EHS Wellness News
Secondhand Smoke May Threaten Casino Workers’ Health
Casino workers face a higher risk of heart disease and lung cancer because they work in buildings filled with tobacco smoke, suggests new research appearing in the August issue of the American Journal of Public Health...
Going to Work When Sick May Lead to Future Absences
Employees who often go to work despite feeling sick have higher rates of future work absences due to illness, according to a study in the June Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine...
Loss Leader: Employees Dump 924 Pounds in Wellness Weight Loss Challenge
Arthur Middleton Capital Holdings Inc. is holding a lunch on June 5 to honor employees. It’s a good bet that the luncheon will feature healthy food choices, since the event honors the hard work and efforts of 132 associates who took part in the company’s weight-loss challenge....
ORC: Pandemic Concerns Alter Business Travel Practices
Following a recent survey of its member companies, ORC Worldwide revealed that most companies altered their business travel practices in response to growing concerns over the Influenza A H1N1 virus. ...
VSP: Annual Eye Exams Saved Companies Nearly $3 Billion Each Year
A new study of five U.S. corporations shows that the companies saved nearly $3 billion annually on health care costs associated with the treatment of chronic diseases detectable via an eye examination...
NIOSH Study: Casino Workers Face Toxic Conditions
A new report from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) shows workers in Las Vegas casinos are exposed to dangerous levels of secondhand smoke ...
Obesity, Diabetes Interfere with Workplace Productivity
According to a new study appearing in the May/June issue of the American Journal of Health Promotion, obese workers with type 2 diabetes report less productivity on the job than their normal-weight co-workers, and diabetes itself also has an effect on work impairment....
Most Employers Underestimate Full Costs of Employee Health on Productivity
A recent multi-employer study published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine indicates that the costs of poor health are much greater for employers than medical and pharmaceutical spending alone....
Study Suggests Age is Not Enough to Predict Worker Needs
A new work force study indicates that employees’ own assessments of their workplace experience can differ significantly depending upon their age, career-stage, job tenure or dependent care status. Business policies designed to keep and engage workers based only on assumptions of employees’ age may therefore miss the mark....
New NIOSH Guidance Aims to Help Protect Health Care Workers from TB
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is offering new technical guidance for using ultraviolet germicidal irradiation (UVGI) systems to help protect health care workers who may have an occupational risk of tuberculosis (TB) infection. ...
Capitalizing on an Aging Work Force
While an increase in older workers in the American work force could lead some to suspect a corresponding decrease in workplace productivity and an increase in accident claims, a new white paper from PMA Companies shows the opposite is true and examines how employers can capitalize on the strengths of older adults while minimizing high-severity risks....
"Meetings on the Move" Can Increase Workplace Productivity
In celebration of Public Health Week April 5-11, researchers at Washington University in St. Louis challenge employers to try a “Meeting on the Move” to improve health and productivity in the workplace. ...
OSHA Fines Brunalli Construction Co. $180,950 for Fall and Drowning Hazards
Brunalli Construction Co. of Southington, Conn., faces $180,950 in proposed OSHA fines for allegedly failing to protect its employees against fall, drowning and other hazards while they worked to rebuild a bridge over the Housatonic River in the Falls Village section of Canaan, Conn....
Medical Exams: A Driver of Work Force Wellness
Creating an environment of wellness isn't a simple proposition, especially for employers with large, dispersed work forces. A proactive wellness program,...
Responder Health and Safety: Who Cares for the Caregivers?
During emergency situations, such as natural or man-made disasters, often the last people thought to need care are the first responders, the caregivers....
It Pays to Sleep: Prioritize Rest to Boost Health, Morale and Revenue
Sleep loss costs the U.S. economy as much as $15 billion each year in increased health care costs, automobile accidents, workplace accidents and decreased job performance, according to the Better Sleep Council, a non-profit organization dedicated to educating the public on the importance of sleep. ...
Tobacco-Free Toolkit Helps Businesses Improve Their Bottom Lines
A new toolkit shows employers how to lower their costs by reducing the use of tobacco in the workplace through personal behavior change, health benefit design and sensible workplace policies....
HRA: Antiquated OSHA Lead Standards Fail to Protect Americans
While the United States has dramatically reduced environmental lead levels since the 1970s, new findings show that Americans who work with lead and their families are still at risk of developing serious chronic health conditions, according to UC Berkeley's Health Research for Action (HRA)....
Research Suggests Both Physical and Psychological Well-Being Impact Employee Health
A Kansas State University researcher has found a link between physical and mental well-being that employees and employers may be able to capitalize on to improve both the health, and potentially the wealth, of their organizations in these turbulent economic times....
Center for Health Value Innovation Announces Leading Initiatives in Value-Based Health Design
The Center for Health Value Innovation recently announced its 2009 Executive Board of the Board of Directors, a team of thought leaders poised to help raise awareness and adoption of value-based health care benefits design at a time when the Center says organizations, employers and the country need it most....
March is Workplace Vision Wellness Month
Prevent Blindness America has declared March as Workplace Vision Wellness Month in an effort to educate corporations and their employees on the importance of vision health, including warning signs of potential eye disease and safety tips on how to avoid vision-threatening eye accidents. ...
Winter Weather presents Osteoporosis and Foot and Ankle Fracture Danger for Older Workers
Falls and winter ice can be dangerous, especially to older workers, who have special concerns about slipping and falling on an icy patch of ground. The American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society (AOFAS) also is concerned about the increased dangers to older workers with osteoporosis (progressive bone loss) and the possibility of fractures to the foot or ankle, which often happen from falls on icy surfaces....
Maintain Leadership, Help Workers Survive Layoffs
As massive layoffs continue to make national headlines, people believe it’s not a matter of if, but when, their organization will be next....
Health and Wellness: Exercise Is Important At Any Age
Studies continue to support that exercise at any age provides multiple benefits even beyond weight control and weight loss, from preventing osteoporosis...
Health and Productivity as a Business Strategy
Think a few sneezes, a case or two of high blood pressure or a sprained back won't impact your employer's bottom line? Think again. Last month, Ron Loeppke,...
