Sustainability : Walmart 2015 GRR

Safety and compliance

Creating a safe environment for our associates and customers remains a top priority. Developing programs and processes to help ensure compliance with safety laws and regulations helps us deliver on this. As we buy, move and sell products in stores in 27 countries, safety within our operations is central to how we do business. Through all of our activity around the world — whether in a store, distribution center, production facility, pickup point or on the road — we address safety and compliance by:

Training associates
Enforcing standards of operation
Fostering continuous improvement and innovation

*(used cooking and automotive oils).
**In the U.S. alone, our facilities were inspected more than 2,300 times by environmental regulatory
agencies in 2014, with regulators finding no major deficiencies in our environmental compliance
practices 97 percent of the time.

Environmental compliance

We’re committed to preserving our natural resources and achieving compliance with all applicable environmental laws and regulations. Our retail industry-leading environmental compliance programs help us manage wastewater, stormwater, waste, air emissions and recyclable materials at our facilities in a responsible manner. Around the world, our associates engage in extensive environmental compliance training, overseen by environmental subject matter experts in all markets.

Since 2010, Walmart has made a significant effort to recycle wherever legally possible. Compliance-related activities include the recycling of lead acid car batteries, lamps and bulbs, tires, automobile oil and spent cooking oils. These activities are great for the environment and make good business sense. In fact, automobile and cooking oil recycling alone has generated over $140 million dollars in additional revenue for our business over the past five years.

Health and wellness compliance — process and progress in our stores

The health and wellness industry is ever-changing and increasing in complexity. Operating in the health and wellness industry has given us another opportunity to serve the needs of our customers and build trust. Walmart Health and Wellness Compliance takes pride in ensuring that our pharmacies operate safely, while protecting our patients and our communities.

Last year, Health and Wellness Compliance enhanced our processes in protecting privacy and security, safeguarding against drug diversion and monitoring patient interactions. Specifically, Health and Wellness established goals to improve operational effectiveness. This was achieved by rebranding our Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) compliance program, making enhancements to closed-circuit cameras and redesigning the prescription flow processes.

The patient and pharmacist connection

In one of our stores, a pharmacy patient expressed experiencing a number of symptoms, including involuntary movements, high blood sugar, dizziness and frequent heartburn. Our pharmacist listened to the patient, reviewed the medication and determined the prescribed drugs might be the cause. To better understand the issue, our pharmacist contacted the prescriber and recommended alternative medication that could alleviate some of the side effects. A follow-up discussion between the patient and pharmacist revealed a significant improvement in health and a decrease of symptoms.

In addition to alleviating side effects, the new medication was also significantly less expensive. This was a positive outcome of counseling and action, and it’s this kind of connection with our patients that helps set our pharmacies apart.

OSHA compliance

This year, our OSHA Compliance Safety team improved corporate safety programs in critical areas. Our Compliance and Asset Protection teams also created a Compliance Champion program at every store in the U.S. to further enhance the safety culture in our facilities, among other initiatives.

Licenses and permits

Each year, we secure and maintain thousands of licenses and permits to keep our doors open for business around the world. Before a single item is sold in our facilities, much work goes on behind the scenes to secure licenses and permits needed to operate our business the right way.

Licenses and permits affect the sale of many items such as food, prescription drugs, alcohol and tobacco. Obtaining the right license allows us to continue to sell the products that our customers need and want. We work hard to monitor legislative trends, evaluate our effectiveness and consistently update associate training to ensure we fulfill all legal requirements.

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