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...
JetBlue Flight Attendant Incident Puts the Spotlight On Workplace Stress
We all can identify with frustration in the workplace. Jet Blue flight attendant Steven Slater touched a nerve with thousands of workers when he imploded on the job, making a now-famous exit down the plane's emergency slide with a beer in hand after dealing with an unruly passenger...
EU OSHA: Workplace Health Promotion Improves Productivity, Well-Being
As part of its Workplace Health Promotion project, the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA) is sending the following message to employers: workplace health promotion (WHP) leads to better health, reduced absenteeism, enhanced motivation and improved productivity...
CDC: More U.S. Adults Report Being Obese
The number of states with an obesity prevalence of 30 percent or more has tripled in 2 years to reach nine states in 2009, according to a CDC Vital Signs report. The report also found that no state met the nation’s Healthy People 2010 goal to lower obesity prevalence to 15 percent...
Living to Work: A Look at Workaholics
Every employer wants his or her work force to be productive and dedicated. But what happens when an employee crosses the line and becomes addicted to work? A University of North Carolina (UNC) Charlotte professor who claims work addiction nearly destroyed his life has some answers...
At-Home Safety: Top 10 Hot Weather Tips for Those with Asthma
The dog days of summer can slow most of us to a crawl in search of shade, ice and water. But for people with asthma and other respiratory conditions such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), the combination of high heat and humidity with congested and polluted air can leave them gasping for breath...
American Workers Looking Forward to the New R&R This Summer
A new study reveals employees are eager to take back their vacation time and unplug from work this summer...
Hot Weather Warning: Forecasters Calling for Potentially Dangerous Heat Conditions
Warm weather usually means lots of summer fun and outdoor activities. Unfortunately, the combination of high heat and high humidity can be very dangerous...
At-Home Safety: Avoid Fireworks-Related Eye Injuries this Fourth of July
While fireworks are one of the highlights of the Fourth of July holiday, a mistake can turn their beauty into permanent injury, eye damage or blindness...
How Heat Stress Affects Performance
Even a 2 percent dehydration level caused by heat stress can dramatically reduce a worker's reaction times and ability to focus...
Take the Stress Factor Out of the Heat Equation
There's one solution to heat stress: Control the environment through engineering, work practices and heat assessments...
Shift Work Linked to Sleep Problems in Younger Workers
In the latest study linking health or wellness complications to shift work, researchers reveal that working the night shift interferes with sleep, particularly for workers in their 30s and 40s...
Space Research Sheds Light on Shift Work Scheduling
Researchers have developed software that uses mathematical models to help astronauts and ground support personnel better adjust to shifting work and sleep schedules. Outside the space program, the software could help people who do shift or night work or who experience jet lag due to travel across time zones...
Why “Health” is the New “Green”
According to the 2010 Edelman Health Engagement Barometer, the general public expects businesses to be involved in health in ways that go well beyond the health of their employees. The study shows that 72 percent of respondents trust companies that are effectively engaged in health, while 65 percent either recommend or buy products from these companies – indicating that a focus on health is a smart business strategy...
Workplace Wellness: Getting the Best Return on Your Investment
In 2005, U.S. employers shouldered the majority of the nearly $2 trillion spent on health care. Corporate wellness programs may help in reducing this staggering figure if done right and consistently...
