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                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                             Washington, D.C. 20549


                                    Form 11-K


Annual Report Pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

For the Twelve-Month Period Ended December 31, 1997

Commission File No. 0-20165

A. Full title of the plan and the address of the plan if different from that of
   the issuer named below:

        STERIS Corporation 401(k) Plan and Trust

B. Name of issuer of securities held pursuant to the plan and the address of its
   principal executive office:

        STERIS Corporation
        5960 Heisley Road
        Mentor, Ohio  44060


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                                        Annual Report


                                        STERIS CORPORATION 401(K) PLAN
                                        AND TRUST


                                        December 31, 1997 and 1996


                                        Plan Sponsor
                                        STERIS CORPORATION
                                        5960 Heisley Road
                                        Mentor, Ohio 44060


                                        Plan Administrator
                                        STERIS CORPORATION
                                        5960 Heisley Road
                                        Mentor, Ohio 44060


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                    STERIS Corporation 401(k) Plan and Trust

                          Audited Financial Statements

                           December 31, 1997 and 1996


                                    CONTENTS


REQUIRED INFORMATION

Report of Independent Auditors...............................................  1


FINANCIAL STATEMENTS PROVIDED

Statements of Net Assets Available for Benefits, with Fund
     Information as of December 31, 1997 and 1996............................  2
Statement of Changes in Net Assets Available for Plan Benefits,
    with Fund Information as of December 31, 1997............................  4
Notes to Financial Statements................................................  5


SCHEDULES

Item 27(a)--Schedule of Assets Held for Investment Purposes.................. 10
Item 27(d)--Schedule of Reportable Transactions.............................. 11


EXHIBITS

Exhibit 23--Consent of Independent Auditors.................................. 12


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                         Report of Independent Auditors


Board of Directors
STERIS Corporation
Mentor, Ohio

We have audited the accompanying statements of net assets available for benefits
of STERIS Corporation 401(k) Plan and Trust (the "Plan") as of December 31, 1997
and 1996, and the related statement of changes in net assets available for
benefits for the year ended December 31, 1997. These financial statements are
the responsibility of the Plan's management. Our responsibility is to express an
opinion on these financial statements based on our audits.

We conducted our audits in accordance with generally accepted auditing
standards. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain
reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material
misstatement. An audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting
the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. An audit also includes
assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by
management, as well as evaluating the overall financial statement presentation.
We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

In our opinion, the financial statements referred to above present fairly, in
all material respects, the net assets available for benefits of the Plan at
December 31, 1997 and 1996, and the changes in its net assets available for
benefits for the year ended December 31, 1997, in conformity with generally
accepted accounting principles.

Our audits were performed for the purpose of forming an opinion on the financial
statements taken as a whole. The accompanying supplemental schedules of assets
held for investment purposes as of December 31, 1997 and reportable transactions
for the year then ended, are presented for purposes of complying with the
Department of Labor's Rules and Regulations for Reporting and Disclosure under
the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, and are not a required part
of the financial statements. The fund information in the statements of net
assets available for benefits at December 31, 1997 and 1996 and changes in net
assets available for benefits for the year ended December 31, 1997 is presented
for purposes of additional analysis rather than to present the changes in net
assets available for benefits of each fund. The supplemental schedules and fund
information have been subjected to the auditing procedures applied in our audits
of the financial statements and, in our opinion, are fairly stated, in all
material respects, in relation to the financial statements taken as a whole.

                                                Ernst & Young LLP

                                                Cleveland, Ohio
                                                July 19, 1998


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                               STERIS Corporation
                              401(k) Plan and Trust

      Statement of Net Assets Available for Benefits, with Fund Information

                                December 31, 1997


Victory Victory Victory Investment STERIS Stock Balanced Quality EB Magic Stock Participant Index Fund Fund Bond Fund Fund Fund Loans Total - ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ASSETS Investments: STERIS Corporation common shares $8,507,199 $ 8,507,199 Mutual funds $30,567,888 $11,791,413 $875,750 43,235,051 Common/collective trusts $8,265,813 8,265,813 Participant loans receivable $1,787,987 1,787,987 Other investments 5,246 5,246 - ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Total investments 30,567,888 11,791,413 875,750 8,265,813 8,512,445 1,787,987 61,801,296 Accrued income 4 2 38,377 338 38,721 Employee contributions receivable 116,912 48,290 10,158 47,941 56,358 279,659 Employer contributions receivable 266,355 114,551 26,069 123,834 149,141 679,950 - ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Total assets 30,951,159 11,954,256 911,977 8,475,965 8,718,282 1,787,987 62,799,626 LIABILITIES Accrued purchase of investments 154,271 88,979 10,736 (10,202) 243,784 Net transfers pending (37,360) (40,689) (578) 58,143 (2,033) 22,517 - ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- NET ASSETS AVAILABLE FOR BENEFITS $30,834,248 $11,905,966 $901,819 $8,428,024 $8,720,315 $1,765,470 $62,555,842 ==================================================================================================================================
See notes to financial statements. 2 6 STERIS Corporation 401(k) Plan and Trust Statement of Net Assets Available for Benefits, with Fund Information December 31, 1996
Victory Victory Victory Investment STERIS Stock Balanced Quality EB Magic Stock Participant Index Fund Fund Bond Fund Fund Fund Loans Total - ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ASSETS Investments: STERIS Corporation common shares $6,141,069 $ 6,141,069 Mutual funds $22,004,849 $9,008,960 $457,373 31,471,182 Common/collective trusts $6,642,459 6,642,459 Participant loans receivable $1,713,003 1,713,003 Other investments 9,934 20,903 348 381 59,311 90,877 - ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Total investments 22,014,783 9,029,863 457,721 6,642,840 6,200,380 1,713,003 46,058,590 Employee contributions receivable 110 25 98,163 360 98,658 Employer contribution receivable 200,569 91,264 19,500 133,066 72,695 517,094 - ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Total assets 22,215,462 9,121,152 477,221 6,874,069 6,273,435 1,713,003 46,674,342 LIABILITIES Accrued purchase of investments 122 381 503 Accrued expenses 17,716 19,321 549 2,173 3,401 43,160 - ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- NET ASSETS AVAILABLE FOR BENEFITS $22,197,746 $9,101,831 $476,550 $6,871,515 $6,270,034 $1,713,003 $46,630,679 =======================================================================================================================
See notes to financial statements. 3 7 STERIS Corporation 401(k) Plan and Trust Statement of Changes in Net Assets Available for Benefits, with Fund Information For the Year Ended December 31, 1997
Victory Victory Victory Investment STERIS Stock Balanced Quality EB Magic Stock Participant Index Fund Fund Bond Fund Fund Fund Loans Total - ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ADDITIONS Employee contributions $ 3,250,112 $ 1,389,316 $297,849 $1,516,332 $1,725,352 $ 8,178,961 Employer contributions 1,025,626 451,898 98,790 520,019 540,813 2,637,146 Investment income 2,124,451 899,354 37,564 306,301 4,005 $ 150,024 3,521,699 Transfer from other plan 429,486 429,486 - ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Total additions 6,400,189 2,740,568 434,203 2,772,138 2,270,170 150,024 14,767,292 DEDUCTIONS Distributions to participants 2,695,952 985,502 187,831 1,564,947 661,012 170,660 6,265,904 Expenses 49,096 22,374 868 3,859 15,727 91,924 - ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Total deductions 2,745,048 1,007,876 188,699 1,568,806 676,739 170,660 6,357,828 Net realized and unrealized appreciation in fair value of investments 5,034,461 916,484 18,320 193,935 1,352,499 7,515,699 Net investment transfers (53,100) 154,959 161,445 159,242 (495,649) 73,103 - ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Net additions 8,636,502 2,804,135 425,269 1,556,509 2,450,281 52,467 15,925,163 Net assets available for benefits at beginning of year 22,197,746 9,101,831 476,550 6,871,515 6,270,034 1,713,003 46,630,679 - ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- NET ASSETS AVAILABLE FOR BENEFITS AT END OF YEAR $30,834,248 $11,905,966 $901,819 $8,428,024 $8,720,315 $1,765,470 $62,555,842 =============================================================================================================================
See notes to financial statements. 4 8 STERIS Corporation 401(k) Plan and Trust Notes to Financial Statements December 31, 1997 and 1996 A. DESCRIPTION OF THE PLAN The following brief description of the STERIS Corporation 401(k) Plan and Trust (the "Plan") is provided for general information purposes only. Participants should refer to the Plan document for complete information regarding the Plan's definitions, benefits, eligibility, and other matters. GENERAL The Plan, which became effective April 1, 1992, is a contributory plan available to all employees of STERIS Corporation (the "Company" or "STERIS") who have completed three months of service and have attained the age of 18 (21 prior to June 30, 1996). Employee participation in the Plan is voluntary and enrollment in the Plan is permitted on the first day of each January, April, July, and October (an "Entry Date"). The Plan is subject to certain provisions of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 ("ERISA") and the Internal Revenue Code. On May 1, 1996, STERIS and Amsco International, Inc. (Amsco) shareholders approved the Restated Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of December 16, 1995 and restated as of March 28, 1996, pursuant to which a newly-formed, wholly-owned subsidiary of STERIS was merged with and into Amsco, with Amsco becoming a wholly-owned subsidiary of STERIS, via the issuance of 0.46 STERIS Common Share for each outstanding share of Amsco Common Stock. Effective as of June 30, 1996, the Plan was amended and the Amsco 401(k) Tax Deferred Savings Plan (the "Amsco Plan") was merged into the Plan. Also on June 30, 1996, the equity of all participants and beneficiaries in the Amsco Plan as of the date of the merger was transferred to the Plan. Effective July 1, 1997, the Surgicot Profit Sharing and 401(k) Plan (the "Surgicot Plan") was merged into the Plan. Also on July 1, 1997, the equity of all participants and beneficiaries in the Surgicot Plan as of the date of the merger was transferred to the Plan. CONTRIBUTIONS A participant is permitted to contribute not less than 1 percent and not more than 10 percent of his/her compensation received during a calendar year. All contributions made by a participant must be "before-tax" deferred compensation contributions. 5 9 STERIS Corporation 401(k) Plan and Trust Notes to Financial Statements--Continued A. DESCRIPTION OF THE PLAN--CONTINUED Effective as of October 1, 1996, the Company may make matching discretionary contributions to a participant's account. The level of matching contributions is determined quarterly by the Company. Employer contributions are allocated to each participant's account in accordance with the investment election choices made by the participant. For the year ended December 31, 1997, the Company made a 50% matching contribution in cash on employee contributions on the first 6% of eligible participant compensation. Participants are fully vested in Company matching contributions at such time as the contribution is made. PARTICIPANT ACCOUNTS Each participant may direct their contributions to be invested in 5 percent increments in any combination of the following investment options: EB Magic Fund, Victory Stock Index Fund, Victory Balanced Fund, Victory Investment Quality Bond Fund or STERIS Corporation common stock. The allocation of a participant's contributions to these investment funds is selected by the participant and may be changed on each entry date. A participant may elect to have a portion or all of the balance of his prior contributions (in increments of 5 percent) transferred from any fund in which it is invested to any other fund. Separate accounts are maintained for each participant showing each type of contribution and the interest of each participant in the various funds. The fund provides participants the opportunity to apply for a loan up to 50% of that participants balance, not to exceed $50,000. At December 31, 1997 and 1996, $0 and $29,442 had been allocated to participants who have withdrawn from the Plan. VESTING AND PAYMENT OF BENEFITS Participant contributions, with all earnings and appreciation thereon, are fully vested at all times. A participant whose employment terminates due to death or retirement (including retirement on account of total and permanent disability) or for reasons other than death or retirement will be eligible for a distribution equal to the full amount of the separate accounts attributable to their participant contributions. 6 10 STERIS Corporation 401(k) Plan and Trust Notes to Financial Statements--Continued A. DESCRIPTION OF THE PLAN--CONTINUED The Company, by action of its Board of Directors and without approval of its shareholders, has the right to amend, suspend, or terminate the Plan in its entirety. If the Plan is terminated, all amounts credited to a participant's account will be paid to such participant as directed by the Company. PLAN EXPENSES Costs incident to the purchase and sale of securities, such as brokerage commissions and stock transfer taxes, are paid by the respective funds. All other general and administrative expenses incurred in the administration of the Plan are charged against the respective funds, unless the employer elects to pay such amounts. The employer has elected to pay audit fees only. B. SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES Investments in the EB Magic Fund are stated at fair value as determined by the trustee based on the underlying investments held in the fund. Also, included in the EB Magic Fund at December 31, 1997 are two fully benefit responsive guaranteed investment contracts. These contracts are carried at contract value which approximates fair value. The average yield and crediting interest rate for the year ending December 31, 1997 was 8.15%. Interest rates are fixed. All contracts mature in 1999. All other investments are stated at fair value as measured by quoted prices in active markets. The preparation of financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the financial statements and accompanying notes. Actual results could differ from those estimates. C. TRANSACTIONS WITH PARTIES-IN-INTEREST Party-in-interest transactions include the investment in the special funds of the trustee and the payment of administrative expenses. The Plan purchased shares of common stock of the Company for $2,228,312 and sold shares of common stock of the Company for $1,017,410 for the year ended December 31, 1997. 7 11 STERIS Corporation 401(k) Plan and Trust Notes to Financial Statements--Continued D. INCOME TAX STATUS The Plan Administrator believes the Plan is in operational compliance with Internal Revenue Code (IRC) Section 401(a) and is, therefore, not subject to tax under IRC Section 501(a). The Plan Administrator has indicated that the Plan has been modeled after a prototype plan that has been accepted by the Internal Revenue Service. However, due to recent Plan amendments, the Plan Administrator intends to request in a timely manner a determination letter from the Internal Revenue Service. The tax exempt status of the Plan does not affect the taxability of distributions to participants. E. INVESTMENTS The Plan's investments are as follows:
Cost Fair Value --------------------------- December 31, 1997: Collective Investment Trusts of KeyBank National Association: *Employee Benefits Money Market Fund $ 5,246 $ 5,246 *EB Magic Fund 8,108,697 **8,265,813 Mutual Funds: Victory Stock Index Fund 24,642,217 **30,567,888 Victory Balanced Fund 10,658,814 **11,791,413 Victory Investment Quality Bond Fund 859,272 875,750 *STERIS Corporation common stock 5,086,037 **8,507,199 Participant loans 1,787,987 1,787,987 December 31, 1996: Collective Investment Trusts of KeyBank National Association: *Employee Benefits Money Market Fund 90,877 90,877 *EB Magic Fund 6,621,735 **6,642,459 Mutual Funds: Victory Stock Index Fund 20,429,677 **22,004,849 Victory Balanced Fund 8,629,253 **9,008,960 Victory Investment Quality Bond Fund 457,606 457,373 *STERIS Corporation common stock 3,692,619 **6,141,069 Participant loans 1,713,003 1,713,003
* Party-in-interest ** Investment representing five percent or more of the Plan's net assets available for benefits 8 12 STERIS Corporation 401(k) Plan and Trust Notes to Financial Statements--Continued G. SUBSEQUENT EVENTS Effective January 1, 1998, the Plan was amended and the Amsco Employees' Retirement Account (the "ERA Plan") was merged into the Plan. Also on January 1, 1998, the equity of all participants and beneficiaries in the ERA Plan as of the date of the merger was transferred to the Plan. F. YEAR 2000 ISSUE (UNAUDITED) STERIS Corporation has developed a plan to modify its internal information technology to be ready for the year 2000 and has begun converting critical data processing systems. The project also includes determining whether third party service providers have reasonable plans in place to become year 2000 compliant. STERIS Corporation currently expects the project to be substantially complete by early 1999. STERIS Corporation does not expect this project to have a significant effect on plan operations. 9 13 STERIS Corporation 401(k) Plan and Trust Form 5500, Item 27(a)--Schedule of Assets Held for Investment Purposes December 31, 1997
Cost Fair Value ---------------------------- Collective Investment Trusts of KeyBank National Association: *Employee Benefits Money Market Fund $ 5,246 $ 5,246 *EB Magic Fund 8,108,697 8,265,813 Mutual Funds: Victory Stock Index Fund 24,642,217 30,567,888 Victory Balanced Fund 10,658,814 11,791,413 Victory Investment Quality Bond Fund 859,272 875,750 *STERIS Corporation common stock 5,086,037 8,507,199 Participant loans 1,787,987 1,787,987
* Party-in-interest 10 14 STERIS Corporation 401(k) Plan and Trust Form 5500, Item 27(d)--Schedule of Reportable Transactions
Current Value of Asset on Net Number of Purchase Selling Cost of Transaction Gain or Transactions Description of Asset Price Price Asset Date (Loss) - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CATEGORY (III) SERIES OF TRANSACTIONS IN EXCESS OF 5% OF PLAN ASSETS 239 Employee Benefit Money $8,834,466 $8,834,466 $8,834,466 284 Market Fund $8,820,097 8,820,097 8,820,097 $ 0 93 STERIS Corporation Common 2,228,312 2,228,312 2,228,312 32 Stock 1,017,410 693,369 1,017,410 324,041 137 Victory Balanced Fund 3,466,582 3,466,582 3,466,582 91 1,600,613 1,437,021 1,600,613 163,592 132 Victory Stock Index Fund 7,433,291 7,433,291 7,433,291 103 3,904,713 3,220,751 3,904,713 683,962 125 EB Magic Fund 5,887,984 5,887,984 5,887,984 120 4,458,565 4,401,022 4,458,565 57,543
There were no category (i), (ii) or (iv) reportable transactions during the year ended December 31, 1997. 11 15 SIGNATURES THE PLAN. Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, the Plan has duly caused this annual report to be signed on their behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized. STERIS Corporation 401(k) Plan and Trust Dated: June 25, 1998 By: /s/ Laura L. Weien ------------------------------ Laura L. Weien Treasurer
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                                                                      Exhibit 23


                         Consent of Independent Auditors


We consent to the incorporation by reference in the Registration Statement (Form
S-8 No. 33-55976) pertaining to the STERIS Corporation 401(k) Plan and Trust of
our report dated June 19, 1998, with respect to the financial statements and
schedules of the STERIS Corporation 401(k) Plan and Trust included in this
Annual Report (Form 11-K) for the year ended December 31, 1997.

                                                Ernst & Young LLP

                                                Cleveland, Ohio
                                                July 19, 1998


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