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Safety In The Office - 31 Aug 2015 23:24

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[[html]]An harm free office is right, but, sadly, injuries occur and when they do, they should be addressed instantly. Preserve hygiene in the restrooms and keep the premises clean and safe to work in. Promote well being, hygiene and cleanliness to make sure that all of your staff are safeguarded from varied well being and security dangers within the office. It is because aside from accidents like fire, electrical shocks, or tripping, even people can turn into a possible menace when it comes to security in the office setting. A proper coaching as to find out how to deal with HazMat and safety measures to be saved in mind, could be learn from the OSHA handbook, which is a government regulated training program.
<br><br><img src="http://companyniltd.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Health-and-Safety-Northern-Ireland.jpg" width="269" /><br><br>Best of all, the addition of safety beams has not significantly increased the cost of storage doorways, which makes this addition one thing everyone can agree on. The beams assist defend you and your loved ones from accidents, slips, falls, and disasters. In case you have chosen to install your own garage door at residence, the protection beam is one of the best parts to put in. The Food and Drug Administration is answerable for ensuring the security of medication.
<br><br>In addition, if a fatality is concerned, or there are three or extra <a href="http://oshcorp.co.za/">health and safety companies</a> workers as a result of a piece-associated incident the corporate should report it to OSHA inside eight hours (29 CFR 1904.39). Not like well being name centers, the place the executives use a enterprise-like tone, there's a humane angle at Call4health that may make you are feeling relaxed in tense moments.
<br><br>The Board of Licensed Safety Professionals will usually recognize an AS diploma in occupational safety and health as meeting the necessities for the CSP software. Hold security coaching for supervisors of farm staff to show them precautions to take during a warmth wave and find out how to recognize heat stroke. On this interview, you will meet Greg Tate , an occupational health and safety specialist with the National Institutes of Health, who enjoys protecting protected the researchers who devote their lives to improving public health. For some positions, a grasp's diploma in industrial hygiene or a related subject is required.
<br><br>Nonetheless, because the report shows, many employees are just too scared of the potential of redundancy to comply with these claims up. It is often argued that a good employer will welcome any grievance claims, because it provides them the opportunity to handle issues within the workplace that they might not have been aware of. In these situations, grievances are seen not as private assaults, but as respectable methods to make sure that corporations comply with legal constructions.
<br><br>Usually it's the fear of a lawsuit, greater than any motion on the part of the governmental agency just like the FSIS, USDA, FDA or CDC that encourages corporations to put nice emphasis on meals security and proper working procedures. For some, when a loved one dies whereas they are sleeping, it can be irritating, particularly if the deceased had no identified well being issues.<br><br>[[/html]] - Comments: 0

Government clarifies rules for work wellness programs - 31 Aug 2015 06:41

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[[html]]WASHINGTON - Federal regulators Thursday proposed limits on how employers use financial penalties and rewards to nudge staff to participate in fast-growing workplace wellness programs.<br><br>The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission — which enforces laws against discrimination — said Thursday that employers can use financial incentives up to 30 percent of the cost of premiums for single coverage, provided certain other safeguards are met.<br><br><img style="float:left;margin:10px;border:none;" src="http://mercuryphillipssigns.co.uk/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/health_and_safety_signage.jpg" width="252" /><br><br>Business groups and advocates for people with disabilities are closely watching the issue. Workplace programs that encourage workers to lose weight, quit smoking, get active and better manage stress are spreading throughout American businesses. Employers look for ways to cut costs associated with chronic illnesses, which are often tied to lifestyle.<br><br>The 30-percent standard was set in President Barack Obama's health care overhaul law.<br><br><object width="400" height="241"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/xPJFxciCLVg&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/xPJFxciCLVg&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="400" height="241"></embed></object><br><br>For example, if the total premium paid by the employer and employee for single coverage is $5,000, rewards or penalties for participating in a wellness program under that plan cannot exceed $1,500.<br><br>After the health care overhaul passed in 2010, questions arose about potential conflicts with the Americans with Disabilities Act, or ADA, which dates back to 1990 and protects people with chronic conditions against workplace discrimination. That law says wellness programs have to be voluntary.<br><br>The employment commission is trying to balance how the two laws can work together.<br><br><img src="http://www.simpsonyork.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/health-safety1.jpg" width="326" /><br><br>The proposed regulation says that wellness programs are permitted under the ADA, but employers cannot use them to discriminate based on a worker's disability. Many wellness programs require employees to complete a health risk assessment questionnaire, and talk the results over with a counselor. Some require employees to take specific actions, such as losing weight or getting blood pressure down to recommended levels.<br><br>The regulation says employers cannot see individual medical information that is collected as part of that process. While aggregate results can be disclosed to employer, the wellness program must keep individual information confidential.<br><br>Commission Chairwoman Jenny R. Yang said in a statement the goal is to "harmonize" the workings of different federal laws that address the issue.<br><br>"Medical inquiries and exams that are part of an employee health program must be voluntary," said Yang. At the same time, "allowing incentives to encourage participation in wellness programs" is permitted by federal law.<br><br>2015 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. <br><br><a href='http://www.cbsnews.com/news/government-clarifies-rules-for-work-wellness-programs/'>http://www.cbsnews.com/news/government-clarifies-rules-for-work-wellness-programs/</a><br><br><object width="400" height="241"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/4U8GoiDxkKE&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/4U8GoiDxkKE&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="400" height="241"></embed></object><br><br>[[/html]] - Comments: 0

The Benefits And The Risks - 29 Aug 2015 12:35

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[[html]]Simply document, observe, trend and examine all forms of incidents, close to-misses and harmful conditions throughout your organization and enhance the effectiveness of your EHS program. As in all important aspects of our business, our govt leaders are closely concerned with our well being and security program, offering the leadership vital to interact our people within the promotion and achievement of our safety performance. Fifth Gold Medal for attaining its ninth consecutive RoSPA Occupational Health and Security Gold Award. If all of that isn't up to your standards, then it's possible that the corporate just isn't concerned with safety and look as a prime priority. It isn't unusual for well managed tour bus corporations to have their mechanics examine issues every time a bus returns to the garage. The motive force of a tour bus, not the president of the tour bus firm, might be an important employee.
<br><br>Also, it is a moral responsibility of an employer to make sure the safety of his/her workers. When a corporation utilizes human beings as an important useful resource, it is the group's duty to look after their security. Once the security needs of an occupation are determined, it is vital to plan effective measures to fulfill them. After the potential risks and hazards are identified, it is necessary for the employing organization to judge the dangers and confirm the safety measures required.
<br><br>Nonetheless, the brand new working environments and situations of labor which have changed them have given rise to new and totally different considerations about the health of the working inhabitants. Publicity to bodily, chemical, biological and psychosocial risk elements at work are actually rather more clearly linked to well being outcomes within the thoughts of most of the people.
<br><br>However, they won't neglect initiatives for safeguarding health & safety at work and can go through an essential change in their angle. Training for employees (63%), assessment of all dangers (sixty three%) and adoption of management methods or prevention applications (59%) will prime the listing. Efforts will move from operative facets to organizational ones, marking a related step for the event of a company culture of occupational health & security. Before putting pen to paper, it is important to outline the objective or objective for safety content material.
<br><br>A Relative Recognition of 1.zero signifies that town has a mean variety of the actual job, for its population, in comparison with the rest of the US. Higher numbers imply proportionally extra jobs of that type. We have now some extra detailed pages at the state level for Occupational Well being and Security Specialists. Numbers in parentheses are counts of related campus-based mostly faculties in the state; online colleges may additionally be available. That is exactly what a few of the finest workplace security consulting corporations are doing. Well being and security administration system requirements/tips are necessary <a href="http://oshcorp.co.za/">health and safety companies</a> for company safety and well being consultants to ascertain.
<br><br>As with every drug, pharmaceutical corporations create the analytical methodology, accumulate data, decide upon appropriate statistical methods, and provide a regulatory company with data for a regulatory and scientific evaluation (6). In reality, many firms and employees of corporations, care extra about the symbol”, which equates to cash, than the health of consumers. Although the database is maintained” by the US FDA, firms provide the info to be entered. º FDA New Drug Utility Number, NDA”; '¢ Lively Ingredients; º Firm; '¢ Advertising Standing; º Nationwide Drug Code, NDC”; '¢ Recalls; º Purpose for Recall; '¢ Date of Recall.[[/html]] - Comments: 0

Employee Wellness - 29 Aug 2015 10:34

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[[html]]<img src="http://s.huffpost.com/contributors/arianna-huffington/headshot.jpg" alt="Arianna Huffington" width="45" /><br><br>"Our life together can be better." That's the opening sentence of an important new book by Jim Wallis called On God's Side: What Religion Forgets and Politics Hasn't Learned About Serving the Common Good. Wallis wrote it while taking a three-month sabbatical last year, in the midst of the 2012 election — a break that allowed him to get a broader perspective on what was going on in American public life. The book draws inspiration from Abraham Lincoln's famous line: "[M]y concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God's side…" For Wallis, the key to being on God's side is a focus on the common good. But, as Wallis saw vividly during his sabbatical, that doesn't seem to be the direction things are currently headed in our country. Instead of strengthening our commitment to equality, social justice, and our sense of unity as a nation, our public and political discourse is breaking us apart.<br><br><img style="float:left;margin:10px;border:none;" src="http://www.eaglesecuritycompany.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/health-and-safety.jpg" width="290" /><br><br><a href='http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/employee-wellness/'>http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/employee-wellness/</a><br><br><img src="http://www.cooling.co.uk/images/imgmain/health-and-safety.jpg" width="277" /><br><br>[[/html]] - Comments: 0

What Is a Food-Handling Safety Certificate? - 29 Aug 2015 04:14

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[[html]]Retail food workers in industries such as restaurants and catering often must be certified by taking an approved food safety examination. These certification programs are designed to protect consumers' health and safety.CertificationEmployees who work in the food industry may be required to obtain certification in food-handling practices. Nationwide standardized exams are used to certify workers in safety procedures when working with food.<br><br>RegulationsU.S. states govern who within a food business must complete a food-handling certification program. Many states require only that a food safety "manager" be present on site.<br><br>ConceptsThose who undergo training and certification through an exam will learn about sanitation, how food flows through an operation (cross-contamination, temperature controls, etc.), pest management, FDA food codes and food-borne pathogens.<br><br>ApproachMost training incorporates Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP), a preventive approach to food safety issues. It identifies potential hazards and employs critical control points to eliminate risks.<br><br>CoursesCertification can be obtained in a variety of ways. An employer may train their employees directly to be certified by an approved examination. Individuals can also train at a variety of local training centers or take courses online through the National Registry of Food Safety Professionals (NRFSP) at www.nrfsp.com.<br><br>Source:Food saftey certification regulations<br><br>NRFSP: State Regulations<br><br>International HACCP Alliance<br><br>[[/html]] - Comments: 0

Refrigerant Gas Detection Systems by Carla Jack - 27 Aug 2015 12:19

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[[html]]There are many Refrigerant Gas Detection systems out there but how do you know which one suits your companies needs? New health and safety regulations are put in place for occupants of air conditioned spaces as well as being a measure to combat global warming and ozone layer depletion. Refrigeration and HVAC need to be able to comply with national and international safety standards without loss of productivity.<br><br>Apart from the obvious environmental concerns of refrigerant leaks companies in the refrigeration and HVAC industries can benefit financially from early Refrigerant leak Detection. A Refrigerant Gas Detection system can help by pinpointing inefficiencies cause by leaks and this reduces operating costs because of the associated energy savings made from early detection.&#13;<br><br>The seriousness of leaking systems was until recently if not still of comparatively little concern to the industry. Most plant operators found it easier to top up leaking systems with refrigerant, rather than to find leaks and operate tight systems. In fact historically some 70% of refrigerant has been used simply for topping up leaks.&#13;<br><br>This started to change with the Montreal Protocol in 1987, which formalized a response to the damage being caused to the ozone layer by ozone depleting substances.&#13;<br><br>An ideal Refrigerant Gas Detection system will be able to detect a range of refrigerants. Older refrigeration systems utilise fluorocarbons such as CFCs but they are steadily being replaced by more environmentally acceptable refrigerants such as ammonia, sulphur dioxide, carbon dioxide and non-halogenated hydrocarbons such as methane. The use of refrigerants extends to the cold stores, supermarkets, fishing vessels, ice-making plants, food distribution centres and food processing plants. A good gas leak detection company should be able to provide both expert advise and tailored products to ensure that your companies needs are met precisely.&#13;<br><br>A consideration to keep in mind is that of control and installation. Most Gas leak sensors can be used on a stand-alone basis or integrated into Controls or Building Management Systems (using digital or analog outputs). It is usual for bigger operations to use Integrated Area Monitors (IAMs) with transmitters for multi-room detection and alarm notification.&#13;<br><br>A reputable Refrigerant Gas Detection supply company should be able to provide access to all the product specification docs in order to ensure that you get the best longevity out of your investment.<br><br>[[/html]] - Comments: 0

Occupational Health and Safety Training - 25 Aug 2015 07:53

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[[html]]Over 200 people die each year in accidents at work and over one million people are injured all over the world. Over two million suffer illnesses caused by or made worse by their work. It is vital for business owners to provide their employees with health and safety training for a variety of reasons, because Injuries and accidents are always unexpected and unpredictable. An effective training program can reduce the number of injuries and deaths, property damage, legal liability, illnesses, workers' compensation claims, and missed time from work.<br><br>Health and safety training is not only important, it's being made mandatory. Several countries all over the world have made health and safety training for company workers compulsory. The Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 requires companies to provide whatever information, instruction, training and supervision as is necessary to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health and safety at work of your employees. <br><br><img style="float:right;margin:10px;border:none;" src="http://www.elecktec.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/health-and-safety.jpg" width="263" /><br><br>Health and Safety Trainers promote health and safety procedures in an organization. They recognize hazards and measure health and safety risks and recommends on avoiding accidents to management and employees in an organization, because of Health and Safety Training, healthy and safe environment is developed at the workplace and this makes healthy and safe living second nature to the employees, the employees don't get injured or sick because of their work, this also in avoiding the financial costs and losses that you have to pay as a result of your employees getting sick at work or because of it. <br><br>Health and Safety training help establish a safety culture in which employees on their own help promote proper safety procedures while on the job. It is important that new employees should be properly trained. People who benefit the most from this type of training are usually between the ages of 16 and 28. This age group has the highest rate of workplace injuries and deaths. Basic training is designed to ensure that everyone knows what a safe working environment is and are actively involved in making sure their job is safe.<br><br>There are many companies in United Kingdom that provide training in various health and safety courses because training is easier than recruiting new staff. As your organization develops and adapts to new demands, investing in the training of your staff will be of considerable benefit. Health and Safety Training companies offer resources and guidance for health and safety training. According to statistics, more than 120,000 individuals take health and safety course every year. There are number of companies offering health and safety training programme you can hire one of the many company to implement a plan for you.<br><br>Author's Bio:<br><br><img src="http://www.ftstraining.co.uk/images/health_and_safety.gif" width="312" /><br><br>Eric Petrelli is an author for http://www.talatraining.co.uk, a company that provides businesses and other organizations with comprehensive health and safety training and consultancy service.<br><br><a href='http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/occupational-health-and-safety-training'>http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/occupational-health-and-safety-training</a><br><br>[[/html]] - Comments: 0

Matthew J Key - San Diego Workplace safety Examiner - Workplace Culture. - 24 Aug 2015 23:28

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[[html]]San Diego Workplace Safety Examiner <br><br><img src="http://msmpartitioningltd.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/saftey-1st.jpg" width="255" /><br><br>Matthew J. Key is an Examiner.com safety writer since 2010, instructor, motivational national speaker, author and publisher with more than 30 years of experience in safety development and implementation, turning small, medium and large Fortune 500 companies around to save money and comply with OSHA standards, writing in the home/driving/occupational safety and health field. He is also an authorized outreach program trainer in the areas of construction and general industry for OSHA regulations. He has written articles for the National Safety Council and was the former newsletter editor for the Chemical and Health Care Section Executive Committees. He is a former safety columnist writer for the Stillwater Evening Gazette Newspaper, Stillwater, Minnesota, where his column entitled the "Safety Corner" appeared for 8 plus years. His articles have appeared in numerous safety publications nationally, including the National Safety Council's Safety and Health Magazine, and the Occupational Safety and Health magazine and The Occupational Hazard just to name a few. Contact him at this address.<br><br>Contact <br><br><a href='http://www.examiner.com/workplace-safety-in-san-diego/matthew-j-key'>http://www.examiner.com/workplace-safety-in-san-diego/matthew-j-key</a><br><br><object width="400" height="241"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/-2_8HTQ_44M&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/-2_8HTQ_44M&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="400" height="241"></embed></object><br><br>[[/html]] - Comments: 0

Employee wellness proves its worth: new hospital programs reduce costs and energize staff. - 24 Aug 2015 12:57

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[[html]]As the cost to insure employees rises, hospital executives maydream of an staff of triathletes who eat lunches of vegetables and leanmeat every day and rarely visit the doctor. But in reality, hospitalsemploy a lot of stressed-out caregivers who work long, unpredictableshifts and whose intense focus on others makes them lousy at caring forthemselves.<br><br>[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]&#13;&#13;<br><br>Workplace wellness programs have been in place for years, and&#13;hospitals have struggled to make these programs pay off by helping their&#13;employees stick with choices that stave off chronic illness.&#13;&#13;<br><br>But with increasingly sophisticated ways to crunch data, more&#13;hospitals are seeing impressive returns on investment from wellness&#13;programs, as they find new, more relevant ways to reach out to their&#13;workers to help them live healthier, less stressful lives.&#13;&#13;<br><br>McLeod Health in Florence, S.C., for instance, launched its&#13;redesigned wellness initiative with an unlikely choice: a 13-week&#13;personal finance program. It's been a hit500 employees&#13;participated, racking up $1.5 million in improvements in their financial&#13;lives. "We have countless anecdotal testimonials from employees how&#13;it's helped them get their hands around finances and that McLeod&#13;cares about them," says Tim Hess, associate vice president of human&#13;resources.&#13;&#13;<br><br>But what does personal finance have to do with wellness?&#13;&#13;<br><br>"Financial stress and distress take away from people's&#13;ability to focus on their work," Hess explains. "We have&#13;absenteeism/presenteeism issues. Research shows that they're not&#13;giving to their job what they could."&#13;&#13;<br><br>The organization's wellness program is continuing with moretraditional biometric assessments, health questionnaires and incentivesto participate. But starting out by giving employees some solid stressreduction on the company's dime generated some serious good will,he says.<br><br>Meanwhile, Sentara Health System, Norfolk, Va., says it's&#13;saved $3.4 million in health care costs over three years with 80 percent&#13;of its 11,200 benefit-eligible employees participating. The program,&#13;which worked with Sentara's Optima Health insurance plan, saved $6&#13;for every dollar spent. Employees filled out health assessments and&#13;those with low-risk factors got an immediate $500 per year discount on&#13;their health premiums; those with two or more risk factors could earn&#13;the incentive by working with a health coach.&#13;&#13;<br><br>The potential for savings like that has most hospitals joining the&#13;wellness bandwagon. According to a survey released last month by the&#13;American Hospital Association, 86 percent of hospitals have an employee&#13;health and wellness program.&#13;&#13;<br><br>The survey was commissioned after the AHA's Long-Range Policy&#13;Committee chose wellness as its issue for the year, says Maulik Joshi,&#13;AHA senior vice president of research and president of the Health&#13;Research &amp; Educational Trust The goal meshed with AHA's work on&#13;its Health for Life campaign in health reform and also connects with&#13;federal Healthy People 2020 goals released in December and with&#13;provisions of the reform law. Closer to home, Joshi noted, "Many&#13;hospitals' missions are focused on the health of their communities,&#13;and they start with their own employees."&#13;&#13;<br><br>[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]&#13;&#13;<br><br>John Bluford, chairman of the AHA board of trustees and former&#13;chair of the Long-Range Policy Committee, notes that improving employee&#13;health is an essential goal for the association. "This is a call to&#13;action," Bluford says of the survey and its recommendations.&#13;"All our hospitals have a legitimate reason to participate and&#13;improve the health of their employees. You get a more productive&#13;workforce, less absenteeism. Hospitals need to read and understand the&#13;information and take action."&#13;&#13;<br><br>Bluford is a big proponent of workplace wellness in his own&#13;hospital system, Truman Medical Centers in Kansas City, Mo., where he is&#13;CEO. He recently sent a memo to employees noting the $23 million per&#13;year the organization spends on medical care for them and their&#13;dependents, and challenged staff to reduce that by 20 percent. To assist&#13;employees, 70 percent of whom are considered overweight, Truman offers&#13;health-risk assessments and biometric screening with a medical plan&#13;premium discount for participants; free wellness coaching; special&#13;educational programs for employees with chronic illnesses; development&#13;of on-site fitness opportunities; and a paid time-off exchange to pay&#13;for health club memberships and other wellness activities.&#13;&#13;<br><br>"With some reasonable intervention on heath and wellness, weexpect to reduce [the amount spent on health care] by 20 percent in ashort lime frame," Bluford predicts. "Everybody needs to beinvolved. You have to make sure you get those people who are lessmotivated to participate."<br><br>Community Role Models&#13;&#13;<br><br>For hospital leaders, wellness initiatives connect with a number of&#13;strategic goals. "It fits into two organizational&#13;strategieschronic disease management and community health and&#13;wellness," Bluford says. Truman, with a large constituency of&#13;low-income urban dwellers with poor access to fresh fruit and&#13;vegetables, sets up a farmer's market in spring and summer that&#13;draws people from the neighborhood. It also is working on a plan to&#13;support the establishment of a grocery store in a neighborhood that&#13;lacks one.&#13;&#13;<br><br>Neil Douthat, a trustee on Truman's board and past chairman of&#13;its charitable foundation, says hospitals have an obligation to model&#13;healthful behaviors for patients and the community. "We need to set&#13;an example," he says. "Our own employees need to be living the&#13;life before they can counsel others to do it."&#13;&#13;<br><br>The AHA survey found the top motivator for adopting workplace&#13;wellness is reducing health costs. Next are improving employee health&#13;and reducing absenteeism/presenteeism; improving employee morale and&#13;productivity; and providing an example to the community.&#13;&#13;<br><br><img src="http://pictures.directnews.co.uk/liveimages/Health+and+safety_861_18338643_0_0_675_300.jpg" width="285" /><br><br>The board's role has been to support the wellness program as&#13;an investment in the organization's workforce as well as its role&#13;in the community, Douthat says. Trustees get frequent reports on the&#13;status of the programs but don't get involved in the details.&#13;&#13;<br><br>Bill Butler, a board member for both Sentara and its health plan&#13;Optima, says hospital administrators and trustees must be personal role&#13;models. "We make those choices, we have healthy meals at our&#13;meetings," Butler says. "Most board members take the&#13;stairs."&#13;&#13;<br><br>Carrots Better Than Sticks&#13;&#13;<br><br>The survey shows a lot of participation in wellness, but that takes&#13;a different form at each hospital. The most common are flu shots (97&#13;percent) and mental health services (81 percent); least typical are&#13;24-hour nursing help lines (23 percent) and personal health coaching (37&#13;percent).&#13;&#13;<br><br><object width="400" height="241"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/1UznTw1FEhI&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/1UznTw1FEhI&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="400" height="241"></embed></object><br><br>Positive incentives are much more common than negative ones (60&#13;percent vs. 6 percent, while 37 percent of hospitals use none).&#13;Incentives might include a discount on health premiums (which can be&#13;limited by federal law, though that limit is going up and could increase&#13;further), a cash bonus or credit toward a gym membership. Forty-seven&#13;percent of hospitals in the survey offer a discount between 5 and 20&#13;percent of an employee's monthly premium for participation. About a&#13;third of hospitals surveyed offer cash incentives of between $100 and&#13;$300 per year, and 41 percent award $100 or less.&#13;&#13;<br><br>Incentives usually are linked to specific types Of participationsuch as completing a health-risk assessment, weight-management program,biometric screen or smoking-cessation program.<br><br>Hess says McLeod focuses on incentives to participate rather than&#13;penalties for risky health behaviors, such as smoking. The stick&#13;approach doesn't fit McLeod's culture, he says. "We want&#13;to do this because it's the right thing to do."&#13;&#13;<br><br>Penalties tend to be very unpopular, says Jenny Jones, director of&#13;human resources for Sentara. "We proposed charging tobacco users a&#13;premium on their health insurance. We took that idea to our CEO and he&#13;said, 'What do you think our employees will think about that?'&#13;So we did an online survey and within 36 hours we had 2,000 responses.&#13;Five hundred of them were nurses and while just 12 percent of them said&#13;they use tobacco, 40 percent of them opposed a penalty. So we went back&#13;to the drawing board and designed something that was more of a carrot approach than the stick."&#13;&#13;<br><br>Even when attempting to encourage behavior rather than enforce it,&#13;employers have to be careful, Hess says. If an employer offers a credit&#13;for healthy behavior, those not receiving the credit can perceive it as&#13;a penalty because they pay more. Nevertheless, McLeod employees can get&#13;a tobacco-free incentive of $10 per paycheck against health premiums.&#13;&#13;<br><br><object width="400" height="241"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/SqckzsIDRHo&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/SqckzsIDRHo&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="400" height="241"></embed></object><br><br>Health First, a 6,000-employee health system based in Rockledge,&#13;Fla., tried wellness incentives that offered a financial reward to&#13;anyone who completed a baseline health assessment and then showed&#13;improvement. Just 200 people participated. "It was not serving our&#13;population," says Bob Waiters, corporate director for human&#13;resources operations.&#13;&#13;<br><br>So the organization switched to a more open-ended design, giving&#13;all employees free access to the system's fitness centers, which&#13;are located at or near each of the hospitals. It also sponsors contests&#13;for weight loss. Waiters says his organization found the best results in&#13;a wellness program that gives employees as much choice as possible&#13;rather than prescribing what they need to do.&#13;&#13;<br><br>McLeod also has designed a program that is broad-based and intended&#13;to give all employees the opportunity to improve their health, not just&#13;the small percentage of people with chronic illnesses that eat up a lot&#13;of costs. "A broad-based wellness program where you W to touch&#13;everybody will give you a bigger impact than doing some of those&#13;focused, targeted initiatives," Hess says.&#13;&#13;<br><br>The health system eventually may use a more targeted approach with&#13;employees. But McLeod leaders want to be careful about maintaining trust&#13;and not seeming too intrusive.&#13;&#13;<br><br>"We've had a good bit of debate about that," he&#13;says. "We want to make sure our employees feel safe participating&#13;in the program." The system chose to work with an outside&#13;consulting firm so workers didn't worry that their medical&#13;information was being handled by the company's human resources&#13;department. "We have agreements with our claims provider to work&#13;within HIPAA rules. We only see the aggregate data, we don't want&#13;to get into the individual data."&#13;&#13;<br><br>Data Heeded for ROI &#13;<br><br>There is skepticism about wellness programs, given that their first&#13;wave in the 1990s didn't produce good data on return on investment.&#13;Just 20 percent of health care employers offering wellness programs&#13;believe they reduce health care costs, according to a 2010 survey by the&#13;Kaiser Family Foundation and HRET.&#13;&#13;<br><br>Hess says workplace wellness these days is motivated by&#13;"getting our hands around medical claims," but also benefits&#13;from improved data analysis methods. McLeod had a well-designed, robust&#13;wellness program in the 1990s, but it withered when the ROI&#13;couldn't be demonstrated. So now leaders are diligent about data,&#13;tracking metrics from both health assessments and aggregated claims data&#13;to determine what kind of bang they get from their bucks.&#13;&#13;<br><br>"What we didn't have the first time around was the&#13;ability to take participation data" and show people where they are&#13;now and engage them to improve, Hess says. "From that, we can&#13;better manage the results and see if we are really achieving better&#13;health claims and productivity. We didn't have a good way to do&#13;that in the past."&#13;&#13;<br><br>[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]&#13;&#13;<br><br><img style="float:left;margin:10px;border:none;" src="http://www.eaglesecuritycompany.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/health-and-safety.jpg" width="304" /><br><br>Sentara also places a high premium on data. It keeps its program&#13;mostly internal rather than hiring a vendor, largely because of the&#13;tight connection among the hospitals, health plan and physicians in the&#13;system. "We've been great partners in designing this and&#13;setting goals with [the health plan]," says HR director Jones.&#13;"A lot of health care organizations have their insurance plans with&#13;another national carrier and can't get the kind of health&#13;information or metrics we're able to get very quickly."&#13;&#13;<br><br>Measuring ROI is challenging, and the AHA survey indicates just a&#13;third of hospitals have attempted it. Seven percent have succeeded, and&#13;those tend to be urban hospitals, those with more than 200 beds or part&#13;of a health system. The good news: 82 percent of hospitals that measure&#13;ROI report their ratio was equal to or beat expectations.&#13;&#13;<br><br>There also is good news about ROI coming from business researchers&#13;looking at wellness programs as a whole. A report in Harvard Business&#13;Review that reviewed wellness programs at 10 large employers, including&#13;MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, concluded that the programs can be&#13;an effective way for employers to "chip away at their enormous&#13;health care costs, which are only rising with an aging workforce."&#13;MD Anderson, for instance, reported that its workers' compensation&#13;and injury care unit within its employee health and well-being&#13;department reduced lost work days by 80 percent over six years, costs&#13;dropped $1.5 million and workers' compensation insurance premiums&#13;fell by half.&#13;&#13;<br><br>The AHA committee, in its survey and report on employee wellness,&#13;offers some observations and advice about measuring ROI. First,&#13;measurement likely will take several years, so make a long-term&#13;commitment to the effort. Hospitals also should take care to choose the&#13;most effective metrics. These might include savings in health care costs&#13;(medical claims) and savings from improved productivity, such as&#13;absenteeism and presenteeism. Involve employees by reporting on how the&#13;organization has benefited from their improved health. Also, consider&#13;boosting the validity of data by tracking employees with similar&#13;characteristics who participated with those who didn't.&#13;&#13;<br><br>For the new wave of wellness programs to survive, they'll need&#13;to prove their worth. But workplace wellness can be particularly&#13;effective in health care settings because of the nature of the business.&#13;"If we're doing this right, we show that we care about&#13;them," says Hess. "That helps employees care about McLeod and&#13;the work they do for our patients. It creates a win-win for the&#13;organization and the employees."—Jan Greene is a freelance writer&#13;in Alameda, Calif.&#13;&#13;<br><br>HAVE A COMMENT?&#13;&#13;<br><br>Hospitals &amp; Health Networks welcomes your comments on this&#13;article. Sound off at moc.murofhtlaeh|gamnhh#moc.murofhtlaeh|gamnhh.&#13;&#13;<br><br>&#13;Most common wellness programs offered by hospitals and systems&#13;&#13;Flu shot or other immunization 97%&#13;EAP/mentat health services 81%&#13;Sraoking-eessatian programs 79%&#13;Healthful hod options 78%&#13;Tobacco-free campus 76%&#13;Safety program 75%&#13;Health-rick assessments 74%&#13;Weight-loss programs 73%&#13;Gym membership discounts 67%&#13;&#13;Source: "A Call to Action: Creating a&#13;Culture of Health," AHA, January 2011&#13;&#13;Note: Table made from bar graph.&#13;&#13;Qualitative health and wellness dashboard&#13;&#13; Examples of How Hosp&#13;Recommendation Goal/Action Steps Can Meet This Goal&#13;&#13;Serve as a role As part of Hospitals can work&#13;model of health fulfilling their with local employers&#13;for the community mission, hospitals to build an&#13; are beacons of trust integrated, regional&#13; in the community. approach to health&#13; Hospitals must and wellness that&#13; create robust shares both risks&#13; health and wellness and rewards.&#13; programs as examples&#13; to the communities&#13; they serve.&#13;&#13;Create a culture of Improving employee Health and wellness&#13;healthy living. more than health is indicators can be&#13; implementing included in&#13; individual programs. dashboards, and&#13; Hospitals need to executive&#13; strive for a culture compensation can be&#13; of healthy living linked to meeting&#13; for all employees, wellness program&#13; which starts at the objectives.&#13; top with the CEO Hospitals can&#13; and the board of eliminate&#13; trustees. environmental&#13; Wellness should be inconsistencies&#13; a strategic priority (e.g., serving foods&#13; for the hospital. that are not&#13; healthful at&#13; meetings).&#13;&#13;Provide a variety While health and Hospital wellness&#13;of program wellness is more programs can include&#13;offerings. than a set of a health-risk assess&#13; activities, it is mint, a biometric&#13; important for screening and&#13; hospitals to offer at least one&#13; a variety of intensive coaching&#13; activities to activity, based on&#13; promote health the' risks and&#13; within their health status of&#13; organizations. its employees.&#13;&#13;Provide positive Positive and Hospitals can expand&#13;and negative negative incentives the use of&#13;incentives. are effective in incentives to&#13; improving health and improve&#13; wellness program participation&#13; participation levels. As&#13; levels. Hospitals participation levels&#13; can use incentives increase, hospitals&#13; to increase can begin to shift&#13; participation and toward more outcomes&#13; to improve outcomes. based incentives.&#13;&#13;Track participation To track the success Hospitals can track&#13;and outcomes. of their health and participation and&#13; wellness programs, outcome targets&#13; hospitals first must (e.g., over all&#13; measure and increase participants, number&#13; participation and completing an HRA,&#13; then build systems number enrolled in a&#13; to track outcomes. smoking-cessation&#13; program, and number&#13; with cholesterol&#13; improvement).&#13;&#13;Measure for ROI. A strong financial Hospitals can ensure&#13; case accomponies the a multiyear&#13; strategic case of commitment to&#13; striving for robust evaluation and&#13; health and wellness improvement.&#13; programs. To achieve Hospitals can use&#13; ROI, hospitals first both health care&#13; must commit to cost savings and&#13; effectively savings due to&#13; measuring ROI over improvements in&#13; over several years. productivity (e.g.,&#13; presenteeism and&#13; absenteeism).&#13;&#13;Focus on For program Hospital boards,&#13;sustainability. Effectiveness CEOs and full&#13; hospitals must executive teams can&#13; motivate employees wellness&#13; overtime, as a long-term&#13; effectively priority for the&#13; communicate, and hospital and ensure&#13; constantly that wellness&#13; reinforce wellness programs have&#13; as a leadership dedicated resources.&#13; priority.&#13;<br><br>[[/html]] - Comments: 0

BP workers boost nationwide oil strike for human rights: 5000 strong stop work - National Human Rights - 23 Aug 2015 20:09

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[[html]]The nations largest oil workers strike in over three decades grew larger Sunday when workers from two mid-western BP plants stopped work to demand basic human rights related to health and safety protections. So far, over 5000 oil workers are striking for their rights.<br><br><img rel="image_src" class="zoomable" data-large="http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/image_content_width_large/hash/d7/ed/d7ed63b1b0cabeb48e14978d8fd05a3a.jpg?itok=rdgYfe4o" typeof="foaf:Image" src="http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/image_content_width/hash/d7/ed/d7ed63b1b0cabeb48e14978d8fd05a3a.jpg?itok=58q2pG6X" width="600" height="314" alt="Workers demand Big Oil honor health and safety human rights to prevent more injuries and deaths, they say." title="Workers demand Big Oil honor health and safety human rights to prevent more injuries and deaths, they say."/><br><br>Common Dreams<br><br>When over 30 years of unfair treatment is deadly<br><br>Quite frankly, were tired of our co-workers being killed and being subjected to this risk, said Steve Garey, USW Local 12-591 President where 14 members have perished in 16 years.<br><br>The strike began on Feb. 1, just as plummeting oil prices prompted heated debate over the future of an industry relying on extracting cheap and plentiful non-renewable resources from the earth. This precipitous drop in crude oil prices by over 60 percent since June caused companies to lay off workers and delay plans for expansion; what they see as the most painless means of avoiding profit cuts. The strike is not expected to impact gas prices. (Think Progress.)<br><br>"The main thing that we want people to understand is that this is not a financial strike, it's about safety and going home to our wives and our children," a United Steelworkers told Al Jazeera this weekend.<br><br>Hundreds of refineries dot US coasts, and many have been running full-tilt to keep up with the boom in Tar Sands bitumen from Canada and Bakken crude from North Dakota. With increased throughput and lower margins, oil companies like Tesoro, Shell, Chevron and Exxon have increased the risks of injuries, safety hazards and death for workers and communities alike, reports 350.org.<br><br>Confronted with longer hours, more shifts, the same number of staff, and no significant effort by oil companies to increase plant safety, workers are faced with much higher chances of getting sick or being injured or killed on the job.<br><br>None know the untruths told by oil companies and corporate media that supports them better than oil workers and those nearby, often threatened by thugs to remain silent.<br><br>Friday, the local Toledo union posted on its Facebook page that the strike is NOT about money, this is about addressing safety issues that have been ignored for way too long 138 workers were killed on the job while extracting, producing, or supporting oil and gas in 2012 the number was more than double that of 2009.<br><br>The public will never know the number of Gulf Coasters who died as the result of BPs oil and Corexit, that made the oil 50 times more lethal in rotifers, according to one study.<br><br>MORE: Aussies Blow Lid Off BP Gulf Oil-Corexit Deaths, Health Catastrophe Cover-Up<br><br>Under that video on YouTube, commenter Overit wrote:<br><br>I lived in the Destin area and became very ill during the spill. The headaches got so bad that a friend took me out to my home in Tampa Bay. I am trying to decide what to do with my home up there and you have helped me decide that I should get rid of it. My 7 lb best friend got weak and sick there. I nursed her for 8 months and finally lost her to what the vet suspected was GI cancer. It now makes sense. BP killed my Sunshine. So hard to deal with still. Will the pain ever stop?<br><br>Challenging the oil industry business as usual neglect of safety conditions impacting workers and nearby residents, the United Steelworkers announced Saturday that over 1,400 employees at BP refineries in Whiting, Indiana and Toledo, Ohio joined the 3,800 oil workers on strike at nine refineries in California, Kentucky, Texas and Washington.<br><br>BP workers at the new sites officially wenet on strike at 12:01 Sunday morning, according to the union.<br><br>Entering its second week, the strike was organized to win protections in the industry where safety is a matter of life-or-death for workers and surrounding communities, Samantha Winslow highlighted in Labor Notes.<br><br>The Texas City, Texas plant on strike is the site of a BPs 2005 refinery explosion that killed 15 workers (the refinery was later sold to Marathon).<br><br>We have a lot of forced overtime, Dave Martin, vice president of the union striking at the Marathon refinery in Catlettsburg, Kentucky, told Labor Notes. That was one of the main issues in the Texas explosion: people working overtime and not making the right decisions.<br><br>Our local union has lost 14 members in 16 years. Quite frankly, were tired of our coworkers being killed and being subjected to this risk, said Steve Garey, president of the USW local in Anacortes, Washington.<br><br>Shell Oil, thats at the head of the negotiating table for the industry side, is refusing to budge on safety issues, say workers.<br><br>After long days of discussions with the industrys lead company, Shell Oil, little progress has been made on our members central issues concerning health and safety, fatigue, inadequate staffing levels that differ from what is shown on paper, contracting out of daily maintenance jobs, high out-of-pocket and health care costs, said USW International Vice President Gary Beevers in a press statement.<br><br>In an industry known for health and safety violations and large-scale environmental crises such as like BPs 2010 Deepwater Horizon crisis in the Gulf of Mexico, workers have garnered broad support, including from green organizations.<br><br>Refineries run at high pressure, high temperature, emit carcinogens and particulates, and spew carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, said environmental organization 350.org in support of the strikers. These dangerous facilities have a track record of explosions, fatalities and high levels of chronic disease in the communities surrounding them, most often populated with low-income families.<br><br>Perhaps no Americans know this better than Gulf Coasters. From areas along the coast to Louisianas Bayou Corn further inland, people suffer, some die. Most of these stories are never told. Thousands of workers and residents still suffering from the 2010 BP oil crisis are still silenced. Another entire Louisiana community has become a sacrifice zone to the dirty, dangerous fossil fuel industry.<br><br>MORE: Louisiana Sinkhole Sacrifice Zone 13 Survivors Lonely, Rattled<br><br>As we move towards a clean energy economy, there should be no throw-away communities and no throw-away workers, the statement continued, 350.0rg says.<br><br>Photo: Common Dreans<br><br>[[/html]] - Comments: 0

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