Research and learnings from the WorkHealth program

Understanding the links between lifestyle risks and workplace safety

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A call to action on worker health

About WorkHealth

A voluntary program dedicated to educating and empowering employers and workers

Delivered 800,000 WorkHealth checks to Victorian workers

Engaged around 38,000 workplaces to deliver WorkHealth programs

Provided seed funding to help 1,800+ businesses introduce health promotion activities

Helped nearly 40,000 at-risk workers take action to reduce risk factors for type 2 diabetes and heart disease

The research

1. WHC dataset

2. Follow up study

3. Impact evaluation study

4. Impact modelling

WORKER

WORKPLACE

VICTORIAN WORKFORCE

The research: What we know from WorkHealth checks

Nearly 93% of workers don’t eat enough fruit/veg

30% of males are at high risk for type 2 diabetes; females 17%

Older workers have healthier lifestyles but have more biomedical risks

27% of workers have high total cholesterol

5,223 (1%) of workers advised to see their GP within 24 hours

Males 2x more likely to receive an urgent GP referral

32% of males had high blood pressure; females 16%

Generally, rural workers have a higher risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes

90% rated their health as good to excellent

Blue collar workers have poorer lifestyle habits than white collar

Using the WorkHealth check dataset

The research: What happens to ‘at-risk’ workers?

Workers

@ risk

Health behaviour change

GP follow-up

Diagnosis

• 1,306 survey respondents • 1,121 pathology linkage

• 24% @ high risk T2D • 16% @ med-high risk CVD

• fruit intake ▲17%, smoking ▼25%, alcohol ▲22%, waist ▲10%

•smoking ▼70%, exercise ▲ 43%

• 48% visited GP for testing • 40% had 1+ pathology test/s

• 4.5% FBG indicated likely T2D

• 85% normal FBG

The research: WorkHealth’s impact on workplaces

WorkHealth provided first opportunity to

participate in on-site health program

WorkHealth checks have

been powerful for health awareness

The workplace is an effective

setting to target men’s health

50% of workplaces say their

culture is proactive towards health and wellbeing

Workplaces that had WorkHealth checks

and a grant were 3x more likely

to make changes

Employers say they should support

healthy choices, but change is up to the

individual

There has been a ripple effect

beyond CVD and t2d into other areas, e.g.

mental health

Interaction between safety and health in the workplace

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The research: Modelling and forecasting future impact

X =

Forecast impacts for workers

participating in WorkHealth

▼ Absenteeism

▼Compensable injury / illness

▼ Presenteeism

WH Coach/

Life!

# WHCs

# grants

Program participant data

Average effect sizes of similar interventions from the published

literature

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The research: Modelling and forecasting future impact

A mix of interventions will have the best impact on workplace productivity.

Presenteeism Injury claims

3-5%

Absenteeism

11-15% up to

5%

Research acknowledgements and how to find the reports

Our research team:

Prof Malcolm Sim, Dr Helen Kelsall, Dr Roslin Botlero, Dr Mohammadreza Mohebbi, Dr Mina

Roberts, Prof Andrew Tonkin, A/Prof Sophia Zoungas, Prof John McNeil, Ms Nerida Joss, Ms

Cassandra Wright, Prof Helen Keleher, Prof Niki Ellis, Dr Anna Peeters, Mr Kumar Pasupathi

Monash School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, ISCRR, Baker IDI

More information:

Synthesis Report, infographic video, and

industry datasets, available at: worksafe.vic.gov.au

Research summaries at: iscrr.com.au

What more have we learned about workplaces?

Key themes:

The workplace

is a relevant setting for

health promotion

‘Culture of care’, versus ‘culture of

compliance’

Workplace health

promotion works best

when built on sound OHS

Strong leadership / workplace champions

are critical to success

A mix of interventions

works best

• The coordination of workplace health promotion activities typically occurs through HR functions rather than OHS functions.

• Some participants expressed concerns about workplace health promotion resulting in a reduced focus on OHS.

• Workplaces with OHS Committees reported better health behaviours than those without.

• Further research is required to advance understanding of the integration of worker health, wellbeing and safety.

Where to next? Interaction between safety, health and wellbeing in the workplace

OHS + health & wellbeing OHS focus only

Where to next?: ‘Integrated’ approaches are effective for:

Smoking reduction

Prevention & management of musculoskeletal disorders

Reducing stress and poor mental health

Reduced medical costs*

Reduced leave usage

Reduced compensation costs

Where to next? From workplace health promotion to ‘integrated’ approaches

What does integration look like?

• Operates and maintains Melbourne's EastLink tollway

• 210 employees (50 office based, 160 call centre)

• 24/7 operation

• Joint venture

• Dedicated HR, Risk & Safety Manager & Team

• Policies that address both OHS & HP

• Coordinated communication

• Management buy-in and accountability

• Organisational commitment

• Evaluation and monitoring

What does integration look like? Barriers, enablers and outcomes

“we are creating a

culture in which our

employees can

flourish, enjoy their

work and develop

their full potential”

Enablers: • Strong management commitment translated into resourcing, policy

and program visibility

• Organisation history and culture (approach is culturally accepted)

• Employee buy-in

Challenges: • Diverse workforce (different status, job roles and locations)

• Inclusion of external staff (e.g. sub-contractors)

• Operating hours (24/7)

Outcomes:

• Low turnover and high staff retention

• Increased self-esteem and satisfaction

• Strong safety outcomes

• Cost benefit

Timothy McLean Program Manager, WorkHealth

WorkSafe Victoria

e: timothy_mclean@worksafe.vic.gov.au

t: (03) 9641 1911

worksafe.vic.gov.au