News & Events

Franklin Lakes, NJ (June 29, 2000) -- In response to a congressional hearing held last week, BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company) (NYSE: BDX) applauded the strong consensus that has emerged around the need for government involvement in the issue of health care worker safety.

''Labor, industry, health care providers, advocates, regulators and thought leaders all agree: our nation must ensure that every health care worker has access to advanced, safety-engineered medical devices,'' said BD President and CEO Edward J. Ludwig.

The hearing, spearheaded by the Workforce Protections Subcommittee, examined the revised Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Bloodborne Pathogen Compliance Directive, which requires that employers provide health care workers with safety-engineered medical devices that can reduce the risk of occupational exposure to AIDS, hepatitis C and other bloodborne pathogens. The Honorable Charles N. Jeffress, assistant secretary of labor, was a witness and focused his testimony on the requirements of the compliance directive and its enforcement. Rep. Cass Ballenger (R-NC) chaired the hearing.

''BD fully supports the authority of the OSHA compliance directive, and we applaud Assistant Secretary of Labor Charles Jeffress for his visionary commitment to issuing a clear directive requiring the use of safety-engineered devices,'' said Ludwig. ''BD also gratefully acknowledges the Workforce Protections Subcommittee and Congressman Cass Ballenger for devoting their attention to the important issue of health care worker safety.''

BD, the world's largest manufacturer of medical devices, pioneered the development of safety-engineered products over 12 years ago. BD markets more safety-engineered medical devices than any other company in the world, and offers a comprehensive education and training program to build awareness for the issue of needle safety and to help facilities establish effective exposure control programs that can protect health care workers against infection.

BD is a medical technology company that manufactures and sells a broad range of supplies, devices, and systems for use by health care professionals, medical research institutions, industry and the general public. For the fiscal year ended September 30, 1999, BD reported total revenues of $3.4 billion and net income of $276 million.