Reducing Accidents; Improving Health
The recent increase in workplace accidents merits a prevention screening program and health promotion effort that focuses on safety. Workplace safety and health promotion have been growing trends over the past three decades. Because of new research, a growing interest in health and wellness, and cultural progression, it makes sense for employers to promote both in an overall health administration program. This is true not only because employees spend a good deal of their awake time at work, but also because one of the surest ways of reducing health care and accident costs is instituting a workplace wellness program, “As research identifies modifiable risk factors, counseling and education divided at promoting health…yields cost savings, employee retention, and individual well being” (Reardon 2). Five hundred culturally diverse employees, mainly male, with an average age of 40 work at Hi-Tech. The workplace wellness program proposed a three-level program designed to address health and safety issues and cut costs: 1) Detection and Awareness; 2) Behavioral Modification; 3) Environment (i.e., safety).
Health risk appraisals are the first component of level one, detection and awareness. A local health care provider will be hired to conduct physical exams and to assess employee health risk through a questionnaire that will assess things such as the exercise habits, body fat measurements, and other health measures of employees. By performing a health risk appraisal, employers can determine where health care dollars are being spent. Those employees shown to be high risk, i.e., smokers, obesity, high-blood pressure and cholesterol levels, will be made aware of their health status and become a primary focus of behavior modification efforts aimed at promoting health and wellbeing. The marketing department will also be employed in order to help promote greater levels of workplace health a...