TORONTO, Oct. 18 /CNW Telbec/ - This year the Who's Who in Work place Health Award for the Employee Communication category was awarded to Sanofi Pasteur Limited. The company submitted its Phoenix Wellness Program, an integrated program that cross-promotes through seven different communications vehicles specially developed to help maintain employee health and well-being. Presented yearly by Working Well magazine, the award is designed to honour individuals and organizations that have demonstrated leadership and innovation in workplace health.  Sanofi Pasteur is the vaccines division of Sanofi-aventis Group.

"We're proud of our Phoenix Wellness Program and very committed to making it work for our employees," said Mark Lievonen, President of Sanofi Pasteur Limited.  "This program benefits employees' physical and mental health every day at work and we feel it's a good investment all round."

Sanofi Pasteur's workplace wellness program, which was also awarded the Eat Smart! Award by Toronto Public Health, includes a newsletter devoted entirely to workplace wellness and commits to many public events like the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation's "Run for the Cure" or the Canadian Blood Services donation drive.  Sanofi Pasteur also maintains award-winning initiatives aimed at promoting sustainable transportation commuting options and is continuously working on new initiatives to enhance our workplace wellness program, such as launching a Smoking Cessation campaign this summer.

A wellness program with impact

The Phoenix Wellness Program is paying off for employees as well as for the Company: 

• In 2009 the workplace injury rate was significantly lower when compared to the industry average with a Performance Index of 0.23¹ compared to an industry average of 1.0;
• An average duration of absence for short-term disability was 30 days compared to 36 days in 2008 (a reduction of 16.67%);
• The percentage of Sanofi Pasteur employees submitting long-term disability claims over the last three years is nearly 0%;
• In addition, the average duration of recovery was 4.7 months at Sanofi Pasteur - less than half of what it is for the pharmaceutical industry.

About sanofi-aventis
Sanofi-aventis, a leading global pharmaceutical company, discovers, develops and distributes therapeutic solutions to improve the lives of everyone. Sanofi-aventis is listed in Paris (EURONEXT: SAN) and in New York (NYSE: SNY). For more information, please visit: www.sanofi-aventis.com

Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines division of sanofi-aventis Group, provided more than 1.6 billion doses of vaccine in 2009, making it possible to immunize more than 500 million people across the globe. A world leader in the vaccine industry, Sanofi Pasteur offers the broadest range of vaccines protecting against 20 infectious diseases. The company's heritage, to create vaccines that protect life, dates back more than a century. Sanofi Pasteur is the largest company entirely dedicated to vaccines. Every day, the company invests more than EUR 1 million in research and development. For more information, please visit: www.sanofipasteur.com or www.sanofipasteur.us

¹ Ontario Workplace Safety Insurance Board (WSIB)