Embedding the “H” in WHS Joseph Meissner, Manager Work Health and Safety Tracy Co, Injury Management & Health Program Coordinator

Single Performance Metric

In 2013 LTIFR = 11.1

New Performance Metrics

Management Commitment

Proactive Executive Team

About Be Healthy, Be Wealthy

Be Healthy,

Be Wealthy

Identification of health

risks

Policy and procedure

Employee consultation

Information Activities Environment

Outcomes and

objectives

The journey •  Humble beginnings – a conversation in 2009 •  Introductory activities •  Focus group and survey

•  Business case •  Solidifying the “H” in WHS and WHSMS

Gaining management commitment •  Visibility of the program •  Wellness leadership •  Selling employee wellness •  Create shared vision

Using the 5-Steps to Workplace Wellness Guide

1.  Management Commitment •  Make a case for your program

•  Create a shared vision

2.  Wellness Planning •  Set up a committee or identify wellness reps

•  Wellness resourcing

3.  Needs Assessment 4.  Action Plan 5.  Evaluation

Above: Staff, CEO, two General Managers and various leaders participating in “Spring into Spring”

The business case Employees feel healthier, happier and appreciated Benefits include: •  a safer and healthier working

environment •  reduced risk of accidents and ill

health •  better employee/manager relations •  improved morale and motivation •  improved quality of life. •  In the short-term, you should

see: •  improved employee relations •  a positive workplace image •  reduced work-related ill health •  a healthier work culture.

Longer-term benefits include: •  improved employee health •  a decrease in absenteeism and

employee turnover •  greater productivity •  enhanced recruitment of quality

employees •  lower workers compensation costs •  enhanced corporate image •  improved health of the wider

community Source: Healthier Happier Workplaces - Five Steps to Workplace Wellness Guide

Goals The overall goals of Be Healthy, Be Wealthy are to: •  Reduce employee health risks through tangible outcome

measures •  Provide employees with opportunities to participate in

activities that will increase knowledge and skills and facilitate behaviour change to improve health and wellbeing

•  Increase employee physical activity •  Increase the number of employees who are meeting

healthy eating and alcohol consumption guidelines •  Reduce the number of smokers •  Reduce employee stress

Objectives We strive to realise these goals through the objectives of: •  Increase the minimum employee participation rate from 25% across all wellbeing programs •  Registering 3 new people on the Quit Smoking program each quarter •  Achieving 25% of staff who participate in 2013 and 2014 health assessments to improve their

BMI and waist measurements in 2014 •  Increase employee satisfaction levels to 50% of all employees being satisfied or very satisfied

with Be Healthy, Be Wealthy •  Increase the average employee fruit and vegetable consumption to the recommended 2 and 5

serves per day by 10% in 12 months •  Increase the average number of employees engaging in 30 minutes or more of physical activity

on most, if not all, days of the week by 10% in 12 months •  Decrease the average number of employees consuming alcohol above the recommended

national guidelines by 10% in 12 months •  Reduce the average number of staff who are at increased risk developing Metabolic Syndrome

Risk by 10% in 24 months. Metabolic Syndrome is a cluster of the most dangerous heart attack risk factors: diabetes and pre-diabetes, abdominal obesity, high cholesterol and high blood pressure. When occurring together these conditions increase the risk of developing cardiovascular disease

Some of our targeted initiatives…

Smoking

Nutrition

Alcohol

Physical activity

Overweight and obesity

Mental Health

Other wellbeing programs and initiatives •  Flu vaccinations and skin checks (36% and 33% uptake in 2015 respectively)

•  QLD Police Safer Living presentations

•  Information sessions with Bicycle Queensland on safe riding and routes

•  Men’s health seminars focusing on prostate cancer, depression and tuning into health

•  Breast cancer and bowel cancer presentations by QLD Health

•  Sponsorship in events such as Corporate Games, Somerset Fun Run

•  Heart foundation presentations on healthy heart

•  Initiatives to align with other state, national or internationally recognised health events e.g. Ovarian Cancer, Bowel Cancer, Men’s Health Week, Mental Health Week, Dry July, National Heart Week

•  Health across the lifespan seminars discussing diseases, typical health issues, screening tests and preventative strategies at each stage of lifespan

•  Emotional health and mental wellbeing programs such as workshops on resilience, daily vitality, stress busters, healthy relationships at work, healthy relationships at home, mindfulness

•  Eye health awareness

•  Danger Sun Overhead

•  Ergonomics program

•  Health monitoring

•  Other occupational health programs e.g. pre-employments, JDAs

Overcoming challenges

Barriers • Geographic spread • Rosters/shiftwork • Competing priorities • Lack of on-site coordination/support • Perceptions – confidentiality • Lack of visibility

Strategies • Working with operations • Tailor initiatives • Making health a priority • Wellness champs, leaders allocate

resource • Demystification and story telling • Putting wellness on the agenda, internal

communications plan • Multiple wellness channels • Availability of wellbeing collateral

“You can’t be a safe worker if you’re not a healthy worker” – Professor Dame Carol Black, expert advisor on work health

Overall results – snapshot of unacceptable health risks

What is the bottom line?

Seqwater n=167

Total number of risk factors 136

Average decrease in productivity

2.4%

Average employee wage (assumed)

$80,000

Cost per health risk $1920

Total cost of productivity $261,120

Burton et al. (2006) Association between Health Risk Change and Presenteesim Change, Journal of Occupational & Environmental Medicine 48(3)

Defying the odds

Communication methods

Testimonials… verbatim and unprompted!

•  “Myself and two contract fitters have all been non-smokers for a year now. Thank you for providing us with what is obviously a life changing opportunity to give up smoking…”

•  “I have noticed a huge difference in myself from the Wesley health check I have lost over 6kg, just by making healthy choices and a little more movement. I look forward to reaching my goal weight in a few weeks (about 1.7kg to go). Then I am looking forward to keeping it off and hearing the results of my health check next year. The kids are benefiting as well as I check the labels and hassle them about 5 and 2 veg and fruit.. I am sure they will thank me in about 20 years..”

•  “Just wanted to say how much I think the 10,000 steps program is an excellent way to get us all moving a bit more as well as building a more fun, creative culture across the organisation! It’s also a great way to get to know some of the people in the other offices (I’ve joined one of the non-Margaret St teams)”

•  “I just wanted to send an email to say how impressed I am with the Seqwater Wellness Program. I have only been here a short time and I am impressed with the initiatives that are being promoted and have attended a couple in my time here”

Useful resources •  www.headsup.org.au •  http://workplaces.healthier.qld.gov.au/ •  www.healthyworkers.gov.au •  www.10000steps.org.au •  www.heartfoundation.org.au/ •  www.cancerqld.org.au/ •  www.beyondblue.org.au/ •  www.prostate.org.au/ •  Australian Physical Activity Network Online •  www.ovariancancer.net.au/

Joseph Meissner Manager WHS joseph.meissner@seqwater.com.au Ph: 3035 5530

Tracy Co Injury Management & Health Program Coordinator tracy.co@seqwater.com.au Ph: 0438 135 626