issues
which can be raised in the organization (Bakker and et.al., 2018). This system will help company
to monitor about the risk and complaint and aware the company to solve the risk and hazards
potentially. So, this is also effective technique which can be adopted by the Genera organization
for reducing or minimizing the errors within the organization.
Regular Reviews: For reducing the errors in the organization company can use the technique
of regular reviews. Company Genera can daily examine or weekly examine all the system of the
company, that examination or evaluation will help organization to find out the problem at the
initial stage (Hinde, 2018). With the help of this technology, management of firm can solve
problem at every early stage and that how they can be able to reducing the ratio of errors and
hazards in the organization. Also, the reviewing all the task in Genera is very important because
it is a pharmaceutical industry and this type of company various types of chemical are use that
are harmful health of employees and the environment of the company.
CONCLUSION
It can be concluded from the above report for any company which is involved in production
of chemical products and dealing with hazardous substances, the prime priority of the company
should be employee safety. Also, in any pharmaceutical company there are various hazards
present in a workplace which needs to be identified by the management of the organisation.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Amalberti, R. and Vincent, C., 2019. Managing risk in hazardous conditions: improvisation is
not enough. BMJ quality & safety, pp.bmjqs-2019.
Bakker, V.J and et.al., 2018. The albatross of assessing and managing risk for long-lived pelagic
seabirds. Biological conservation. 217. pp.83-95.
Cronk, L and et.al., 2019. Managing risk through cooperation: Need-based transfers and risk
pooling among the societies of the Human Generosity Project. In Global Perspectives on
Long Term Community Resource Management (pp. 41-75). Springer, Cham.
Denison, D.V., Yan, W. and Butler, J.S., 2019. Managing Risk and Growth of Nonprofit
Revenue. Journal of Public and Nonprofit Affairs. 5(1). pp.56-73.
Hillson, D. and Murray-Webster, R., 2017. Understanding and managing risk attitude.
Routledge.
Hillson, D., 2017. Managing risk in projects. Routledge.
Hinde, J., 2018. Assessing and managing risk in complex organisations. Nursing And Residential
Care. 20(12). pp.650-652.
Kinsey, S., 2017. Managing risk. In The International Business Archives Handbook (pp. 356-
381). Routledge.
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