MEDICINE

Contract for Zee: Zee Medical, an Irvine-based subsidiary of the McKesson Corp., said it has entered a one-year renewable contract to distribute informational materials on workplace safety produced by the National Safety Council.

The council is a voluntary organization based in Chicago that promotes accident prevention and is considered an authority on workplace safety.

Zee Medical, best known for selling first-aid kits, said the contract will help it reach out to more small-to-medium-size firms.

The company will sell National Safety Council brochures, manuals, posters and magazine subscriptions through a nationwide network of distributors. The 81 distributors market Zee Medical products to about 300,000 businesses with work forces of 25 to 150 employees.

While the contract with the National Safety Council is a relatively small one for Zee Medical--expected to generate $3 million in revenue for the company in the first year--company President Daniel J. Taylor said he expects it will propel the company’s efforts to expand into accident prevention training and counseling.

“The National Safety Council alliance will be very helpful for us,” Taylor said.

He noted that while large companies normally have safety directors on staff, many of the smaller companies that are Zee Medical’s customers lack accident prevention expertise.

Besides printed literature, Taylor said that Zee Medical will be promoting National Safety Council instructional programs offered to workers on subjects ranging from back safety to defensive driving.