At iRobot, we take the safety of every employee seriously. All injuries (including near misses) are tracked and reported as part of a job hazard analysis. The company takes tremendous pride in a near-zero level of OSHA reportable injuries. First aid training is conducted at our US sites, as well as at other facilities around the world. To ensure best practice and continually review safety practices, a Safety Committee, which is led by the facilities group and includes members of iRobot’s laboratory team, meets bi-monthly. In addition, specific lab safety training is conducted in both the Bedford and Pasadena offices, which includes specific annual woodshop training consisting of up to two educational sessions per week over a six-week period.
iRobot has partnered with E.L. Harvey for a sound solution to iRobot’s solid waste and recycling needs. E.L. Harvey handles single-stream recycling, in which all paper products, plastics, tin cans, aluminum and glass are collected and brought back to their recycling facility where they are sorted through a combination of automated processes and manual handling for quality assurance. In terms of electronic recycling, the total amount in weight collected this year from iRobot’s Bedford headquarters alone has been over 1,500 lbs. of batteries utilizing Green Network Exchange.
iRobot also engages Shred-it for best-practice in information security and privacy protection. The 2020 numbers are as follows:
iRobot supports its employees who make sustainable environmental decisions. These activities have historically been developed and supported at a local office level. Here are two examples:
iRobot has embraced this trend and added 20 EV charging stations on site, located in two different areas of its Bedford headquarters campus facility.
Hanging bicycle racks were installed in multiple entranceways across its Bedford campus.
As part of the Middlesex 3 Coalition, iRobot makes a shuttle available to and from Cambridge, Massachusetts, which helps reduce overall regional traffic and provides a more affordable, sustainable commuting alternative.
iRobot has formed a sustainability committee composed of employees across the company. The newly formed committee has focused on reducing solid waste on the campus and is advancing a pilot program aimed at replacing single use utensils, cups and plates with reusable items.
As a new space, the recently refurbished office is outfitted with dimmable lights and motion sensors/detectors, which helps improve overall energy efficiency and cost savings.
iRobot’s London office building received the 2019 Environmental Green Apple Gold Award for Environmental Best Practice as a result of recycling in excess of 70% of the waste produced on site. Recycling activities at this office include cardboard, batteries, plastics, paper and cans. In addition, the company uses the Nespresso recyclable coffee system and coffee pods and participates in the HP Planet Partners program for recyclable printer toner.
At the canteen, there is no plastic or paper crockery and cutlery – even larger corporate events use proper, non-disposable items instead of disposable dishware, glassware or silverware.
The office has contracted with a plant supplier to allow for a greener, healthier business environment.
