Workplace Health PromotionWorkplace health promotion and workplace wellness program blog

Health and safety at work are some of the very important issues companies and employees look for. Employers should consider the potential dangers that might be encountered by their employees and initiate action plans to prevent these dangers. As an employee, you should be aware of your own responsibilities in the workplace.

By knowing your duties and responsibilities, it will help you improve your health and safety in the workplace. Both workers and employers have their own legitimate duties and responsibilities to look after when working together. Employees who contribute to health and safety at work are most likely safer and healthy while working.

For employers, they should not treat disabled employees unfairly. In these cases, they have the responsibility to make reasonable adjustments in ensuring that the employee is not a disadvantage at the workplace.

In addition, training and educating your employees about safety in the workplace is important. For a safety training to be successful and actually result in a positive approach, you should take the often looked training as your validation for recommended training sessions.

Most training programs provide great and imparting basic information regarding hazards you may encounter at the workplace. These trainings are also diligent enough in ensuring employees can pass a written or oral tests related to health and safety at the workplace. The behavior change aspects of trainings require the following procedures that should be completed.

1. You should establish the right and proper behavior. You may write a performance-based behavioral learning objective that can describe your required behavior.

2. Trainings should be properly analyzed so that training goals about safety and health can be determined. In determining your approach, you should establish the future desired behavior.

3. Learning goals are needed to be broken into subset of smaller task or learning objectives. It only means that behavioral objectives should be of good conditions and standards.

4. Know if the trained employee is behaving according to the trained standards. You should know the employee’s knowledge by assessing him at the end of the course. It would only indicate how far the employee gains enough knowledge about safety and health at the workplace.

5. Employers are also required to take sickness certificates due to absences for being depressed or stressed seriously. It is important to inquire about the workers current problem and study the problems on what can be done to lessen the tension and depression.

6. Workers who complain do not need to be vocal and forceful about their concerns and unresolved issues. Approach the manager professionally and calmly to ensure all details are escalated in a good way.

7. Once an employee encountered injuries or he is at risks of suffering injury or health problems due to hazardous things acquired at the workplace, the employer should be responsible and should do something about it.

As an employer, you should always be sympathetic to your workers. Take concern about the risks of each employee’s health and safety at the workplace.

Employers must monitor employees and should provide them time to attend seminars and trainings to ensure that their health and safety is the main concern of the management.

Work is not as gruesome as we make it to be. In fact, like other stuff in our lives, we have the choice to work happily or sadly. A few tweaks here and there can make a huge difference in our work place. These days workplace wellness is quite a hot topic amongst office goers. Workplace wellness does not involve any heavy-duty concepts but a few age-old concepts that have been slightly tweaked for the modern day man.

Here are a few tips that will help you to increase your performance and decrease fatigue at work:

Breakfast like a king: This is a granny’s saying which says “breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper”. You need to remember that breakfast is the first meal of the day and it needs to be a good one. Your breakfast should be rich in carbohydrates and proteins to perk up your metabolism. Most people prefer cereal and milk with fruits. Suits fine as long as you have your regular vitamins and minerals. Breakfast also reduces work related fatigue and weight gain.

Caffeine: Most of us have uncountable cups of coffee at work. The coffee machine is nearby, there is stress at work and you need something to give you a zing. So what could be more convenient than coffee? However, you need to remember that coffee may give you an initial boost for a couple of hours but like all stimulants those hours are followed by lethargy and drowsiness. So too much of coffee really doesn’t make you fresh and instead leaves you tired in the long run. Try limiting your coffee to two cups a day and not more.

The desk jobs have limited the exercises and caused a lot of backache. Most of it is due to poor posture. So next time you catch your self slouching, correct your posture and keep your spine upright and use a chair with a cushion for your back. While standing, remember to balance your weight on both feet and keep the knees bent slightly. Remember to exercise daily.

Working for long hours can be tiring. So, you need to utilize your breaks to the maximum. Try some gentle stretching. You can also put your feet up and relax your calves and feet.

It’s not important to have three heavy meals. In fact the ideal thing is to have six to seven small meals that keep your energy high and lethargy at bay. Have a small snack in the interim and see your energy levels rise up.

Finally sleep well and peacefully. Avoid watching violent movies or reading disturbing literature before sleeping!

Remember, you need to enjoy everything you do if you want to lead a good life. Try these little tips and watch work become fun!

This Checklist should be used as a guide to assess your workplace health and safety risks. It is intended to assist you identify your ‘risk profile’ and ‘potential exposures’ and with identification to take appropriate action to minimise these risks and exposures.

Please answer the following question honestly by drawing a circle around or shading in the column. If you can only answer part of the question in the affirmative, then you should select ‘No’.

Workplace health and safety is every persons responsibility in the workplace. There are severe penalties for breaches of health and safety.

1. I have a written workplace health and safety policy statement Yes No

2. I have fully documented workplace health and safety procedures for all employees Yes No

3. I have policies for chemical, electrical, manual and ergonomic use and safe handling Yes No

4. I induct all employees into the workplace using a documented process Yes No

5. My staff are trained in safe work processes and procedures Yes No

6. My policies and procedures are available to all employees and are regularly referred to, used and updated Yes No

7. I have identified risks and hazards at the workplace and have appropriate controls in place Yes No

8. All workplace health and safety accidents and incidences are reported and reviewed Yes No

9. We have low accident and injury rate compared to our industry average Yes No

10. I provide my employees with regular constructive feedback and reward them where appropriate for safe working Yes No

11. I conduct regular workplace health and safety updates and audits Yes No

RATINGS

11 from 11 well done

10 from 11 well done, almost there

9 from 11 very good and tie up loose ends

8 from 11 good and you must tighten up these loose ends

7 from 11 you have a high risk profile, take action

6 or less remedial action urgently required to ‘protect’ your business

If you have identified some of your risks and hazards take action today and get professional, timely assistance and training. Your business may be at risk of claims by employees.

Visit www.biz-momentum.com for more information and free articles.

75 to 90% of all visits to primary care physicians result from stress-related disorders. Paul Rosch, M.D., President, American Institute of Stress

A couple of evenings ago, I was involved in what turned out to be a fascinating discussion with some very astute colleagues about the role of stress in the lives of executives and other high-achieving professionals. What we concluded ultimately was that stress was “the new smoking.” When we compared the role that smoking played in our society 20 or 30 years ago to the role it plays now, we noticed that in the past, before the long-term damaging effects were clearly understood, smoking was so common it was considered the norm, heavily supported and reinforced by popular culture, the media, in social situations and even the majority of workplaces. It was perceived as positive, and associated with being sophisticated, powerful, rugged, glamorous and even “sexy.”

Now, due to increased awareness of the devastating effects to health, smokers are looked down upon, ostracized and barred from most public places, especially the workplace. Social norms no longer support or encourage this behavior, and organizations are well aware of their liability and culpability if they put employees at risk. We likened this to the high-stress work style that is currently the norm in corporations and other large organizations today.

Hard-driving executives and high-level professionals are rewarded, applauded and admired for their willingness to work very long hours, respond immediately and compete with peers, often with serious personal consequences. And, our advances in technology such as faxes, cell-phones, Blackberries, and I-phones have exacerbated this trend by making being responsive to work around the clock an expectation rather than an exception.

Some of the consequences are fairly immediate, such as errors in judgment, mistakes or omissions due to information overload or lack of alertness due to inadequate rest. Indeed, in these circles, needing little sleep is a badge of honor, something expected and aspired to, and
anyone who admits to needing more than five hours of sleep daily is regarded as a “slacker” or a “wimp.” Other consequences are longer term, such as the deterioration of relationships with staff
due to stress-induced impatience and irritability, or even more importantly, loss of relationship with children or a spouse due to neglect and unresponsiveness to their needs.

Consider this quote from Bryan Dyson, CEO of Coca Cola Enterprises from 1959- 1994, (and obviously way ahead of his time):

“Imagine life as a game in which you are juggling five balls in the air. You name them – work, family, health, friends, and spirit – and you’re keeping all of these in the air. You will soon
understand that work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back. But the other four balls – family, health, friends, and spirit are made of glass. If you drop one of these, they will be irrevocably scuffed, marked, nicked, damaged, or even shattered. They will never be the same. You must understand that and strive for balance in your life.”

Most recently, scientific evidence is mounting indicating that this level of severe and unrelenting stress affects our bodies long before we are aware of the damage it causes in serious and even deadly ways. Consider these:

Are you paying attention yet? Stress affects people emotionally, mentally, and physically. Although we often look outside of ourselves for sources of stress, stress is really caused by our reactions to the so called “stressors” in our environment. At the same time, the culture in our current society and in particular in most corporate workplaces makes living the high pressure, long-hours, always “on” life seem “heroic” , admired, and expected if one wants to succeed.

So, my group of colleagues, who have been paying attention to all these trends posited, and probably rightly so, that twenty years from now we will see the true long-term effects of chronic stress. Just as we now see the cumulative effects on our bodies of decades of damage from
smoking, we can expect to see the devastating effects of decades of damage from chronic stress.
They predicted our workplace and cultural norms would change based on this, just as they have
with how we view smoking, but unfortunately, also just like the experience of most people who have smoked most of their adult lives, too late to prevent chronic illness and sometimes premature death.

What can you do to change this trajectory for yourself and other people who work for you or your organization? There are dozens of steps that you can take now. A few include:

1. Become Educated. Learn more about the interrelationship with health, vitality and stress. Read the research; find out what’s known and what’s being discovered.

2. Learn new skills. Begin practicing stress management techniques and tools in your own life

3. Set goals and timelines for specific actions to reduce stress and improve balance. Implement your new knowledge about stress to develop personal change, (and if you have control over this), the organizational culture change necessary to support a less stressful norm.

4. Get support. Develop internal organizational support, identify a “wellness team”, work with a spouse, family member, or close friend or colleague to support you in you efforts. Or, alternatively, consider working with a coach to keep you focused and accountable.

And, in the words of Charles (Chip) Lutz, “Be a willow.” Learn to be more like a willow, which remains firm at its trunk, but can sway with the breeze. Create an atmosphere of flexibility. Learn where you can flex and try to expand on this. As the parent of a teenager, one of my favorite mantras is “pick your battles.” Figure out how you can stay true to core values and principles and still be more flexible. And, think about how you can create more fun in the workplace and then do it! Remember, if you are a leader you are “the amplified voice”, and what you articulate and, especially, what you model has a more powerful impact over others than you may even imagine.

Health and safety culture is often seen as an obstacle to making money. However, by doing nothing each business is taking a major risk in leaving its assets exposed to other third parties. By making a reasonable investment each year, you can protect your hard won assets.

Ask yourself this

Is the business covered?

Do I know everything I should?

Do I have Asbestos in my building (Asbestos dust the silent killer)

What affects the business and employees?

Is my business service user-friendly to persons with disabilities?

Would I be prepared to let the company be named and shamed through failings that could easily be avoided?

Central Safety Consultancy Services is a customer-focused organisation providing a range of services designed to assist clients fulfil their duties under current legislation.
We would anticipate that our fee proposals will not be matched by any other provider offering a similar service. However, we would suggest that our fee is not of prime importance when considering our appointment.

What is important is that your organisation receives quality advice on becoming compliant with health and safety legislation.
We take pride in the fact that for many of the projects for which we have been commissioned we have been able to use our knowledge and expertise to enable organisations achieve their strategic goals whether that would be legal compliance or best practice but more importantly help to achieve them..

Simply put – sensible advice at sensible cost.
Do yourself a favour. Resolve today that before this year ends you will get you health and safety checked. Ensure you are on the right side of the law.

Most every office or workplace you enter will be lit by fluorescent lights because they give the most light for the buck. Unfortunately they are the cool white color which has a lot of excess yellow color in it and hardy any blue color. Blue color controls your eyes pupils if there is not enough blue in the light your pupils stay wide open and let in too much light. If the workplace had full spectrum fluorescent lights with all colors available your pupil would close up and only let in the light that your eyes needed.

Cool white fluorescent lights cause eyestrain, headaches, fatigue and many other problems. Full spectrum lights give you a comfortable light a light that your eyes were designed for. Under full spectrum light you will have much better depth of field, see vivid colors, have little or no glare on your computer screen.

Research has been done on school children in classrooms with cool white lights and classrooms with full spectrum lights the teachers were aware of the study which took time lapse photos of the children at random intervals. The children in the cool white class demonstrated hyperactivity, fatigue, irritability and attention deficits. The children in the full spectrum classroom within 1 month, behavior and classroom performance as well as overall academic achievement improved markedly. Furthermore several learning disabled children with extreme hyperactivity problems, miraculously calmed down and seemed to overcome some of their learning and reading problems while in the classroom.

A study was done in Germany with cool white vs. full spectrum fluorescent lights and they checked for changes in the endocrine system, they found that the cool white individuals had stress like levels of ACTH and cortisol ( the stress hormones ) these changes did not happen under the full spectrum lights. Based on this research and that of others Germany banned cool white fluorescent lights in hospitals and medical facilities.

Sunlight striking the skin initiates a series of reactions in the body leading to the production of vitamin D a necessary ingredient for the absorption of calcium and other minerals from the diet.

Residents of nursing homes that can not get outside should have access to full spectrum lighting.

Dr. John Ott the father of time lapse photography did quite a bit of research on light and he found that every nutritional substance and medicine has a specific wavelength absorption if those wavelengths are missing in the artificial light then the nutritional or other benefits of the substance will not be utilized.

If you find yourself going from home to work and back home again, it might be time to do your body a favor and add some full spectrum lighting into the mix of lights in your home and office, your body will thank you.

The workplace has, in recent years for some become one of the unhealthiest environments in which to operate. Employees find themselves in pressure situations where they may be unclear of their job definition other than to appear busy and create a positive impression.

Motivation levels are very low and workers do what is necessary by agreeing, smiling and nodding heads in order to climb the corporate ladder. Employees in the United Kingdom work on average the longest hours per week in their main job (compared with the rest of the EU) and this holds for both men and women. Men’s hours range from 39 per week in Belgium and the Netherlands to 42 in Greece and 45 in the United Kingdom. Women’s hours all fall in the range 36 hours (Italy) to 41 hours (United Kingdom).

This issue needs to be addressed in order to improve the state of “corporate health”. According to statistics, over 2 million people are suffering from an illness or injury which they believe is caused or made worse by their current or past work (Health and Occupation Reporting Network).

An overwhelming 97% of senior HR professionals believe that stress at work is the biggest threat to the future health of the UK workforce.

Stress and musculoskeletal injuries are the most common cause of absence in business, and according to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, staff on average cost an employer £567 EACH per year in lost earnings through absence, although this figure could actually be tripled when the indirect costs of sickness in loss of sales, reduced customer service and lower productivity are taken into account.

Some 32.9 million working days are lost annually from people taking time off due to their illnesses.

The Cost of Back Pain: Over 1.1 million people in the UK experience musculoskeletal disorders caused by work, with an estimated 12.3 million days lost annually because of this.

The Cost of Work Related Stress: Stress is a natural reaction people have to excessive pressures placed upon them. While not an illness itself, if it is prolonged or intense it can lead to mental and physical ill health. This can include depression, back pain or heart disease.

In the United Kingdom as many as one in five people are suffering form high levels of work related stress (that’s around 5 million workers). Around half a million individuals report experiencing stress at a level they believe made them ill. This results in approximately 13.4 million working days lost per year.

What Can Be Done? Studies have shown that not only does exercise keep you looking and feeling your best, it helps boost energy and concentration, therefore making you much more productive at work. According to an MSNBC report, 60% of workers that participated in a recent British study indicated that taking an “exercise break” during the day boosted their time management, mental performance, and ability to meet deadlines. Researchers found that exercise provided a performance boost of up to 15%. It also improved worker’s overall mood at the end of the day. The type of exercise, the duration, and the intensity didn’t seem to matter. The effect was observed over a wide range of activities including yoga, strength training, and aerobics. We recommend taking a couple of small 15-30 minute breaks during the day is a great way to renew your focus, concentration, and energy. This is especially true for creative knowledge workers who have to concentrate intensely for long periods of time over the course of a typical workday. Exercise is a great activity for break time because it not only gives you an immediate energy boost, but it also helps you release stress and deal with job pressures. Some activities to consider during your breaks include light stretching or talking a stroll outside. If you’d rather not sweat too much while at work, you can save more intense physical activity for lunchtime (when you can shower) or after work.

“Corporate wellness” programmes are a growing sector within many businesses to promote the physical health of employees for the purposes of increasing productivity and reducing absenteeism.

The format of most programmes usually involves health checks, seminars and cut priced gym memberships. This service is a huge step in the right direction and should be promoted to all businesses. Although this alone may make an employee feel upbeat about their job for a little longer it doesn’t really address the real issues.

Research has suggested that nearly half of all Brits blame the demands of the workplace for preventing them from getting to the gym, so what use is a cut price membership if you can’t find the time to exercise?