Ireland’s largest pharmaceutical distribution company, United Drug, has cut on-site injuries by 50 per cent through a comprehensive digitisation initiative across its operations according to a Fleet Publications report.

Serving over 1,900 pharmacies, hospitals, clinics and primary care centres nationwide, the company has modernised legacy systems to strengthen health and safety (H&S) and operational efficiency.

The initiative involved the introduction of SafetyCulture, a mobile-first workplace operations platform that enables frontline staff to report hazards and near misses via smartphones. “With the old system, it was easy for things to slip through the cracks. If you have a safety incident, you want to learn from that because you need to prevent recurrence. Using the investigation process on the platform means we can identify root causes and prevent repeat issues quickly and easily,” said Tom Brown, head of environmental, health and safety for United Drug.

The automated system instantly flags H&S risks to relevant managers, allowing more timely interventions and halving the number of injuries occurring onsite. Brown added, “What’s great to see is that staff are more engaged with health and safety, and also our reporting is more streamlined and our ability to take action is more effective.”

Operational efficiencies have also been realised through sensor-based asset monitoring in medicine storage. United Drug’s sister company, McCabes Pharmacy – Ireland’s largest retail pharmacy network with 110 locations – has deployed the platform as well, saving thousands of staff hours and protecting hundreds of thousands of euros in stock.

SafetyCulture’s platform is already widely used across logistics, retail, hospitality, and manufacturing sectors in Ireland and the UK, demonstrating its versatility and effectiveness beyond pharmaceutical distribution.

Explore the full story on how United Drug is transforming pharmaceutical operations.