Environmental, health and safety
Thermo Fisher Scientific is committed to protecting the environment and the health and safety of our colleagues, customers and the communities where we operate.
The Thermo Fisher Environmental, Health and Safety (EHS) Policy defines our approach, which incorporates the principles of continuous improvement, sustainability and transparency. All colleagues are responsible for upholding our policy and meeting its expectations.
Environmental, Health and Safety Management System standards
Our EHS Management System (EHS-MS), together with the active involvement of our colleagues, helps us maintain a safe and healthy work environment. Compliance with applicable domestic and foreign laws and regulations represents the minimum standard for our operations. The EHS-MS builds upon these requirements by establishing consistent global standards that promote continuous improvement and risk reduction. Our EHS-MS is based on widely recognized management system frameworks and best practices like ISO 14001, ISO 45001 and US Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s Recommended Practices for Safety and Health Programs—standards that have been integrated into our governance structure, business strategy and operating model. When differences exist between our company standards and legal requirements, we seek to apply the more stringent standard.
Our EHS-MS in brief
- Management support and leadership
- Colleague participation
- Regulatory compliance
- Hazard identification and risk management
- Education and training
- System evaluation and improvement
operating facilities ISO 14001 EMS certified.1 See the full list of certified sites here.
Advancing a predictive, data-driven EHS framework
In 2025, we continued to strengthen the systems, governance and analytics that support EHS risk management across our operations. By further integrating our global EHS data management platform into day-to-day workflows, we improved the quality, consistency and accessibility of EHS data while expanding visibility into higher-consequence risks. Enhanced recordkeeping, reporting and oversight processes are enabling earlier identification of potential issues and more targeted preventive actions while advanced analytics, including AI-enabled capabilities, help our teams identify trends, generate insights and inform decision-making. Together, these efforts are supporting our transition toward a more predictive, data-driven approach to EHS risk management and performance.
“We strengthened our global EHS data system to improve consistent reporting and better identify serious risks earlier. By using advanced analytics and AI tools, our teams can spot risk trends sooner, focus on prevention and make clearer, data-based decisions to continuously improve safety performance.”
Jean Vincent Vignal
Director EHS, Thermo Fisher Scientific
Prioritizing colleague safety
We track EHS progress from the company level to the site level using two key metrics—lost-time injury rate (LTIR) and total recordable injury rate (TRIR)—to monitor ongoing performance and identify opportunities for improvement.2,3 These metrics are standard industry rates that measure the number of injuries resulting in a recordable incident or lost workdays, both per 100 workers.
Lost-time injury rate2
Total recordable injury rate3
EHS leadership
Creating a safe work environment for our colleagues and protecting the communities where we operate are of the utmost importance to our company. We have established an EHS operating model that consists of a network of EHS professionals at the corporate, business, regional and site levels who work together to satisfy compliance requirements, meet company standards and drive continuous improvement. Our EHS leadership team meets regularly to review global strategy, progress toward goals and company-wide initiatives aligned to a standardized approach. These leaders also host quarterly meetings to engage all EHS professionals worldwide.
Developing EHS talent and expertise
To foster a consistent, high-performing EHS culture globally, Thermo Fisher invests in programs that strengthen leadership, technical expertise and collaboration. One example is EHS Success Profiles, which uses a standardized framework for role expectations and professional development to support career growth. Through our guest auditor program and cross-functional project opportunities, EHS professionals share knowledge, address enterprise-wide risks and drive continuous improvement.
In 2025, we expanded our EHS Communities of Practice with a new technical specialty focused on biosafety. These global forums connect colleagues to subject matter experts, peer networks and best practices that help build capabilities in established and emerging areas of EHS risk management.
“Our global EHS organization plays an important role in advancing our Mission. By investing in our people, fostering collaboration and sharing expertise across the enterprise, we are strengthening our ability to protect our colleagues, manage risk effectively and accelerate impact across the business.”
Ann Winter
Vice President – Environmental, Health and Safety, Thermo Fisher Scientific
EHS compliance audit program
At the corporate level, our internal EHS audit program evaluates site operations for compliance with all applicable environmental, health and safety laws, regulations and other related standards that we may endorse and adopt, including our internal EHS-MS. Our internal auditors and site representatives leverage a Corrective and Preventive Action process to help ensure effective and timely resolution of any noncompliance matters that are discovered. Additionally, within the first year of integrating a new business, in-person baseline audits are conducted to assess the operations of any facilities acquired through a merger or acquisition.
Property loss prevention
Building on our internal EHS audit process, we partner with a third-party engineering firm to conduct regular external property and loss prevention audits for all major operating sites.4 These audits help identify and assess our physical risks and provide a deeper understanding of our business resilience in the event of fires or natural disasters such as hurricanes, floods, earthquakes and tornadoes. This same firm also partners with us during new construction and renovation to minimize our risk and maximize resilience in the way we design and build new facilities.
Climate scenario analysis
We conduct climate scenario analyses to deepen our understanding of the risks our company faces due to the changing global climate. While aligned with the framework created by the Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosure (TCFD), we are expanding our approach to align with applicable regulations. Our program evaluates the potential impacts and physical risks of climate-related events, such as coastal flooding, wildfires, water stress and extreme temperatures, and is further detailed in our TCFD statement. As climate science and models continue to advance, we plan to conduct regular climate scenario analyses to inform our long-term climate and loss-prevention strategies, as a component of our enterprise risk management process.
Our TCFD statement includes more information on climate-related risks and opportunities in our CSR disclosure index.
Business continuity management
Thermo Fisher maintains a Business Continuity Management System (BCMS) Policy, which establishes principles, practices and the governance structure for our business continuity plans. The policy details minimum requirements and performance expectations for critical business processes across the company and ensures business continuity plans are implemented globally in an efficient, effective and consistent manner.
BCMS Policy basis and elements
The BCMS Policy is based on widely accepted BCMS standards (e.g., ISO 22301, ISO 22313, NFPA 1600, ASIS SPC.1-2009), adapted to our corporate governance and operating philosophy, and includes six key elements required for all business continuity plans.
Key elements of the policy are:
- Risk assessment
- Business impact analysis
- Emergency response
- Crisis management
- Crisis communication
- Operational restoration and recovery
Operational resilience
Advancing our Mission requires reliable operations our customers can depend on. Sustained investments in facility resilience and risk mitigation support the protection of our critical operations worldwide. Nine major sites4 across our pharma services, life sciences, bioproduction, clinical research and analytical instruments businesses were awarded the Highly Protected Risk designation from our property insurance carrier—one of the highest industry honors for property protection and loss prevention. This recognition reflects enhanced fire protection, seismic safeguards and robust emergency response planning that help protect critical assets, reduce exposure to loss and support long-term business continuity.
Endnotes:
- Includes manufacturing, warehouse, and lab campus locations. Excludes offices, service depots, and research clinics.
- The lost-time injury rate (LTIR) represents the number of lost-time injuries or illnesses occurring at Thermo Fisher per 100 full-time workers. Lost-time is defined as one or more days away from work due to a work-related injury or illness.
- The total recordable injury rate (TRIR) represents the number of recordable injuries or illnesses occurring at Thermo Fisher per 100 full-time workers. Recordable injuries are defined by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), part of the United States Department of Labor, and include injuries resulting in one or more of the following: a fatality, lost workdays, restricted workdays, loss of consciousness, medical treatment beyond first aid, or a significant injury or illness diagnosed by a physician or other licensed healthcare professional.
- Defined as sites with a total insured value (TIV) that is greater than $40 million.
Last updated: July 2026
About Thermo Fisher Scientific
Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (NYSE: TMO) is the world leader in serving science, with annual revenue over $40 billion. Our Mission is to enable our customers to make the world healthier, cleaner and safer. Whether our customers are accelerating life sciences research, solving complex analytical challenges, increasing productivity in their laboratories, improving patient health through diagnostics or the development and manufacture of life-changing therapies, we are here to support them. Our global team delivers an unrivaled combination of innovative technologies, purchasing convenience and pharmaceutical services through our industry-leading brands, including Thermo Scientific, Applied Biosystems, Invitrogen, Fisher Scientific, Unity Lab Services, Patheon and PPD.
For more information, please visit www.thermofisher.com
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