Managing Workers' Comp: Fatigue at Work: a Bad Sign of the Economic Times
Prolonged workdays are causing many workers to fall asleep or feel sleepy at work...
Study: Teleworkers More Satisfied than Office-Based Employees
Employees who telecommute the majority of the workweek are more satisfied with their jobs compared to those working mostly in the office because working remotely alleviates more stress than it creates, according to a new study by a communication researcher at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM)...
Eating Healthy During Holiday Travel
Planning to take a long car trip this Thanksgiving weekend? Avoid the fast food drive-thru and follow these tips to eat healthy foods even while on the road...
Use the Nov. 18 Great American Smokeout to Help Employees Kick the Habit
Employers can foster a healthier workplace by motivating their employees to stop smoking for a day in honor of the American Cancer Society’s 35th annual Great American Smokeout on Nov. 18...
Study Reveals Important Fitness Measures for Firefighters
Two physical fitness measures – aerobic fitness and resistance to muscle fatigue – are key to firefighters’ ability to pass a standard test of firefighting skills, according to a study published in the November issue of The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research...
Is “Presenteeism” Just a Buzzword?
Presenteeism – defined as “reduced productivity at work due to health conditions” – is increasingly recognized as a contributor to health costs for employers. But more work is needed to develop reliable tools to measure presenteeism and its economic impact, according to a paper in the November Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine...
Early Employer-Based Flu Vaccinations Can Improve the Bottom Line
Each year, influenza poses a tremendous burden on working adults and the many businesses that employ them, contributing to absenteeism and lost productivity. Even so, annual influenza immunization rates remain very low. New data shows that employer-sponsored influenza vaccination programs held early in the flu season not only protect employee health, but also save businesses money...
At-Home Safety: Texting Poses New Health Risks to Teens
According to new research, the dangers of excessive texting among teens are not limited to the road. The data revealed that “hyper-texting” and “hyper-networking” are now giving rise to a new health risk category for this age group...
At-Home Safety: Emergency Physicians Urge Americans to Take the Nov. 13 Medicine Chest Challenge
The American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP), a national sponsor of the Nov. 13 American Medicine Chest Challenge, is educating the public about safe disposal of expired, unused and unwanted prescription medications in order to reduce the threat of drug abuse by children...
Survey: Manufacturers Worried about Workplace Absenteeism Due During Flu Season
On the heels of last year’s H1N1 scare, manufacturers are taking a closer look at how to avoid wide-spread workplace absenteeism and productivity declines if faced with another flu pandemic...
Time, or Lack of It, Impacts Stress Levels
For most Americans, vacation is just a memory. The kids are back in school. The 9-5 routine is in full swing. There is less free time. And for many, that equals more stress...
Healthy Holiday Eating Tips
It’s that time of year again, when waistbands stretch to accommodate rich meals and sweet treats. Northwest Hospital dietitian Linsday Martin, M.S., R.D., L.D.N., says there are easy ways to revamp your recipes so that the foods you make are better for you...
How to Be Happier at Work (and Create a Happier Workplace)
If employees aren’t honestly glad to be working at their place of employment, their mood will suffer, asserted the founders of The Business School of Happiness. These experts suggested ways employees and employers alike can make their workplaces more enjoyable and productive...
NSC: Busting the “Safety is Boring” Myth
During the closing session of the National Safety Council (NSC) Congress and Expo on Oct. 6, Richard Hawk discussed the future of safety and encouraged EHS professionals to lighten up their safety training – and improve worker productivity, safety and well-being in the process...
NSC: How EHS Leaders Can Effectively Deliver Difficult Messages
Whether it’s delivering the tragic news of a worker fatality or going through a round of layoffs, EHS managers can take steps to deliver the bad tidings with sensitivity and compassion. Bob VandePol, president of Crisis Care Networks, spoke at the National Safety Council (NSC) Congress and Expo in San Diego to share tips on delivering difficult messages...
Worker Wellness and Reducing the Spread of Germs
Every year, the cold and flu season takes its toll on U.S. industry, sidelining workers and derailing production. If you control the spread of germs in the workplace, you might reduce the number of cases of flu suffered by your employees...
National Study Finds Strong Link Between Diabetes and Air Pollution
A national epidemiologic study has found a strong, consistent correlation between adult diabetes and particulate air pollution that persists after adjustment for other risk factors like obesity and ethnicity, according to researchers from Children’s Hospital Boston. The relationship was seen even at exposure levels below the current EPA regulations...
MetLife Study Examines Companies’ Global Responses to Employee Health Needs
Customizing cultures of health can reduce costs and improve well-being and productivity among employees despite the challenges of implementing these programs globally, according to a new study by the Sloan Center on Aging & Work, supported and published by MetLife...
Study: Resident Physicians Work Even While Ill
A new study reveals that three out of five resident physicians surveyed came to work in the previous year while sick, possibly exposing their patients and colleagues to suboptimal performance and, in many cases, communicable disease...
Study Shows Social Currency Method Could Improve Health, Well-Being of Migrant Workers
Fostering community cooperation, building on skills and strengths and getting strangers to work together are fundamentals of community development. Now, a pilot study of six families living in a farm town in New Mexico suggests that small infusions of cash could fuel such cooperation and produce overlapping benefits, including the health and well-being, of migrant worker communities...
OSHA’s Michaels Puts Focus on Long Work Hours, Fatigue and Worker Safety
In response to recent requests from advocacy organizations and individuals to issue regulations that would limit the work hours of resident physicians, OSHA Administrator Dr. David Michaels acknowledged that long working hours and worker fatigue is a safety concern not only for medical residents, but for employees in other industries as well...
How Can We Best Measure Worker Productivity?
Can investing in employee health improve the bottom line by making workers more productive? To answer that question, companies need new and better tools for measuring employee productivity, according to an article in the September Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine....
Arthur Middleton ‘Losers’ Drop 703 Pounds in Weight Loss Contest
April 5, 2010 marked the start of the Biggest Loser Contest at Arthur Middleton Capital Holdings Inc. The annual contest is an adapted version of the NBC hit show. And similar to that television program, Arthur Middleton’s contest inspired associates to lose a total of 703 pounds over 12 weeks...
Despite Economic Woes, Americans Still Seriously Concerned About Work/Life Balance
Often overlooked amid talk about job figures and financial data, the issue of disrupted work/life balance is another way that the economic downturn has taken a toll on the American public, with families bearing the brunt of the suffering from this problem...
Hispanic Construction Workers Face Health Care Challenges
According to a new report from the CPWR (Center for Construction Research and Training) Data Center, construction workers of Hispanic origin lag behind other construction workers in terms of health insurance coverage and access and utilization of medical care...
