As part of an early intervention program, Honda employees who are feeling pain can receive a massage of the affected area during work time.

Stretching programs are another effective tool in injury prevention. As reported by the Best Practices in Manufacturing Web site, Dayton Parts, Inc. (DPI) in Harrisburg, Pa., conducted research that revealed approximately 80% of all manufacturing injuries occurred within the first two hours of each shift.

After starting a program that required production workers to stretch for 10 to 15 minutes at the beginning of their shifts, they saw a dramatic reduction in injuries.

While the DPI program costs about $75,000 a year to operate, in conjunction with other business programs, it has helped bring the annual cost of workers’ compensation from $700,000 to $200,000 per year.6

To help prevent lengthy absences and reduce workers’ compensation claims, Honda instituted a work recovery program. Through the program, employees who have had an injury can work in a altered job-getting better.

Workers in the program spend their work days receiving physical conditioning to increase overall fitness, physical therapy to restore functionality, health education and nutrition counseling. the program is based on data that shows fewer work days are lost when an staff member stays connected to the work environment.

The Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation, www.ohiobwc.com, provides a “10-Step Corporation Plan” as a guide for businesses in providing wellness programs that aim to reduce injuries. the plan includes information on safety and health programs to prevent occurrences of on-the-job accidents, including -

Worker involvement - to ensure the success of any business wellness program, workers must participate in the safety and health-management process.

This may be done through safety and health audits, accident examinations, or by forming safety and health involvement teams, focus groups or committees.

Orientation and training plan - Conduct orientation and training sessions to educate employees on the corporation’s safety policies.

These sessions should include procedures for the safe use of machinery and tools, chemical hazards and how to prevent contact or exposure, specific job/task safe practices, and hazard recognition and prevention.

Communication - Open communication keeps staff members informed and provides suggestions and feedback on the effectiveness of the corporation’s wellness program.

Through memos, bulletin boards and staff meetings, important health and safety information could be conveyed throughout the organization, keeping all management staff and staff members knowledgeable about the corporation’s safe practices.

The company plan also outlines incentives for post-injury procedures, including -

Medical treatment and return-to-work practices - arly return-to-work strategies help injured or ill staff members return to work in a timely manner.

Businesses should establish a disability management policy to help injured or ill workers obtain quality medical treatment, making their transition back to work quick and effortless.

Timely notification of claims - Corporations should document workplace injuries immediately after they occur and promptly send that documentation to a claims handler.

Rapidly providing claim information demonstrates care and concern for the injured employee, avoids delays and confusion with the claim process, and reduces the potential for abuse or needless litigation.

Record keeping - Internal documents ought to be kept to record work-time injuries and to assess the success of the corporation’s safety efforts.

Company audits, surveys and injury or disease reports can all be used to analyze which safety practices and policies have proven successful, and what areas of wellness need improvement.

And experts predict that estimate is low, because it doesn’t take into account the rapid spread of the flu.

The American Association of Family Doctors’ Web site, www.aafp.org, offers a recommended adult immunization schedule developed by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.

This schedule, tiered by age and chances of exposure, recommends diphtheria, tetanus, influenza, pneumonococcal, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, measles, mumps and rubella, varicella and meningococcal vaccinations.

Ideas to incorporate avoidance and early detection -  

• Hold a wellness fair and invite organizations that provide screening services for such conditions as blood pressure, blood iron, cholesterol, BMI  and diabetes.

• Offer educational materials about well-baby care and immunizations.

• Choose healthcare coverage plans that include wellness check-ups and immunizations.

• Offer on-site mammograms for staff members.

• Sponsor onsite flu shots to coincide with flu season.

While stress can’t be eliminated from life, or even from the workplace, coping skills could be developed with relative ease. Stress management skills lead to decreased absenteeism and more effective, more productive staff members.

Because stress has been shown to contribute to such physical conditions as ulcers, high blood pressure and stroke, stress reduction has a direct impact on improving physical health.

Studies have shown that heart patients who attend stress management programs have 42 percent lower health care costs. Other studies have documented a 50 percent reduction in medical services use when stress management programs are employed.

Moreover, Employee Assistance Program (EAP) experts estimate that 20 percent of any workforce is affected by personal problems that can influence work performance.

Stress reduction tactics to consider -  

• Offer on-site yoga or meditation classes.

• Organize support groups among employees.

• Sponsor stress management classes during the workday.

• Offer an employee assistance program that includes both counseling and referral.

• Offer onsite counseling for workers if a work-related trauma, such as the death of a coworker.

The old proverb “an ounce of avoidance is worth a pound of cure” is specifically relevant to when applied to preventive measures taken during pregnancy, when a few additional ounces of birth weight can save a child’s life.

During pregnancy, simple precautions can help avoid catastrophic results; giving up smoking, for example, drastically reduces the risk of miscarriage and pre-term labor.

The March of Dimes reports that when all women took adequate folic acid before conception and during pregnancy, the number of babies born with a neural tube defect could drop by as much as 70 percent.

The physical and emotional benefits of proper prenatal care to a mother and child are underscored by a strong corporation case for offering prenatal wellness benefits. Nationwide’s Chief Medical Director, Dr. Michael Moore, estimates costs to care for one baby delivered prematurely could approach $500,000.

First steps in fostering a prenatal program -  

• Invite the March of Dimes to present information about prenatal health at an staff member brownbag lunch or breakfast meeting.

• Hold prenatal care information classes for interested workers during lunchtime.

• Provide educational materials about the effects of alcohol, drugs and use of tobacco on an unborn child.

• Offer incentives for adopting healthful lifestyles during pregnancy.

• Offer prenatal programs and education as part of the corporation healthcare package.

Instances of respiratory illnesses, cancer and other illnesses may be reduced through use of tobacco cessation efforts. Tobacco use cessation programs can provide enormous opportunities for improved health.

The American Cancer Society reports that use of tobacco employees cost corporations an typical of $1,429 per smoker per year in increased healthcare costs over non-use of tobacco employees.

Implementing a use of tobacco cessation program costs an typical of $45 per staff member per year, saving businesses an typical of $1,383 per year for each staff member who quits use of tobacco. Also, the American Cancer Society reports that smokers are absent from work 50% more often than nonsmokers.

They are also 50% more likely to be hospitalized and have 15% higher disability rates. Tobacco use lowers onthe- job productivity as well. Employees who take four 10- minute smoking breaks a day work more than a month less per year than employees who do not take smoke breaks.

Places to start with tobacco use cessation programs -  

• Develop a “buddy” program to provide encouragement for those who commit to stop use of tobacco.

• Offer lung capacity tests at company health fairs.

• Consider reimbursement for tobacco use cessation tools -  nicotine gum, patches and inhalers.

• Limit use of tobacco areas in the workplace.

• Present on-site tobacco use cessation sessions.

Nutrition directly impacts nearly every aspect of physical and mental health. A healthy diet can help protect against such conditions as heart illness, diabetes, arthritis, stroke, certain cancers and depression. Obesity, which is one of the most common conditions linked to diet, affects a record number of Americans.

The American Journal of Wellness estimates the cost of obesity to United States  corporation to exceed $12.5 billion in healthcare, sick time, and life and disability insurance.

Moreover, one study reports that obesity raises healthcare costs by 36 percent and medication costs by 77 percent. to offset the health risks of obesity and poor diet, many corporations have committed to assisting employees ensure proper nutrition and undertake weight control programs.

Well-liked nutrition programs -  

• Give workers with educational materials or courses on proper nutrition provided by a registered dietitian.

• Offer on-site Weight Watchers meetings or other weight management programs.

• Provide nutritious and health conscience meal options in the cafeteria and vending machines.

• Clearly post nutrition information for all cafeteria and vending machine items.

• Offer low cost, healthful, take-home dinner choices for employees and their families.

• Draw attention to healthy eating habits by providing token incentives, such as pencils or ID holders, for achieving five fruits or vegetable servings a day for a week.

Nutrition programs in action

While many corporations address weight management through fitness initiatives, corporations are increasingly focusing on nutrition through separate programming. Recognizing the productivity improve and lowered medical expenditures that come with maintaining a healthy weight, many corporations might help pay for obesity treatments for workers.

For  instance, to improve the health of dangerously obese staff members, drug maker Wyeth reportedly pays for stomach-shrinking surgeries that carry price tags of up to $40,000.

A 2003 Society of Human Resource Management study shows that 24% of companys offer weight loss programs. In Ohio, Honda offers an on-site, registered dietitian who provides individual or group consultations on weight control. Body fat analysis and BMI  measurements are available to staff members at any time.

At Grange Insurance’s Columbus headquarters, the cafeteria chef examines meals and provides employees basic nutrition information, including Weight Watchers points.

Many businesses partner with the American Cancer Society to offer nutrition information through the “5-ADay” program, which provides employers free signage and educational materials about the importance of consuming five servings of fruits and vegetables a day.

The program also offers a fruit and vegetable “frequency card” that gives workers a free portion of fruit or vegetables after he or she has purchased a preset number.

Exercise reduces weight, reduces risks of heart attack and stroke, helps to control blood pressure and diabetes, and improves mood. Studies increasingly show that exercise might also help reduce the occurrence of certain types of cancer.

Scientists at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) lately documented another major advantage -  exercise improves the health of the nation’s medical care expenditures.3 As reported by the CDC, physically active person incur $865 less per year in health care costs than inactive individuals .

Dr. Michael Moore, vice president and chief medical director at Nationwide Insurance in Columbus, maintains that exercise is the most effective tool in health maintenance. “When you could prescribe exercise in a pill, it would be the number-one prescribed treatment in the world,” he said.

In step with Dr. Moore’s prescription, almost one-third of USA  corporations help employees pay for gym memberships, according to an Associated Press report. Subsidizing gym memberships is just one way corporations encourage active lifestyles.

Popular fitness-forward initiatives -  

• Start a company softball or volleyball league.

• Compile and distribute information about opportunities to join athletic groups in your community.

• Offer partial or complete reimbursement for workout facility memberships.

• Hold aerobics, karate, yoga or other types of fitness courses onsite.

• Provide extended lunch hours for staff members who commit to lunchtime fitness plans.

• Introduce an onsite workout facility that is free, or available at a nominal cost, to employees and their families.

• Conduct on-site wellness fairs that include fitness demonstrations and promote fitness activities and resources.

A driving factor behind the push toward wellness spans organizations of all kinds, sizes and cultures -  that is, healthcare expenses are spilling over the corporate belt buckle.

The annual cost of medical services in the USA is rising at seven times the rate of inflation. and the rise in medical costs is one boom pundits expect our economy to sustain.1

This trend makes it increasingly difficult for employers to maintain current levels of insurance coverage. In 2003, healthcare inflation forced 65 percent of businesses to raise employees’ share of health costs.

Seventy-nine% of big firms said they will increase workers’ share of healthcare costs in 2004.2 But with lost benefits and increased financial burdens come lost morale and productivity.

Corporations are searching for another way. While corporations can’t control many of the supply-side elements contributing to rising healthcare costs-malpractice insurance rates, the nursing shortage-they can help curb demand. That’s why efforts are being redirected from disease to wellness.

The case for wellness is supported by an ever growing body of evidence demonstrating the high costs associated with controllable health risks -

• One study reports that obesity raises healthcare costs by 36 percent and medication costs by 77 percent.  

• Michigan officials estimate physical inactivity cost the state nearly $8.9 billion in 2002, a cost estimated to be largely borne by corporations through insurance premiums and lost productivity.

• the not-for-profit National Committee for Quality Assurance reports that the estimated average cost for postnatal care for women who didn’t receive prenatal care was $2,341 more than for women who had. and the indirect costs of unhealthy behavior could be just as high.

Data shows that healthier employees are more productive, spending more time at work and showing increased “presenteeism,” or productivity, while there. Furthermore, healthier employees use fewer medical services.

The five leading causes of death in the USA - heart disease, cancer, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and diabetes -  are directly linked to unhealthful lifestyles. Clearly, encouraging healthful habits presents an opportunity to improve employees’ well being, reduce the need for healthcare services and help control costs.

Offering worker wellness benefits - big or small - represents an intersection between corporate social responsibility and responsibility to stakeholders. Between worker health and corporate health. It’s often the right thing to do for workers and companys.

Research by Traveler’s Corp. shows a $3.40 return for every dollar invested in Wellness Programs. for a lot of corporations, the choice to offer employee wellness benefits is easy-one where conscience and pragmatism align.

The challenge arises in selecting  the programs that will deliver the most impact based on trends in your employees’ health risks and medical claims costs.

From big corporations to the corner deli, company owners welcome ways to improve productivity, decrease absenteeism and cut costs. Likewise, wellness programs can range from modest to elaborate.

In deciding where to focus a corporation’s limited resources, looking at costs, benefits and best practices is a good starting point. This section profiles six aspects of wellness and explores their benefits to staff members and corporations.

AAOHN’s survey announced that more than half of staff members (61 percent) want to receive wellness information from a healthcare expert, like a consultant or an onsite occupational health nurse (OHN), compared to  handouts or  handouts (18 percent) or human resources (HR) staff (15 percent).

OHNs can develop, implement and evaluate components of work site wellness programs such as screening programs, exercise/fitness courses, stress management, use of tobacco cessation, nutrition and weight control programs, in addition to chronic disease management programs.

Plus, OHNs can help employees navigate through complicated health plans and may even serve as a triage point between employees and their personal healthcare providers.

Employees might refrain from seeing their health care provider when it means time away from work, inconvenient parking, waiting time in the office and co-pays.

In situations where employees are under treatment for chronic conditions like heart illness, onsite nurses can routinely monitor risk factors like blood pressure or cholesterol on a regular basis.

It’s often easier for an employee to ask an onsite nurse for information about symptoms or prescription medication than it is to schedule a follow-up visit to an individual healthcare provider.

Benefits realized by employers include enhanced staff member morale and retention, a recruitment advantage, increased productivity and lowered time away from work.

In companies with a safety department, the OHN can evaluate and address work-related health issues, including participation in workstation examinations to correct potential ergonomic problems, and proactively addressing muscle strains by developing stretching programs and involving staff members in leading stretches.

In today’s hectic world, most of us are spending more time at work, and have increasingly less time to look after our health. for a long time, companys have understood the benefits associated with keeping workers well - increased productivity from decreased absenteeism and decreased disability claims.

For these reasons, coupled with the fact that many corporations realized double-digit healthcare costs last year, corporations should consider Wellness Programs as a way to keep workers healthful.

But just how important are these programs to employees? How often are they willing to participate in programs designed to positively impact their wellness? Who do workers trust to provide them with important information about their health?

Answers to these questions and more were recently garnered from a research study  commissioned by the American Association of Occupational Health Nurses Inc. (AAOHN).

The AAOHN survey questioned 500 employees nationwide about their perceptions of Wellness Programs. More than three-quarters of all participants indicated these programs are a good way to improve their overall health, and nearly 60 percent consider these offerings an incentive to remain with their current employer.

Staff Member retention and turnover impact the bottom line, so building wellness programs into the work site culture is a valuable way to help retain talented employees and to enhancing personal health and workplace productivity.

Wellness wish list

Staff Members appear to have their own agenda when it comes to their health. With new pressures resulting from an unstable economy, national security threats and work/balance issues, it’s not surprising that 85 percent of survey respondents cited stress management as a priority topic for work site wellness.

In addition to stress, other preferred topic areas include screening programs (84 percent), exercise/physical fitness programs (84 percent), medical insurance education (81 percent) and disease management workshops (80 percent).

In addition to lifestyle and personal health issues, those asked expressed concern about work-related health issues, including strains and injuries resulting from lifting or task-oriented muscle repetition, exposure to harmful substances, personal injury, vision changes due to computer work and workplace violence.

Starting a Wellness Program

With such a broad range of health concerns, a key goal for employers is locating a way to proactively address the health needs of the largest number of workers, and effectively change unhealthy behaviors, promote wellness and ward off illness and illness.

Printed materials such as  brochures, posters, fliers or  brochures present an easy solution. But it’s important to remember that different people  require different formats for learning.

A good rule of thumb -  provide information in a selection of learning formats such as videos,  handouts, health-related quizzes, display boards, lunch and learn presentations and reimbursement or incentive programs.

This assumes you’ve overcome the first hurdle - getting people  to sign on to a wellness program. While survey respondents indicated wellness programs are important, just six out of 10 (60 percent) reported that they participated in the wellness programs at their corporations. the other 40 percent cited lack of interest and lack of time as deterrents.

This points to the need for a extensive, structured wellness program using a creative approach, with an incentive for participation and effective program marketing and advertising.

By investing in an organized wellness program headed by a qualified health care specialist like an on-site nurse, companies can give workers the access to the health information they want, and increase participation and generate interest at the same time.

The result -  employees become savvier healthcare consumers who feel more in charge of their personal health. and healthier employees make for a healthier bottom line.