Occupational Health Management Archives – March 1, 2011
March 1, 2011
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A (lifestyle) change is going to come: Tips to help workers help themselves
Does a diabetic employee attend a lunch and learn but continue to eat an unhealthy diet? Or does an obese worker lose weight and keep it off, avoiding years of costly chronic health problems? -
No brag, just fact: Blow your own horn
You may have sent an injured employee to a specialist early on, so that he avoided additional days away from work. Or maybe you arranged for an employee on short-term disability to work remotely so she could still be productive, resulting in a two-week savings under short-term disability benefits. -
Healthy workers: Catch them being good
Occupational health nurses tend to be "cheerleaders" for employees with chronic conditions such as diabetes or asthma, says Judy A. Garrett, health services manager at Syngenta Crop Protection in Greensboro, NC, but the same enthusiasm should be directed to healthy workers. -
3 ways to ID wellness concerns of workers
Are you hoping a particular employee will participate in a certain wellness program? "Identify their needs, then tailor everything in the program to meet their needs," advises Tracey L. Yap, RN, PhD, assistant professor at the University of Cincinnati (OH)'s College of Nursing. -
Low or no copays can result in cost savings
When a diabetic employee at Pitney Bowes fills a prescription for a cholesterol-lowering statin, it will cost about $300 less annually than it did previously. This is because copayments were eliminated in 2007 for statins for all employees or beneficiaries with diabetes or vascular disease. -
Employers go beyond traditional occ health
Employers are interested in moving beyond traditional occupational health and minor acute care services, to offering a full range of wellness and primary care services, according to research from the Washington, DC-based Center for Studying Health System Change (HSC). -
HCWs face higher injury risk at public hospitals
Health care workers at public hospitals are at much greater risk of injury than workers at private hospitals, according to new data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor statistics -
Take the 'pulse' ofyour safety culture
The first step toward building a new safety culture may be taking stock of the one you've already got. Do your employees believe that managers care about employee safety? Do they feel comfortable alerting managers to hazards? Do they use personal protective equipment when it's recommended? -
Setting the bar... low: Healthy People 2020
Healthy People 2020, the nation's blueprint for a healthier populace, includes several occupational health goals but with very low expectations for progress. -
CDC: Notify EMS of life-threatening diseases
When emergency responders transport an incoming patient who is later found to have a potentially life-threatening disease, they need to receive prompt notification from the hospital about the exposure risk. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has proposed a list of the diseases for which hospitals must notify the emergency medical services.