Developing an illness prevention program

Developing an effective illness prevention program within the workplace can be a great asset to your company and an effective means to protecting the bottom line in business. Not only does an illness prevention program take into consideration the hazards that exist and how to correct them, it also includes a wellness program that can change the environment of the workplace with positive strides. With a few simple guidelines, reducing work-related injuries and illness can be achieved by any company, big or small. Here are some easy steps to follow if you want to develop an illness prevention program:

Step # 1 - Promote Prevention
Train your employees about using common sense. Having good judgment and adherence to company policies will prevent work-related injuries and it can promote health in the office. Develop ongoing training to ensure everyone is up to date on the expectations of specific jobs.

Step # 2 - Set Guidelines about Participation
If you want your employees to participate in the illness prevention program, you need to participate in it. Leading by example is a great way to encourage safety among employees. Having a management team member lead the program is a perfect way to show employees that you "walk the walk" when it comes to protecting their safety and the safety of others.

Step # 3 - Include Mental Health Prevention
Not every problem at work stems from safety concerns. The mental and physical well-being of employees is just as important as working within safety regulations. Recently John Hopkins University did a study and found that mental illness problems are increasing and by the year 2020, they expect depression to be the second-highest disability claim. Employers can help their employees with their mental illness problems by paying attention to their employees and increasing money in mental health coverage. Larger firms are even able to hire counselors to help employees that struggle with mental illness problems.

Step # 4 - Healthy Living
Health awareness in the workplace can be a great and relatively cheap way to improve the overall health of your employees. Simply offering incentives for weight loss or health improvements (like quitting smoking) can really encourage your employees to get healthy. Health awareness programs have been shown to increase employee morale and to reduce health insurance costs for employers. Employers lose about 22 million days of work each year due to employees that take sick leave. If you can promote a healthy lifestyle in the office, it will be easier to keep your employees healthy and to prevent them from using their sick leave.

Step # 5 - Disinfect the Office
Many people don't realize how many germs are sitting on their keyboard. People normally concern themselves with areas in the office that are perceived to be "germ collectors" like the bathroom. If you don't wipe down your desk everyday, it will actually collect more germs that the toilet. With that being said flip your keyboard upside down and watch how much stuff comes out of it, if you have a lot of crumbs and dust coming out of your keyboard; its time to clean your desk. Get aerosol cans and spray them into your keyboard to get all of the dust and crumbs out of your keyboard. Then get some antibacterial wipes and disinfect your desk. Make sure you wipe the mouse, keyboard, phone, door handle, and other places that are commonly touched.

Have a meeting with your managers to find out what the common "watering hole" discussions are. Find out if your employees are satisfied with their jobs and what you can do to make the office a fun place to come and work. Having healthy, happy employees is essential to increasing production and running a successful company.

Rating: 0/5 (0 votes cast)

---

Categories: Wellness Program,

Help others find this article:
Socializer, Digg, del.icio.us, reddit, StumbleUpon

Favorites: Add to favorites
Tags: