Every effort is made to ensure that we report accurate data, and our processes are designed to support this. In cases where we become aware of updates to data from previous years, we consider providing updated data if the changes result in a discrepancy that is material to our reporting.

LifeLabs has a complex supply chain involving relationships with numerous suppliers, manufacturers and distributors in areas such as laboratory equipment, consumables, business services, goods for our operations and more.  We leverage the expertise of our Quality & Regulatory Assurance, Environmental Sustainability and Health & Safety departments on all major procurements for assessments of risks in these areas. 

There were no significant material changes in Procurement in 2022 as an organization.

LifeLabs had 6718 employees in 2022

Total number of employees by employment contract (permanent and temporary) by gender:
Female: permanent = 4933, temporary = 179
Male: permanent = 1550, temporary = 56

Total number of employees by employment contract (permanent and temporary) by region:
Permanent: AB = 9, BC = 2036, ON = 4279, SK = 159
Temporary: AB = 0, BC = 78, ON = 151, SK = 6

Total number of employees by employment type (full-time and part-time) by gender:
Female: full-time = 2662, part-time = 2075, casual = 196, temporary = 179
Male: full-time = 853, part-time = 566, casual = 131, temporary = 56

LifeLabs’ highest governance body is comprised of employees who are the director level and higher:

• Non-Executive: 90%
• Executive: 10%
• Independent directors: 22%
• Average Tenure: 9 years
• Male: 52%
• Female: 48%

With regards to the LifeLabs board, there are 10 members:

• Male board members: 6, 60%
• Female board members: 4, 40%
• Independent board members: 7, 70%
• Non-Independent board members: 4, 30%
• Executive employees serving on the board: 1, 10%

LifeLabs is controlled by a sole shareholder (the “Shareholder”) and the Board is comprised of directors appointed by the Shareholder.

The Chair of the Board and the Chief Executive Officer of LifeLabs are separate roles.

The Shareholder requires prospective Board members to complete a Conflict of Interest declaration prior to appointment to the Board.

The responsibility for reporting on sustainability has been delegated to the Director of Environmental Sustainability and Health & Safety.

Our vision, purpose, and strategy are centered around our customers, who provide a compass for how we deliver our services, how we’ll innovate for tomorrow, and how we add value to the Canadian health care system. Our vision of “empowering a healthier you” infuses our work with meaning and guides our purpose “to make diagnostic insights accessible so that our customers are empowered to make choices to live their best lives.

Our purpose is enabled by our four strategic priorities:

• Remembering our commitment to quality and access by providing results our customers can trust.
• Delivering personalized solutions that empower customers to help them conveniently manage their health needs.
• Innovate to provide digital services throughout the health care journey.
• Knowing we cannot achieve this alone, rely on partnership to turn insights into improved health outcomes.

Finally, our strategy is anchored by our values of Customer-centered, Caring, Teamwork, and Agile, which reflect LifeLabs’ culture and our incredible team members. We will continue to draw on these values, while recognizing diversity of thought and allowing people to bring their authentic selves to work each day because we know that we’re Stronger Together.

LifeLabs is committed to conducting business with unfailing honesty and integrity and upholding its core values through misuse, fraud, or compliance with our Code of conduct, applicable laws, rules, regulations and policies.

Since April 2018, LifeLabs has maintained a Whistleblower program to enable those to report any concerns around issues of compliance with Code of Conduct, applicable laws, rules, regulations and our policies. The program is intended to encourage and enable employees to report any serious concerns in good faith without fear of harassment or retaliation, or when the concern has not been adequately addressed through existing processes. This reporting tool, provided by a third-party provider – ClearView Connects, provides a confidential and anonymous forum to report serious concerns via telephone, a dedicated website, or by mail.

Employees may also submit an email directly to the Internal Audit Committee at LifeLabs. Once reported, concerns will be acknowledged by LifeLabs’ Internal Audit’s Whistleblower Investigations Team followed by commencement of an investigative process.

In 2022 we did not pay any fines related to non-compliance with laws and regulations in the social and economic areas.

LifeLabs has memberships with the following associations:

• Canadian Society of Medical Laboratory Sciences
• BC Business Council
• Greater Vancouver Board of Trade
• Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce
• Ontario Association of Medical Laboratories
• Ontario Long Term Care Association
• Toronto Board of Trade
• Burnaby Board of Trade
• LifeSciences BC
• Ontario Chamber of Commerce
• Digital Health Canada
• C.D. Howe

In 2021, we engaged internal stakeholders for our ESG approach to confirm alignment within the organization on how this will be managed going forward (Environmental Sustainability and Health & Safety; Legal/Privacy; Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; Total Rewards; Procurement; IT/Security; Community/Communications; Quality). These stakeholders prioritized key aspects using a modified materiality assessment to determine goals metrics and targets for key aspects. This was approved by the executive leadership team (ELT) and reported on regularly through quarterly dashboard and annual report throughout 2022.

We do not have a formal process for stakeholder engagement however, we are in the process of developing a plan to work toward amplifying our disclosure on stakeholder engagement in our future reports.

The percentages of LifeLabs Employees Involved in collective bargaining agreements are as follows:

• Non-Union Employees: 4959 (74%)
• Union Employees: 1759 (26%)

Wages at LifeLabs are not defined based on gender and comply with all provincial legislation related to pay. Our pay is established based on our internal job evaluation system, which groups similar roles based on the skill, effort, responsibility and working conditions, and the external market for each position. This system ensures that pay decisions are free from any deliberate or systemic gender bias

For roles which are regionally or provincially focused, LifeLabs hires qualified candidates from the local community. For roles with company-wide (national) accountability, the most qualified candidate is selected. In most cases, the candidate is not asked to relocate.

In 2022, over 95% of total spend was local*.
*Local as defined as a supplier Headquartered in Canada; significant locations are LifeLabs Headquarters (HQ), Reference and Regional Labs including spend contracted by HQ which may be distributed to satellite locations (Patients Service Centres).

The LifeLabs Code of Conduct, Conflict of Interest Policy and Whistleblower Policy applies to all LifeLabs officers and employees. It also extends to other parties acting on behalf of LifeLabs such as consultants, the Board of Directors, or other representatives of LifeLabs. A review of LifeLabs Code of Conduct, Conflict of Interest Policy and Whistleblower Policy is included in the orientation plan for all new employees.

We collect our actual energy consumption data through utility bills and track it using a third-party computer software, which converts the consumption to greenhouse gas emissions – measured in carbon dioxide equivalents using the GHG Protocol methodology.

• 14,652,197 kWh of electricity were consumed in 2022 at LifeLabs’ four main laboratories (Burnaby, Surrey, Toronto, Mississauga).
• 12,298 GJ of natural gas and 6,656 litres of diesel were consumed in 2022 at LifeLabs’ four main laboratories (Burnaby, Surrey, Toronto, Mississauga).

We collected data from a number of our regional labs and patient service centers and extrapolated the data so we have estimated values for all of these locations.

• 4,446,371 kWh of electricity and 7,279 GJ of natural gas were estimated to be consumed in 2022 at LifeLabs’ regional laboratories.
• 10,853,880 kWh of electricity and 52,896 GJ of natural gas were estimated to be consumed in 2022 at LifeLabs’ patient service centers, nationally.

Combining actual data from our four main laboratories and estimates from our regional labs and patient service centers, the totals are as follows:

• 2022 Total Natural gas (estimated): 72,473 GJ
• 2022 Total Electricity Consumed (estimated): 25,952,448 kWh
• 2022 Total Diesel consumed (estimated): 6,656 litres

Water management at LifeLabs is an important issue because laboratory testing and equipment require large volumes of water. Water is withdrawn from the municipal water systems at all our locations, and the majority of the water is consumed by lab operations. Non contaminated wastewater is discharged through the municipal sanitary sewers. Any contaminated wastewater as a result of our operations is either collected and disposed of via a chemical waste hauler or treated using an ozone treatment system before entering the municipal sanitary sewer. We follow local guidelines for our wastewater and test the water on a monthly basis to ensure compliance.

Additionally, we complete risk assessments on all instruments and equipment prior to use in the laboratory to ensure we know the appropriate waste stream and disposal method.

LifeLabs is committed to reducing our consumption of natural resources, including water, and reducing the amount of pollution generated by our operations, as per our Environmental Policy.

In addition to comments in 303-1, LifeLabs is committed to having all effluent align with municipal regulations. Wastewater is collected from our major labs and analyzed for due diligence purposes and compared to municipal guidelines. LifeLabs had no regulatory violations, orders or fines for wastewater discharge issues in 2022.
We do not currently have accurate estimates for water use from regional labs and patients service centers.

In 2022, our main laboratories (Burnaby, Surrey, Toronto, Mississauga) withdrew 57,507,374 litres of water from third-party municipal sources. Withdrawals did not occur from areas in which are water stressed.
We do not currently have accurate estimates for water use from regional labs and patients service centers.

In 2022, our main laboratories (Burnaby, Surrey, Toronto, Mississauga) discharged 57,507,374 litres of water into third-party municipal sources. Discharges did not occur from areas in which are water stressed. Water quality is measured on a monthly basis and continues to meet all provincial, regional, and federal requirements.
We do not currently have accurate estimates for water use from regional labs and patients service centers.

Although water is used in LifeLabs operations, it is estimated that water withdrawn is equal to water discharged. We consider water used in cafeterias and by staff as negligible.

We have been tracking our greenhouse gas emissions and collecting corresponding data for our four main laboratories and national operations for which we also have operational control.
We collected data from a number of our regional labs and patient service centers and extrapolated the data, so we have estimated values for all of these locations.
In 2022, LifeLabs had the following Scope 1 (direct) CO2e emissions:

Courier and mobile services vehicles nationally

• Vehicle mileage: 21,135,713 km
• Vehicle CO2e: 5,019 tonnes

Main laboratories (Burnaby, Surrey, Mississauga, Toronto)

• Fuel (natural gas) CO2e: 439 tonnes
• Diesel CO2e: 17.9 tonnes

Regional Laboratories (estimated)

• Fuel (natural gas) CO2e: 384 tonnes

Patient Service Centers (estimated)

• Fuel (natural gas) CO2e: 2,791 tonnes

Total 2022 Scope 1 Emissions (estimated):

• CO2e: 8,651.9 tonnes

Our reported CO2e emissions are based on the most current and up to date emission factors and may change annually. We are continuously improving our GHG emission tracking and data management; we aim to track and include additional emissions sources as the data becomes available, which may mean collecting and including data from previous years. This method will allow us to most accurately view our emissions and trends to set company-wide emissions goals.

We have been tracking our greenhouse gas emissions and collecting corresponding data for our four main laboratories and national operations for which we also have operational control.
We collected data from a number of our regional labs and patient service centers and extrapolated the data, so we have estimated values for all of these locations.
In 2022, LifeLabs had the following Scope 1 (direct) CO2e emissions:

Main laboratories (Burnaby, Surrey, Mississauga, Toronto)

• Electricity CO2e: 385 tonnes

Regional Laboratories (estimated)

• Electricity CO2e: 113 tonnes

Patient Service Centers (estimated)

• Electricity CO2e: 276 tonnes

Total 2022 Scope 2 Emissions (estimated):

• Electricity CO2e: 774 tonnes

In 2022, LifeLabs had the following Scope 3 (indirect, other) CO2e emissions:

Business Travel:

• Air mileage: 2,977,010 km
• Air CO2e: 296 tonnes

Main laboratories (Burnaby, Surrey, Mississauga, Toronto):

• Water CO2e: 8.57 tonnes
• Non-hazardous waste CO2e: -821 tonnes
• Hazardous waste CO2e: 1,745 tonnes
• Total waste (hazardous and non-hazardous) CO2e: 924 tonnes

Water is withdrawn from the municipal water systems at all our locations. At our main labs the majority of the water is consumed by lab operations, and our wastewater is discharged through the municipal sanitary sewers. It is estimated that water withdrawn is equal to water discharged. Water is currently not reused by LifeLabs and is instead sent for treatment through the municipal system.

In 2022, our four main laboratories in Burnaby and Surrey in BC, and Mississauga and Toronto in ON discharged 57,507,374 litres of water to municipal sources for treatment. Water mixed with chemical waste during lab operations is either treated using our ozone treatment system before entering the municipal sanitary sewer for further treatment downstream, or it is collected onsite for third party waste haulage. We follow local guidelines for our wastewater and test the water to ensure compliance with local and municipal regulations.

The primary activities that generate waste at LifeLabs are the activities associated with biological laboratory diagnostics, resulting in large volumes of chemical and biohazardous waste. At our major laboratories with ozone treatment systems, (Burnaby in BC, and Mississauga and Toronto in ON), we treat wastewater mixed with sodium azide via an ozone treatment system to minimize our chemical waste; an estimated 6.77 M litres per year is treated, about 12% of our total discharged water from these locations.

In 2022, 765 tonnes of biohazardous waste was produced by LifeLabs. Biohazardous waste is collected for third party waste haulage and is first treated with autoclave technology offsite, and then disposed of via landfill (BC, MB, SK) or waste-to-energy incineration (ON). In 2022, 114 tonnes of chemical waste was produced by LifeLabs. Chemical waste is collected for third party waste haulage and is first treated using various methods based on material type (e.g. incineration, aqueous treatment) and then finally disposed of in landfill.

Our non-hazardous waste disposal methods vary by material type and is tracked for our 4 major labs (2 in BC, 2 in ON), in 2022:

• 56.6 tonnes of cardboard were recycled (open loop)
• 30.8 tonnes of organics were composted
• 362 tonnes of garbage were landfilled
• 134 tonnes of paper were shredded and recycled (closed loop)
• 0.812 tonnes of soft plastic were recycled (open loop)
• 0.521 tonnes of Styrofoam were recycled (open loop)
• 103 tonnes of mixed recycling were recycled (open loop)
• 1.48 tonnes of toner cartridges were recycled (open loop)
• 9.2 tonnes of WEEE (IT equipment, batteries, and laboratory equipment) were recycled closed loop

The waste disposal method for each of the above was confirmed by the associated third-party waste hauler (contractor) who manages the transportation from LifeLabs site and the disposal of waste off-site. The volumes of waste are provided by each third-party contractor through monthly invoices and reports. Data is monitored on a monthly basis for trends, discrepancies, and anomalies.

To limit the waste generated at LifeLabs, we diligently work with our suppliers and internal teams to reduce the amount of waste, both up and downstream. Where possible, waste is reused, reduced, recycled, or donated to limit the amount landfilled.

We do not currently possess sufficiently accurate estimates for waste from regional labs and patient services centers.

In 2022, LifeLabs had no significant spills.

LifeLabs generated a total of 1,578 tonnes of waste (both hazardous and non-hazardous) in 2022 at our four main laboratories (Burnaby, Surrey, Mississauga, Toronto). Data has been compiled from waste summaries provided by vendors and through invoices.

Total weight of diverted non-hazardous waste: 336 tonnes, approximately 21.3% of all waste generated or 48.1% of all non-hazardous waste generated. Below are the volumes of diverted, non-hazardous waste, by material type:

• Corrugated Box (cardboard): 56.6 tonnes
• Organics: 30.8 tonnes
• Paper: 134 tonnes
• Plastic (Bags and Other Film): 0.812 tonnes
• Plastic (Polystyrene, Styrofoam): 0.521 tonnes
• Recyclables (Mixed): 103 tonnes
• Toner Cartridges: 1.48 tonnes
• WEEE (IT Equipment, Batteries, and Laboratory Equipment): 9.20 tonnes

The waste disposal method for each of the above was confirmed by the waste disposal contactor, who manages the transportation from site and disposal of waste off-site. The volumes of waste are provided by each contractor through monthly invoices and reports.

• Recycle: 306 tonnes
• Compost: 30.8 tonnes

We do not currently have accurate estimates for waste from regional labs and patient services centers.

LifeLabs generated a total of 1,578 tonnes of waste (both hazardous and non-hazardous) in 2022 at our four main laboratories (Burnaby, Surrey, Mississauga, Toronto). Data has been compiled from waste summaries provided by vendors and through invoices.

The total weight of non-diverted, non-hazardous waste was 1,241 tonnes, approximately 78.7% of the total waste generated. Below are the volumes of non-diverted waste, by material type:

• Chemical waste (hazardous): 114 tonnes
• Biohazardous waste (hazardous): 765 tonnes
• Garbage/Landfill (non-hazardous): 362 tonnes

All hazardous waste is managed according to regulatory standards and is either incinerated with energy recovery or landfilled. All waste is managed off-site with third party vendors. Chemical waste is treated, using different methods based on material type (e.g. incineration, aqueous treatment) and then finally disposed of in landfill. Our biohazardous waste is first treated with autoclave technology, it is then disposed of via landfill (BC, MB, SK) or waste-to-energy incineration (ON).

Majority of the waste that LifeLabs produces is from the analysis of laboratory samples for diagnostic purposes, resulting in a large volume of chemical and biohazardous waste (see next section) as well as plastic chemical containers and cartridges. The downstream impacts of the organization’s non-hazardous waste stream are mitigated through source elimination, reuse, separation, recycling, and energy recovery where possible.

We do not currently have accurate estimates for waste from regional labs and patient services centers.

LifeLabs commits to fully complying with all applicable environmental regulations at the federal, provincial and municipal levels. We did not receive any fines or orders for environmental non-compliance in 2022.

LifeLabs does not report specific numbers or percentages related to environmental screening, however our procurement processes do include specific environmental criteria against which all major equipment and consumable purchases are assessed.

Occupational health and safety management system elements have been implemented that meet the Occupational Health and Safety Act and Occupational Health and Safety Regulations of BC, SK, and ON. LifeLabs has an internal Environmental Sustainability and Health & Safety team of professionals to responsible for the management system elements. The occupational health and safety system is not based on a formal management system standard.

The occupational health and safety management system elements applies to all employees across the organization within our own workplaces e.g. our offices, laboratories and patient service centres; to employees who perform work at workplaces not under our control e.g. Mobile Lab Patient Technicians who perform phlebotomy at Long Term Care homes, couriers who pick up specimens from hospitals and physician offices; and to workers who are not employees but perform work at our worksites e.g. facility contractors and laboratory equipment service technicians.

LifeLabs conducts risk assessments to review current and newly proposed projects, processes, and equipment. The processes are broken down step by step to identify hazards, assess the severity and frequency of risks, and identify controls to reduce unacceptable health and safety risks. The hierarchy of controls is followed to reduce risks and develop control recommendations. Depending on the processes being evaluated, risk assessments take the form of a 5×5 matrix of severity and frequency, and by assessing risk using Failure Mode Effects Analysis using a 3×10 matrix to assess severity, frequency, and detection of potential failure modes. Risk assessment teams are assembled and depending on the nature of the process or project being assessed, will include subject matter experts from operations, the Health & Safety team, and other support functions like Quality and Regulatory Affairs, Medical Sciences, Facilities, Privacy, and IT. Recommendations and additional controls are implemented when needs are identified to further reduce health and safety risks.

LifeLabs has an online system for reporting of workplace hazards and incidents. The online hazard and incident reporting system is accessible through a link from the homepage of the LifeLabs intranet.

Hazards: Workers are encouraged to report hazards as the organization promotes hazard reporting as a way address hazards before the hazard can injure someone. Supervisors investigate and implement corrective actions for the hazard reports they receive through the online system. Another way for workers to report hazards is through the monthly inspections that are conducted at the worksites. Monthly inspections are conducted by Employee Health & Safety Reps or Joint Health and Safety Committee members, and hazards and deficiencies are documented. Corrective actions are implemented for each hazard or deficiency identified to eliminate or control the risks. Workers have the right to refuse work they believe to be unsafe and the organization has a procedure and formalized process for workers to report unsafe work, for supervisors to investigate, for employee health and safety representatives or Joint Health and Safety Committee members to participate in the investigation, and to involve provincial health and safety regulatory officers if required. Workers are protected against reprisals as part of the provincial Workers Compensation Act and a statement that reprisals are prohibited is specified within LifeLabs procedures.

Incidents:Work related incidents are reported through the same online reporting system as above. The incidents are investigated by supervisors to identify root cause and corrective actions to prevent re-occurrence. Investigations are documented on the online system.

Hazards, incidents, and audit results are reviewed by the Health & Safety team and relevant information is shared back with the organization in the form of reminders, alerts, safety talks, and the monthly metric reports.

LifeLabs has an internal Environmental Sustainability and Health & Safety (EHS) team made of safety professionals that provide advice and guidance to the organization to reduce health and safety risks. The EHS team reviews and undertakes continual improvement of the health and safety programs and procedures for health and safety training, chemical and biological safety, ergonomic hazards, equipment & electrical safety, personal protective equipment, Transportation of Dangerous Goods, facilitation and training of Joint Health and Safety Committees and Employee Health & Safety representatives, Violence Prevention, inspections, risk assessments, hazard and incident reporting, and emergency response and preparedness. Employees can reach the EHS team through a general email address, or through their Employee Health & Safety or Joint Health and Safety Committee representative at their site. Employees and contractors receive training which involves all of the above programs, procedures, and policies.

Workers participate in the occupational health and safety management system through their participation as Health and Safety representatives (HSRs) and through the Joint Health and Safety Committees (JHSCs). While all employees are represented by their site’s HSR(s), some locations may be required to form a JHSC together with management depending on the size of the location based on provincial regulation; the JHSC meeting frequency is determined by provincial requirements, either monthly or quarterly at a minimum.

An HSR is a volunteer position and is open to all workers who do not exercise managerial duties. They work with the employer to identify and solve health and safety concerns at the worksite. They promote awareness and interest in health and safety, and form an important part of the internal responsibility system by creating mutual accountability for health and safety. HSRs also provide support for the three basic rights: the right to know, the right to participate, and the right to refuse unsafe work. Both the Health and Safety representatives and Joint Health and Safety Committees at LifeLabs adhere to their respective provincial regulatory requirements; the responsibilities include

• Represent the Employee Health & Safety of all employees, and encourage employee participation in improving workplace incidents and improving overall workplace health and safety.
• Identify occupational hazards, and make recommendations to improve the workplace
• Review and comment on the effectiveness of the EHS Program SOPs and Training at least annually, or participate in stakeholder feedback when changes are occurring
• Make recommendations to improve the EHS Program using the LifeLabs EHS Recommendation Form
• Receive employees’ Employee Health & Safety concerns and suggestions and recommend solutions, escalating locally to Management or EHS directly, if necessary
• Conduct EHS Audits/Inspections on a monthly basis
• Investigate work refusals as required
• Investigate workplace incidents as required.
• Be present at the beginning of workplace health and safety testing.

The JHSCs are an advisory committee and provide recommendations to health and safety in the workplace to the Environmental Sustainability and Health & Safety (EHS) team, which is the decision-making authority regarding health and safety within LifeLabs. Throughout the year. we encourage all JHSC members to provide feedback for improving the programs. Workers can email the health and safety team to ask questions and suggest improvements to the program. The safety program also has a document/form that workers can complete to send feedback to the EHS team.

Occupational health and safety information is accessed and communicated through a number of mechanisms:

• Online learning management system includes health and safety modules
• Safety programs are housed online in ‘Paradigm’, which is a controlled online document database
• Health & Safety has its own webpages of information accessible on the company’s intranet pages
• The Safety Data Sheet database is accessible online from any LifeLabs computer
• Health & Safety articles are shared through the award-winning Leaders Digest which provides information to leaders at all levels, through the OneWeekly which is a weekly company newsletter, and through direct emails to staff and to Health and Safety representatives and Joint Health and Safety Committee members
• Annual health and safety training sessions are held for the health and safety representatives and joint health and safety committee members to attend across BC, SK and ON
• Each site is required to have a physical EHS Communication board with visibility for all employees. It contains the Environment, Employee Health & Safety, and Accessibility Policies; health and safety regulations and information; the completed EHS monthly checklists; any work orders or notices; safety reminders; relevant hazard or incident alerts; and newsletters.

In addition to our health and safety committees, LifeLabs has two “Employee Councils” (one in BC and one in ON) with the mandate to work in partnership with employees across the business, organizational leaders and Human Resources with the goal of contributing to make LifeLabs a great place to work. This is done by:

• Facilitating dialogue between employees and management
• Encouraging employees to express their ideas and opinions
• Openly communicating with respect and professionalism
• Creating opportunities for all employees to provide input into initiatives that impact the organization Employee Health & Safety is an important topic for Employee Council.

Workers complete online education modules specific to each health and safety program, and read through the health and safety standard operating procedures applicable to their roles.  Each business unit includes health and safety orientation for new employees relevant to their business function.

Training is delivered through a combination of online training and in-person training depending on the site and business unit. Depending on the training program and a worker’s role, training is taken at the beginning of employment and some courses are set up to be taken as refreshers. Online courses have knowledge check questions and competency quizzes that must be completed to ensure knowledge transfer.

Benefits are an important part of our employees’ Total Rewards package at LifeLabs. Our offering is competitive with the industry, and can include Extended Health Care, Out-of-Country, Dental Care, Basic Life and AD&D, Short Term Disability, Long Term Disability, Critical Illness, Optional Life & AD&D, and covers over 85% of employees (full-time and regular part-time employees).

We have a robust wellness program that includes a wealth of resources and programs that are built around three pillars to address the total well-being of our employees (financial, physical, and emotional). Here are some examples of the offerings under each pillar:

• Financial – industry-leading retirement investments that are managed by trusted experts, access to financial advice/supports in a confidential setting, and preferred pricing on a variety of services and goods from our ‘perks’ vendors
• Physical – competitive benefits, plus exclusive access to a variety of services with special discount offers to help employees manage their current health status, and also take a proactive approach to their health and well-being with services around fitness, lifestyle, nutrition and more
• Emotional – supports to help our employees manage their mental health and wellness, achieve a sense of work-life balance, or get recognized by their team at work and in the community.

These services and programs are easily accessed by employees directly from our vendor platforms, and are heavily promoted through our regular communications channels so they are aware of what’s available.

Health and safety risks, expectations, and requirements are built directly into the strategic sourcing and procurement process as we work with different business partners. We work as a multi-stakeholder, multi-discipline team to make purchasing decisions. New business services and equipment are reviewed for health, safety, and environmental risks as part of the selection process; we evaluate under a variety of criteria, including but not limited to: hazardous and non-hazardous waste, water and byproducts, air emissions and air quality, energy, sustainability, environment, social, and governance

Occupational health and safety management system elements have been implemented that meet the Occupational Health and Safety Act and Occupational Health and Safety Regulations of BC, SK, and ON. The occupational health and safety system is not based on a formal management system standard. The health and safety system elements applies to all LifeLabs employees and to contractors whose workplace is controlled by the organization.

In 2022, LifeLabs employees has had 0 fatalities and 0 cases of high consequence work related injuries.

The recordable work-related injury rate for 2022 was 2.49 and there were 146 recordable work-related injuries. The injury rate is based on the OSHA incident rate formula based on 200,000 hours worked. In 2022 there were 11,709,570 worked hours.*

Top three injury types were:

• Needle stick (31%)
• Slips/trips/falls (20%)
• Ergonomics (16%)

*Note that in the 2021 GRI, LifeLabs reported calculating hours different from that of the Workers Compensation Board, and only included hours where an employee is at risk of injury and conducting work for the organization. LifeLabs does calculate hours based on total payroll and average pay per hour – including vacation pay, statutory holiday pay, sick pay, and leaves.

In 2022, LifeLabs has had 0 fatalities and 1 case of recordable work-related ill health.

Work-related hazards related to ill-health come from interacting with patients who may have communicable diseases and with the lab specimens provided by these patients. Risk assessments for patients and for lab samples have been conducted. Controls to reduce risk if illness included use of biosafety cabinets, safety engineered medical devices, shielding, training and SOPs, workstation layout, and personal protective equipment

As of December 2022, the average hours of training per employee in 2022 was 7 hours. This includes online and in-person training hours tracked in our company-wide learning management system.

Leaders completed additional leadership development training hours for an average of 7.8 hours per people leader (about 397 people leaders as of Dec 2022).

LifeLabs provides employees with assistance in upgrading employee skills, through the My Performance Management Process. It provides a framework to support our employees and leaders in defining and prioritizing work for the year including strategic and development goals. It helps clarify expectations, provide regular opportunities to discuss progress with employees, share feedback for improving and accelerating employee performance and identify and address barriers to success through ongoing development.

In 2022, the organization launched LifeLabs LinkedIn Learning Corner, allowing employees and leaders to access resources that enable their personal and professional development. This program provides a personalized learning experience in 7 different languages with a digital library of over 16,000 courses in a range of topics that suit their interests.

In the event of a career ending resulting from retirement or termination of employment, LifeLabs may offer continued employability programs, based on eligibility:

• Senior Leadership Learning Sessions
• Leading Through COVID facilitated sessions by Morneau Shepell
• Leading @ LifeLabs, a leadership development program for managers, supervisors, and individual contributors
• Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) facilitated sessions
• MyPerformance online learning program on performance management at LifeLabs.
• Competency training and assessments
• Customer Experience Transformation Program for Client Services
• LearningLabs online webinars from industry experts
• College of American Pathologists online learning

LifeLabs may also offer the following programs to support the management of career ending:

• Career Transition Program by Optimum Talent would be offered to employees who meet the eligibility requirements. This program is designed to support assistance with career planning, job search, resume preparation, interview coaching, networking strategies, and starting a new job.

Percentage of Employees* at year-end, who receive a regular performance/career development review* by gender and employee category:

• Female: 4823, 94% of female employees
• Male: 1486, 93% of male employees
• Full-time: 3387, 96% of full-time employees
• Part-time, Regular: 1839, 29% of part-time employees
• Part-time: 759, 12% of part-time employees
• Casual: 307, 94% of casual employees
• Temporary: 17, 7.2% of temporary employees

Of the total 6718 employees, 6309 (94%) received a regular performance/career development review.

*Employees would not receive a review if they are: on leave during the year and have not worked for 3 months, a new hire of less than 3 months, a temp worker, or a union employee.

Percentage of individuals within the organization’s governance bodies (ELT) by number & percentage:

• Female: 3, 50%
• Male: 3, 50%

Number & percentage of employees in a leadership role (director level and above):

• Female: 29, 48%
• Male: 32, 52%

Number & percentage of employees by gender:

• Female: 5112, 76%
• Male: 1606, 24%

In 2022, LifeLabs had 90% completion rate for the Employee Health & Safety Policies sign-off (accessibility policy, environment policy, Employee Health & Safety policy, respect in the workplace, and workplace violence policy); and a 94% completion rate for the Ethical Framework Policies sign-off (code of conduct, confidentiality policy, conflict of interest, cyber security & IT acceptable use policy, facility physical security policy, fraud policy, and whistleblower policy).

LifeLabs cannot accurately track the number of hours spent by employees in specific training sections of our online training platform, MyDevelopment

Caring is one of our core values at LifeLabs, and it is important to our organization and employees that we care for the health and wellbeing not only of our team members and patients, but for the communities they are part of here in Canada, and abroad.
In 2022, LifeLabs and its employees donated over $22,000 to nonprofit organizations

LifeLabs does not report specific numbers or percentages related to social screening, however our procurement processes do include specific social criteria against which suppliers are assessed.

No warnings, penalties, or fines were issued concerning the health and safety impacts of our products and services.

LifeLabs offers services and does not manufacture or distribute products. Therefore, this is not relevant to our organization.