APOblog

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, many Apotex employees have been working onsite at our manufacturing facilities, proudly supporting patients around the world. As COVID-19 spread, Apotex teams adapted to a new normal, including the Sanitation Department.

Troy Walton, a Custodian in the Sanitation Department at our North York, Ont., site, has been working at Apotex for five years. Throughout the pandemic, the Sanitation Team adjusted their routine as they continued to act as the first line of defense against contamination by maintaining a safe, clean work environment for all employees.

Troy starts his day before employees arrive for the morning shift to ensure high-traffic touch points such as employee entrances are sanitized before employees enter the building.

“Apotex has taken several precautions to minimize unnecessary face-to-face interactions between employees during the pandemic,” says Troy. “Throughout the day, I maintain my regular responsibilities with additional duties such as an increased number of wipe downs around the buildings.”

As Custodian, his focus is addressing high traffic and transitional spaces such as the cafeteria, washrooms and locker rooms. But most importantly, he performs a full-clean of these frequently used spaces during low-traffic times. From sanitizing and removing waste as well as replenishing dispensers with PPEs, hand sanitizer and soap, he ensures that as employees maneuvering throughout their day, they are moving through sanitized spaces.

“I feel good knowing my actions are helping not only my coworkers but also patients as I am directly supporting our company’s manufacturing departments,” says Troy. “I can’t help but feel like my daily tasks are essential to putting affordable medications on the market.”

Troy says one of the best parts of his role is that it has given him exposure to many aspects of the business operations first-hand as he has been assigned to a variety of locations and buildings. Because of this exposure, he is able to see how various departments operate day-to-day.

“I’ve learned a lot, and the best part is, there are many opportunities to learn even more,” says Troy. “I feel happy knowing that I am supported by my supervisors and coworkers because I am able to ask for help, voice my concerns and through that, gain new opportunities.”

In April 2020, Apotex committed to hiring hundreds of employees to fill a variety of roles, including Custodial positions, with close to 100 roles in the manufacturing and production area.

Are you looking to join a passionate, innovative team? Explore our open positions.