Health and Safety in the Workplace http://www.health-and-safety-in-the-workplace.com Safety in the Workplace Tue, 10 Feb 2009 10:21:47 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 en hourly 1 Safety in the Workplace:A Few Tips On How To Ensure Eye Protection And Industrial Safety http://www.health-and-safety-in-the-workplace.com/safety-in-the-workplacea-few-tips-on-how-to-ensure-eye-protection-and-industrial-safety/ http://www.health-and-safety-in-the-workplace.com/safety-in-the-workplacea-few-tips-on-how-to-ensure-eye-protection-and-industrial-safety/#comments Tue, 10 Feb 2009 10:21:47 +0000 admin http://www.health-and-safety-in-the-workplace.com/?p=323 Eye protection has become a critical factor when it comes to the subject of industrial safety. With 21% of the total number of workplace injuries per year related to the eyes, the need for protective eyewear has become a sensitive subject for many of the people belonging to the concerned industries.
Here are some guidelines, a list of tips which any employer should remember in order to ensure industrial safety by providing excellent eye safety measures for your employee’s workplace.
1. Require the usage of eye protection. In most jurisdictions protective eyewear is now required by workplace safety organizations such as OSHA. Some industries are constantly exposed to eye hazards where workers should be protected from these perils at all times, and the only way to do this without effectuating a cessation of work is by requiring them to wear safety rated eye protection such as goggles, face shield, helmet visors, protective eyeglasses and the like.
2. The protection you choose to provide to your employees should be of the highest quality. Polycarbonate lenses which are found in high end protective eyewear such as those produced by WileyX provide the best extreme eye protection.
3. Protective eyewear should be customizable. protection that a worker cannot wear comfortably can only lead to more accidents as the worker will be constantly removing the eyewear to seek comfort. The product you choose for your employees should be adjustable, at the very least.
4. Keep protective eyewear clean. Inspect regularly for cracks, breakages, loose frames or other deficiencies.
5. Conduct regular safety seminars just to remind the workers that an ounce of prevention is worth more than a pound of cure. Most industrial accidents, eye-related or not, occur because of carelessness more than anything else.
6. Employ a staff that can provide immediate clinical aid. Whether a fulltime doctor or a nurse, providing expert care for the workers will go a long, long way in preventing long term eye injuries.
7. Provide anti-fog solution. Some protective eyewear in certain environmental conditions are susceptible to condensation. And when condensation occurs, fog builds up, severely impairing the wearer’s vision and increasing the possibility of industrial accidents. Highe end anti-fog solutions such as Fogtech Advanced Anti Fog are excellent options against such a contingency.
8. Conduct regular assessment of the workplace to determine if current eye protection measures are sufficient and if there have been changes in the work environment that necessitate new eye protection measures to be implemented.
Joe Russell is the President/CEO of http://www.iatcenterprises.com and http://www.fogtech.ca IATC is a distributor and retailer of Fogtech and WileyX protective eyewear as well offering other products and accessories for extreme sports applications and industrial safety.
IATC Enterprises also provides marketing consulting as well other business services to small, medium or large companies and corporations.

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Share/Bookmark]]> http://www.health-and-safety-in-the-workplace.com/safety-in-the-workplacea-few-tips-on-how-to-ensure-eye-protection-and-industrial-safety/feed/ 0 Safety in the Workplace:Improve Your Safety Metrics Without Making Your Workplace Safer – 7 Tips http://www.health-and-safety-in-the-workplace.com/safety-in-the-workplaceimprove-your-safety-metrics-without-making-your-workplace-safer-7-tips/ http://www.health-and-safety-in-the-workplace.com/safety-in-the-workplaceimprove-your-safety-metrics-without-making-your-workplace-safer-7-tips/#comments Mon, 09 Feb 2009 10:19:43 +0000 admin http://www.health-and-safety-in-the-workplace.com/?p=321 So many people are concerned with lowering their TCIR number or simply meeting their safety goals that they loose sight of the issue of actually making the workplace safer. I have even seen this attitude expressed through some safety governing bodies in my years working with safety.
If you want to improve your safety numbers here are some tips:
1. Make employees scared to report accidents by making veiled threats like drug testing, punitive accident investigations, loss of privileges, long reporting forms etc.
2. Make employees scared to report injuries through peer pressure. Establish an incentive plan for the whole group so that the benefit will be lost if any one-person reports and injury.
3. Reduce the number of recordable injuries by working with your attending physician so that he does not write a prescription or otherwise trigger a recordable event.
4. Lower TCIR by inflating the number of hours worked. Since the hours worked is in the denominator, make this number as large as possible. Include all office staff, salespeople, interns, co ops, contractors, anyone who can have any connection with your group that are not likely to report an injury.
5. Include safety performance improvement to each supervisor’s salary review. He will make sure that employees are discouraged from reporting injuries.
6. Assume every employee who reports an injury is faking and plans to sue the company. Treat each case consistently and the word will get around.
7. Spend hours reviewing the OSHA or corporate rules for what constitutes a recordable event. Get to know every loophole for how to avoid listing it on the chart. Document why you did not record them in case of an audit.
To find ways to really make your workplace safer see:
http://mikestrawbridge.com/workplace-safety-training.shtml
Mike Strawbridge is the owner of Straw Solutions Performance Improvement Consulting. He enjoys finding ways to improve any process including how to make more money in your business http://www.mikestrawbridge.com

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Share/Bookmark]]> http://www.health-and-safety-in-the-workplace.com/safety-in-the-workplaceimprove-your-safety-metrics-without-making-your-workplace-safer-7-tips/feed/ 0 Safety in the Workplace:Typical Example of a Health And Safety Workplace Regulation http://www.health-and-safety-in-the-workplace.com/safety-in-the-workplacetypical-example-of-a-health-and-safety-workplace-regulation/ http://www.health-and-safety-in-the-workplace.com/safety-in-the-workplacetypical-example-of-a-health-and-safety-workplace-regulation/#comments Sun, 08 Feb 2009 10:07:56 +0000 admin http://www.health-and-safety-in-the-workplace.com/?p=319 Employers have a general duty under section 2 of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare of their employees at work. Section 4 of the Act states that people in control of non-domestic properties have a duty towards people who are not employees but use their premises.
The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations aim is to ensure that workplaces meet the objectives laid down in the regulations. Under each of the three headings, Health, Safety and Welfare various aspects apply: Health covers general working environment of the workplace. Ventilation should provide for clean fresh air to be circulated within the workplace. Humid stale air will not be conducive to good health or effective working. Temperatures should be controlled indoors to 16oC for office conditions and 13oC for indoor areas involving physical work. Working in hot or cold environments will increase the health risks of those involved, therefore assessments should be made and the necessary control measures introduced Lighting should be adequate for workers to carry out their work duties safely. If the workstation needs extra lighting the local lighting should be installed. Areas that could present particular risks should also have extra lighting as in crossing points and traffic routes.
Cleanliness within the workplace is essential. Adequate storage of waste materials should be provided until the correct disposal the waste can be arranged. Floors, walls and surfaces also require cleaning on a regular basis. Adequate space in which to work is specified in the regulations. Workstations should be designed along ergonomic principles, ensuring a speedy evacuation of the workstation in the case of an emergency. Safety involves: Maintenance – regular and effective is essential to provide safe working conditions. Maintenance covers all aspects of the working environment. The provision of pedestrian and vehicle traffic routes in conjunction will signage and audible warning systems were appropriate will contribute to employee safety. Floors should be of adequate strength and in good condition. Crossing should be adequately marked and signed. Stairways, walkways above ground level excavations should be protected with hand rails or barriers. Provision should be provided to prevent either objects or people falling from heights. Doors, windows, partitions, gates and walls if containing glass should be assessed and control measures introduced. Doors and gates should be provided with safety devices if required. Escalators and moving walkways should be subjected to a preventative maintenance scheme involving condition and cleanliness.
Welfare covers: Toilets and washing facilities. Toilets should be clean good operational order and numbers to be adequate for the workers needs. Washing facilities clean and in good order, hot and cold water or at least warm, soap and a satisfactory means of drying should be provided. Drinking water should be provided form the mains supply, if this is not possible, water can be provided in enclosed containers. Designated rooms for the change of clothing, lockers if required. Designated areas for eating and resting. Approved codes of practice and guidance notes on the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) can be obtained from the H.S.E.
Health surveillance could be included under health arrangements in the Company’s Health and Safety Policy. A health surveillance system would be used to monitor the state of health of the employees, but it could also be used to monitor effectiveness of the health and safety policy arrangements and as a consequence the control measures introduced after carrying out risk assessments.
Article written by Chris Jones of CJ-HealthandSafetyConsultancy.co.uk
North Wales Based Health And Safety Consultancy

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Share/Bookmark]]> http://www.health-and-safety-in-the-workplace.com/safety-in-the-workplacetypical-example-of-a-health-and-safety-workplace-regulation/feed/ 0 Health and Safety in the Workplace:Safety Tips for Forklift Operators http://www.health-and-safety-in-the-workplace.com/health-and-safety-in-the-workplacesafety-tips-for-forklift-operators/ http://www.health-and-safety-in-the-workplace.com/health-and-safety-in-the-workplacesafety-tips-for-forklift-operators/#comments Sat, 07 Feb 2009 09:55:50 +0000 admin http://www.health-and-safety-in-the-workplace.com/?p=317 Forklifts are a very useful piece of heavy machinery, but if they are not used correctly they can become very dangerous. If you have one at your home or place of business you need to be sure that you understand all of the safety standards and practices associated with them. Taking precautions with forklifts will pay off, as you will have a better chance of keeping those who are using or around them as safe as is possible.
Some Important Safety Facts About Forklifts
If you have forklifts that are used in your business you should be aware that most states and jurisdictions require that all people who are using the forklifts be trained on how to use them safely and effectively. Training should be a three prong approach consisting of classroom type training, hands on training, and then an evaluation of the skills that have been learned. Only at this point should an employee be allowed to use them without supervision.
It’s important that you keep a record of who has been trained to use forklifts. This will help you should any problems ever arise as you will be able to provide proof that you as the employer did all that you could to keep those in the work environment safe. Keeping records of training will also allow you to be sure that the people who work for you are as well trained as possible for the most effective work environment.
Each employer can create their own training with forklifts, if they would like, or they can use a state or county training program. Many employers have more stringent rules that they apply to the use of their forklifts, in which case they may want to take on their own training. If you have a very specific way in which they need to be used or cared for, you may want to create your own program or some supplemental training in addition to the trainings that have already been received by your employees.
It is important to remember that children should never be allowed to play on or near forklifts. Forklifts have been responsible for a lot of accidental injuries and even deaths and children are the common victims. Children will try to drive the machines or they will not be seen by the operator and the results can be devastating. If there are children in or around a workplace or home where they are, the children should be educated about them and their dangers. In addition, children should always have direct supervision when around forklifts or any other heavy machinery.

Source: http://www.brunkco.com/

Share/Bookmark]]> http://www.health-and-safety-in-the-workplace.com/health-and-safety-in-the-workplacesafety-tips-for-forklift-operators/feed/ 0 Safety in the Workplace:Safety Tips For Construction Workers http://www.health-and-safety-in-the-workplace.com/safety-in-the-workplacesafety-tips-for-construction-workers/ http://www.health-and-safety-in-the-workplace.com/safety-in-the-workplacesafety-tips-for-construction-workers/#comments Fri, 06 Feb 2009 09:55:48 +0000 admin http://www.health-and-safety-in-the-workplace.com/?p=314 Working in the construction industry can be dangerous. The nature of the work carries risks, and accidents can result in serious injuries or even death.
OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) law requires employers to provide a work place that is safe and free from hazards. Yet, everyday construction workers face dangers that threaten their health and lives. According to OSHA, each year
- A 1000 workers die in construction related accidents
- A quarter of a million workers suffer injuries resulting in lost work days
- Construction accidents cost the industry $13 billion in workers compensation cost alone
OSHA statistics also show that 90% of the fatalities occur in four categories
- Caught between objects
- Struck by objects
- Electrocution
- Falls
These accidents are, therefore, preventable and can be avoided with the proper safety training, precaution, and common sense.
Construction work can indeed be dangerous. The line between a near miss and a fatality is thin. Although, the government will enforce safety and health laws and employers have an obligation to provide a safe and healthy workplace, it is still your responsibility, and you owe it to yourself and your loved ones, to stay safe and out of harms way.
Government regulators and inspectors cannot be present at construction sites at all times and, due the nature of the construction business, employers cannot guarantee a 100% safe work place. Simple things such as a change in the weather or the momentary inattention of a fellow worker can lead to a dangerous situation in an instant.
With the proper safety training, awareness of your rights and responsibilities, and vigilance against hazardous work conditions you can reduce, if not eliminate altogether, your risk of being injured at work. Here are some things you can do.
- Take advantage of training programs provided by your employer, your union, and your safety society.
- Observe safety rules and regulations at all times.
- Know your equipment and use them correctly.
- Wear and use the right personal protective equipment at all times.
- Use proper barriers and guards always.
- Don’t take short cuts with fire, electrical, or fall protection safety equipment.
- Be sure to crib, block and secure all loads as soon as possible.
- Take the time to do the job correctly.
- Report unsafe work conditions.
- Refuse to work in unsafe conditions.
- Watch a free construction safety video online by visiting http://www.osha-slc.gov/SLTC/video/constructionsafety/video.html
- Above all, be alert. It’s your life and health that is at risk.
If you notice a hazardous situation at work you should bring it to the immediate attention of your employer, your craft steward, or OSHA.
To report an emergency, fatality, or imminent life threatening situation to OSHA call 1-800-321-OSHA (6742), TTY 1-877-889-5672.
To report other unsafe work conditions contact your local OSHA regional office. You can file a report online or by fax, mail, and telephone. You can request anonymity and OSHA will respect your request. Here are some useful links.
File online: http://www.osha.gov/pls/osha7/eComplaintForm.html
Complaint form: http://www.osha.gov/oshforms/osha7.pdf
OSHA Regional Offices: http://www.osha.gov/html/RAmap.html
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Share/Bookmark]]> http://www.health-and-safety-in-the-workplace.com/safety-in-the-workplacesafety-tips-for-construction-workers/feed/ 0 Safety in the Workplace: Job Safety Tips – Self-Improvement Skills – Develop Self-Esteem For These Job Safety Tips http://www.health-and-safety-in-the-workplace.com/safety-in-the-workplace-job-safety-tips-self-improvement-skills-develop-self-esteem-for-these-job-safety-tips/ http://www.health-and-safety-in-the-workplace.com/safety-in-the-workplace-job-safety-tips-self-improvement-skills-develop-self-esteem-for-these-job-safety-tips/#comments Thu, 05 Feb 2009 21:15:03 +0000 admin http://www.health-and-safety-in-the-workplace.com/?p=310 Did you know bad habits in your workplace could be contagious? I offer 3 general job safety tips in this commentary; and then I talk about using self-improvement skills to develop self-esteem, which can help with all aspects of your life. There are certain “behavior strategies” to change thoughts on the subconscious level for self-improvement, and I’ll give you the details in a moment.
The first of the 3 job safety tips is: Be on time. Tardiness is an obvious bad habit, but it can be unsafe too. Some people are late to practically every event. They show-up late on the shift; and they take long breaks. Then they are late after lunch. Productivity of everybody in the office or your whole work crew may suffer because of it.
Do not be drawn into a mindset and think that it is OK to be late because someone else seems to be getting away with it. It could put your job in jeopardy; and it is a real safety hazard when employees come rushing into the workplace trying to “beat the clock.” A number of accidents are likely to occur.
The second of the 3 job safety tips is: Show-up for work. It is a modern trend to amalgamate the off days. Many companies treat vacation days, sick days, and personal days the same, and they are grouped together. You simply have a set amount of days off and it is your personal choice when to use them.
The problem with that system is that too many people take days off whenever they please and let someone less qualified manage their workload. Before long they have used all of their paid days. Then when they truly have an illness or emergency, they don’t know what to do. And so they must miss paid workdays; or come to work while they are sick, thus presenting the risk of exposing their germs or viruses to the other employees.
The third of the 3 job safety tips is: Be organized & tidy. Neat work areas can help you get more work done. But your work area could be organized and still be a safety hazard. You could have sacks of papers your the desk, empty soda cans, and left over fast food containers, which could be a fire hazard.
Self-Improvement Skills Develop Self-Esteem
There are self-improvement skills, that help develop self-esteem, which can help you overcome bad habits in your life. I had bad work habits, like the ones that I discuss in this piece; but I responded to a full-page ad in the Portland Oregonian promoting an easy way to wealth. It turned out to be a book on 3 easy-to-do self-improvement skills, which I refer to as behavior strategies, and I learned how to change the thoughts of my subconscious mind.
This is how the behavior strategies work. There are 3 easy self-improvement skills that you do every day. They are designed to change thoughts in your subconscious mind by conditioning it, ergo, you will change thoughts in you conscious mind too; and then you can react the way you really want to behave without really having to consciously think about it. Studies prove that is exactly what we do roughly 90% of the time anyway. It also helps your mind lead you to prosperity by using the simple behavior strategies formula.
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Share/Bookmark]]> http://www.health-and-safety-in-the-workplace.com/safety-in-the-workplace-job-safety-tips-self-improvement-skills-develop-self-esteem-for-these-job-safety-tips/feed/ 0 Good Workplace Health Promotion Programs: Personal Wellness http://www.health-and-safety-in-the-workplace.com/good-workplace-health-promotion-programs-personal-wellness/ http://www.health-and-safety-in-the-workplace.com/good-workplace-health-promotion-programs-personal-wellness/#comments Wed, 04 Feb 2009 13:43:08 +0000 admin http://www.health-and-safety-in-the-workplace.com/?p=284 Wellness might be the fatal flaw in your Workplace Health Promotion Program. Is Wellness part of your strategy? Does workplace wellness stop when your workers leave the office? 

Wellness Continuity

If workers don’t have the tools to pursue health and wellness on a Personal level, then it becomes easy for them to “fall off the wagon” and slide back into a unealthy lifestyles. If you have a walking program, for example, it should encourage workers to build walking routes near their homes, perhaps with the cooperation of the neighborhood association or coworkers who live in the neighborhood. 

Workplace Health Promotion Programs: Always on Your Mind 

Your Workplace Health Promotion Program coordinator should have “vacation wellbeing” as part of their job description. In other words, you don’t want a Workplace Health Promotion Program to stop at the boundaries of the workplace campus. Instead, integrate Personal health and wellness with your Workplace Health Promotion Programs. 

This will benefit the Workplace Health Promotion Programs in two ways: 

it lowers the chance that the staff member will come back to the office feeling unfit, overwhelmed and unable to resume their Workplace Health Promotion Programs; and

it shows that their employer is just as invested in their Personal health and wellness as they are 

Like a marathon, Personal health and wellness is a long-term venture and it’s challenging for anyone to do in isolation. Simply put, it’s easier to maintain your state of health when you know others are depending on you and watching your Personal performance. It’s easier to stick to an exercise program when you have a jogging partner who wakes you up when you oversleep, or spots you when you’re lifting weights. 

Similarly, it’s easier to stick to your Workplace Health Promotion Program when you know your employer is supporting you and wishing you the best. 

Don’t Dictate Personal Health 

Just as Wellness surveys serve a vital function in building a Workplace Health Promotion Program, it’s imperative that you involve workers in designing an off-site wellness strategy. No one enjoys being told what to do, but everyone enjoys having assistance in tacking tough problems. Make it clear that workers are in charge of their own health and wellness. Your role as their health management partner is to support, advise, counsel, provide resources and information. 

Of course, don’t forget that part of Personal health and wellness responsibility is to provide good health risk assessment baselines so workers can proceed safely on the road to better physical fitness. 

Share/Bookmark]]> http://www.health-and-safety-in-the-workplace.com/good-workplace-health-promotion-programs-personal-wellness/feed/ 0 Workplace Health Promotion Programs: Keeping the Resolution http://www.health-and-safety-in-the-workplace.com/workplace-health-promotion-programs-keeping-the-resolution/ http://www.health-and-safety-in-the-workplace.com/workplace-health-promotion-programs-keeping-the-resolution/#comments Tue, 03 Feb 2009 13:47:27 +0000 admin http://www.health-and-safety-in-the-workplace.com/?p=283 Workplace Health Promotion Programs: An Attainable Goal

Was Wellness on your organization’s new year’s resolutions list? Here we are a little over midway into the third month of 2008, the time when resolutions start to falter if they haven’t lost momentum completely. Has your Worksite’s wellness resolution fallen by the wayside? If so, there are still ways to get back on track.

One Wellness tip comes to us from the YMCA of Greater Des Moines, reported from the Jersey Shore. Rod Shirk, the YMCA’s chief financial officer, participated in the organization’s first executive Workplace Health Promotion Program, which registered his cholesterol as higher than normal. That prompted him to get a physical, which showed high levels of a prostate-specific antigen that often indicates prostate cancer. The outcome? His doctors caught a life-threatening illness just in time.

Thanks Workplace Health Promotion Program.

So of course, Shirk is a huge proponent of Workplace Health Promotion Programs. He says, “For us here at the YMCA, if we are telling people to be healthy, we had better set a good example for our workers.”

Wellness Decreases Health Care Costs

Though cases like Shirk’s dramatic cancer save are the most desirable effect of Workplace Health Promotion Programs, it isn’t the initial draw for businesses. They do it to reduce health care costs, and there’s no doubt that Workplace Health Promotion Programs do just that. Workplace Health Promotion Program Statistics show that Workplace Health Promotion Programs return anywhere from $2.30 to $10.10 per dollar spent on wellness. “Health care costs should go down as people think about changing their diets and getting more active,” Shirk says.

The Workplace Health Promotion Program savings aren’t just in the Health Insurance department. Human resource departments report that Workplace Health Promotion Programs also reduce absenteeism and increase productivity.

Still, businesses have been loath to invest that elusive Wellness dollar despite the well-documented returns. A Principal Financial Group and Harris Interactive survey found that only 10% of small- to medium-size businesses have made on-site Health Testings – like the one that saved Shirk’s life – available to their workers.

Share/Bookmark]]> http://www.health-and-safety-in-the-workplace.com/workplace-health-promotion-programs-keeping-the-resolution/feed/ 0 Wellness incentives http://www.health-and-safety-in-the-workplace.com/wellness-incentives/ http://www.health-and-safety-in-the-workplace.com/wellness-incentives/#comments Mon, 02 Feb 2009 12:59:16 +0000 admin http://www.health-and-safety-in-the-workplace.com/?p=267 Is It Necessary to Incent Organizations to Initiate Workplace Health Promotion Programs? 

Wellness incentives may seem like an effective way to get workers excited about Workplace Health Promotion Program – but is it smart? 

This helps and encourages businesses to understand the importance of maintaining a healthy staff members, not only for the welfare of its workers, but as well as the welfare of the corporate bottom line … then, yes, it could be necessary. 

Tax Breaks as Wellness incentives 

In 2007, two senators decided to band together to create the “Healthy Workforce Act.” This act is designed to encourage businesses to keep workers healthy and prevent disease. The senators believed that having a country focused on “well care” versus “sick care” would decrease the overall costs of health care for everyone. They decided to start with America’s staff members. 

The legislation, introduced by Iowa Senator Tom Harkin and Oregon Senator Gordon Smith, states that businesses would receive a Wellness incentive – a fifty percent tax credit – if they provide to their workers a Workplace Health Promotion Program that meets the following criteria: 

      1) A health education and awareness component, which could include Health risk assessments and Health Testings.

      2) A behavioral change component – such as counseling, seminars, or self-help materials to empower workers to lead healthier lifestyles.

      3) A supportive environment component – including offering meaningful incentives to taking part in workers, such as a reduction in health premiums or allowing workers to engage in walking Workplace Health Promotion Programs during the workday.

      4) The creation of an staff member engagement committee – which would tailor the Workplace Health Promotion Program to the needs of the staff members at a particular business. 

If this law gets passed, many businesses will be scrambling to provide Workplace Health Promotion Programs in hopes of receiving the Wellness incentives. 

Share/Bookmark]]> http://www.health-and-safety-in-the-workplace.com/wellness-incentives/feed/ 0 Workplace Obesity is a Major Cost to Organizations http://www.health-and-safety-in-the-workplace.com/workplace-obesity-is-a-major-cost-to-organizations/ http://www.health-and-safety-in-the-workplace.com/workplace-obesity-is-a-major-cost-to-organizations/#comments Sun, 01 Feb 2009 12:59:13 +0000 admin http://www.health-and-safety-in-the-workplace.com/?p=266 Workplace Obesity: The Facts 

Workplace obesity has become one of the fastest growing health care problems in America. It is well known that America is considered one of the, if not “the”, heaviest countries in the world. This is largely in part due to fast food, un-healthy snacks and a very sedentary lifestyle. However, what many people are not aware of is that the rate of obesity in our country has doubled in the last 30 years and this weighs heavily on a organization’s bottom line. 

According to a new report from The Conference Board, Weights and Measures: What employers Should Know about Obesity, obese workers cost private businesses an estimated $45 billion annually. Here are some of the report’s findings: 

Obesity is associated with a 36% increase in spending on health care, more than smoking or problem drinking.

34% of adult U.S citizens fit the definition of “obese”

Obesity related health problems are costing United States businesses millions of dollars annually in medical expenditures and work loss. 

Workplace Obesity: How businesses Can Help 

With the increase in obesity and employer costs associated with it, it is more and more imperative to establish a way to assist workers with their healthy living choices. Workplace Health Promotion Programs can help businesses help their workers. By providing assistance with Health Testing, Health risk assessments and by conducting Workplace Health Promotion Program surveys; Workplace Health Promotion Programs allow the employer non-invasive ways to communicate their concerns about their staff member’s health. 

We suggest establishing a Walking Workplace Health Promotion Program to assist your workers in meeting their weight-loss goals. Walking Wellness is a program designed to get your workers away from their desk and get them outside for a little physical activity. Keep it fun by having contests, setting up weight-loss teams and having organized healthy picnics.

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