Workplace Health Promotion

Employers can do many things to support employees to achieve their personal health and wellness goals, prevent illness and injury, and prevent chronic disease.

• Make employees aware of the self-care resources from HealthLinkBC.
• Provide employees with information on maintaining a healthy weight.
• Offer employees on-site or subsidized flu shots
• Offer health screening (e.g., blood pressure, cholesterol, health risk appraisals)
• Provide support or programs to help employees manage chronic health issues (e.g., diabetes, asthma, high blood pressure).
• If you have an employee assistance program, promote the services available.
• If you have female employees of child-bearing age, provide Information on healthy pregnancies.
• Make your workplace tobacco-free.
• Share information on alcohol and drug referral services.
• Implement a disability management program that includes both a prevention and a return to work component.
• Conduct ergonomic assessments of equipment and provide employees with ergonomic equipment as required.

Employees can take actions in the workplace to prevent illness and injury, promote overall health and wellness and support co-workers to do the same.

EFFECTIVE PROMOTION ACTIONS INCLUDE:

• Take time to access self-care resources from HealthLink BC.
• Ask your employer to offer on-site or subsidized flu shots, health screening (e.g., blood pressure, cholesterol, health risk appraisals), and/or self-administered health risk assessments.
• If you have a chronic health issue (such as diabetes, asthma, high blood pressure) talk with your employer about ways you can be supported to better manage this condition at work.
• Share your knowledge about health and wellness with your co-workers.

EFFECTIVE PREVENTION ACTIONS INCLUDE:

• Know your rights and responsibilities for safe work practices. The WorkSafeBC web site provides basic safety information you need to know.

• WorkSafeBC provides resources for use by employers and by joint employee-management health and safety committees on the identification and prevention of musculoskeletal injuries, including risk assessment worksheets.
• WorkSafeBC has brochures for employers and employees on return-to-work. For employers: Return to work is good business. For employees: Return to work is good therapy.
• The Institute for Work & Health has evidence-based principles for successful return to work by workers who have been injured or disabled.  Included is detailed information on the 7 principles with supporting research. The Early and Safe Approach to Return to Work: How is it Working in Small Business summarizes a model Ontario program.
• WorkSafeBC’s  Back Talk: An Owner's Manual for Backs is an illustrated handbook that explains how the back works.