Total Worker Health:

Exploring the benefits of health promotion

for health and safety in Victorian

workplaces.

Tim McLean

Director

Improvement Programs

WorkSafe Victoria

Work Related

Violence

Safe Design

WorkSafe Strategy 2017

Our Health & Safety priorities

Health Construction Agriculture Manufacturing Warehousing TransportInd

ustr

ies in

fo

cu

sS

tra

teg

ic w

ork

Major

Hazards

Facilities

Quarries and

Mines Construction

Dangerous

Goods

Ma

nd

ato

ry W

ork

Young

Workers

Worker

HealthAsbestos

Psychological

Health

Occupational

disease

Manual

handling Bullying

Our Workplace Wellness Journey

WorkHealth (2008 – 2013)

A voluntary program dedicated to educating and empowering employers and workers 800,000 WorkHealth Checks 38,000 workplaces 1,800 workplace grants 40,000 workers accessing support programs

A mix of interventions

works best

The workplace

is a relevant setting for

health promotion

‘Culture of care’,

alongside ‘culture of

compliance’

Workplace health

promotion works best

when built on sound OHS

Strong leadership / workplace

champions are critical to success

From health promotion to an integrated

approach to worker health, safety and

wellbeing

Page 4

Checks Grants

Coach Tools

Checks Grants

Coach Tools

CVD

T2DM

WorkHealth 1

Public Health focus

CULTURE

MWB

MSDs

WorkHealth 2 (WINs)

Safety focus

•WorkHealth evaluation

•Employer case studies

•International evidence

•Stakeholder views}

Integrated approaches to worker

health, safety and wellbeing

Page 5

Total Worker Health™ is a strategy integrating occupational safety and health protection with health promotion to prevent worker injury and illness and to advance health and well-being

Promoting organisational health and development

Protecting worker safety and health

Promoting worker health and wellbeing

Page 6

Evidence Practice

What we’re doing – WorkHealth

Improvement Networks (WINs)

Note: Duty-holders have obligations under the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 (OHS Act) to ensure the health and safety of people ‘so far as reasonably practicable’. The OHS Regulations contain requirements concerning the order in which controls must be considered. These regulations must be complied with .

Human Resources

OHS Health promotion

Cause identified

Intervention identified

Implementation

Monitoring and evaluation

Monitoring and evaluation

Implementation

Monitoring and evaluation

AbsenteeismManual handling

claimsHigh blood

pressureHuman

ResourcesOHS Health

promotion

Broad range of interventions identified

Targeted Implementation

Monitoring and evaluation

AbsenteeismManual

Handling Claims

High blood pressure

Many potential causes identified

Issues

Implementation

Integration in practice

Cause identified

Cause identified

Intervention identified

Intervention identified

Integrated Approaches in Practice –

Health, Safety and Wellbeing at

WorkSafe

Page 8

•Physical Wellbeing Program

•Consultative mechanisms

•Professional Supervision Pilot

•Wellbeing specific information, instruction, training

•Staff social club

•Volunteering

•Vacation care

•Healthy Heart Checks

•Flu vaccines

•Discounted health insurance

•Fruit drops

•Weight loss support

•Changing Gears program

•EAP

•OHS risk management

•Peer Support

•Critical Incident Support

•EEO Contact Officers

•Internal Facilitator

•Injury Management & RTW Support

•Case Management Wellbeing Support

•OHS policies and procedures

•Conflict resolution

•HSRs and HS&W Teams

•Values & Mission

•Organisational values

•Healthy Workplace Behaviours

•Personal & Career Development

•Leadership Development Framework

•Flexible Work Options

•Reward & Recognition

•Pay & Benefits

•Staff induction

•Diversity Commitment & Strategy

Our approach – the WIN model

Action research Industry led

Co-design

Collaborative Learning using the Model for improvement

Participating worksites

Page 10

Manufacturing

Public hospitals

What we’re measuring

Page 11

What is the optimal way for

this type of preventative program to

contribute results for OHS

performance?

What capacity must be built

within the WorkHealth

Improvement Networks for a sustainable roll

out?

What are the costs and

predicted benefits to employers and

employees?

Baseline data and early

interventions

Page 12

Baseline Trial interventions

Employees rate safety

motivation/behaviour

higher where they have a

level of control vs. general

workplace

Staff rated their health

average or above average

Staff have substantially

worse self-rated mental

health than norm

23% staff reported an MSD

in the past year

Predominant injury sites:

lower back, shoulder, head

& neck

Identification of safety

concerns (through

focus groups)

Program on

‘combatting

compassion fatigue’

Pain and discomfort

survey of staff to

obtain baseline

Safety

culture

Health &

wellbeing

MSDs

‘Caring for carers’

checks

Fatigue risk

management

Debriefing sessions

Staff survey to

identify coping

strategies and

mechanisms

Review of current

risk controls

Key learnings so far

• Model for Improvement has potential for broader application

• Workers appreciate the holistic view of their health and

safety

• Cross-industry networking: public hospitals & manufacturing

• Creating new ways to tackle complex health and safety

issues

• Baseline data collection and measurement highly beneficial

(this is a significant current gap for workplaces)

• Workplaces require support to integrate at a strategic level

The Victorian landscape for

workplace wellness

Page 14

WORKHEALTH &

WINs

HEALTHY

TOGETHER

VICTORIA

INTERNATIONAL

EVIDENCE &

PRACTICE

MENTAL

WELLBEING

COLLABORATION

WorkSafe VictoriaWorkSafe, SuperFriend,

VicHealth

Department of Health and

Human ServicesNIOSH, UK, Singapore

Where to next?

•Tools, resources and information

•Strong appetite for workplace mental wellbeing

•Workplaces primed for taking action

•Government priority