Browsing: Health and mental wellbeing | Page 172

Employers are only seeing the "tip of the iceberg" of workers' compensation claims for body and mental stress injuries arising from sedentary work, according to physiotherapist Anna-Louise Bouvier.

Employers can reduce injuries, and motivate workers, by developing safety training materials through an "iterative five-pronged approach", underpinned by a comprehensive needs assessment, researchers have shown.

Introducing a number of health and wellbeing initiatives - such as flu vaccinations - after receiving a government grant, has dramatically reduced a roofing business's absence rates, according to one of its owners.

Employers have been advised to take four steps to reduce the work risks associated with drugs and alcohol, with substance use being linked to a high percentage of workplace injuries and deaths.

Employers that invest in improving their workers' mental health are more productive and innovative, and more likely to recruit and retain "the best and brightest people", says mental health advocate Professor Allan Fels.

Comprehensive wellness programs that shift the focus from the cause of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) to changing workers' attitudes, significantly reduce the risk of work-related pain among staff, according to Canadian researchers.

Smokers cost employers thousands in absences and cigarette breaks, study finds; and Victoria and South Australia release safety guides on ladders, lead, high-risk work and stretching exercises.

Workers who choose to undertake casual employment are more likely to believe such arrangements have a positive effect on their health and wellbeing, while "constrained" casuals can feel disempowered, Australian researchers have found.

Conducting workplace surveys and health checks is the first of three steps to reducing the risk of injuries among older workers, and embracing the benefits of an ageing workforce, such as loyalty, says an occupational therapist.

Workers who are subjected to bullying and stress at work are more likely to have children and grandchildren with autism or cancer, and their employers could be held liable under the due diligence provisions of the model WHS Act, a new Australian white paper says.