Total Worker Health


Wellness Pays, Especially for Older Workers

Workplace health promotion programs cut average worker health costs by 18 percent, and even more for programs involving older workers.

2013 Flu Season Hitting Workers Hard

Data from the BLS Current Population Survey indicate absences were higher in January 2013 than in any month since February 2008.

Broad Smoking Ban Adopted in Russia

Beginning June 1, smoking is prohibited inside state office buildings, universities, hospitals, sports stadiums, restaurants, and on trains, at railway stations, and near entrances to subways.

Heart Disease Risk App Wins Million Hearts Challenge

The Marshfield Clinic Research Foundation won the nationwide competition for a mobile app that helps people prevent heart disease. It's available on iTunes.

Canada Finalizes Plan to Study Wind Turbines' Health Impacts

Health Canada and Statistics Canada are collaborating on the study and expect to complete it in 2014. Initially they'll survey adult inhabitants in 2,000 residences near up to a dozen turbines.

Washington to Expand COHE Program

At least six Centers of Occupational Health and Education sponsors will be chosen, two more than currently operate in the program.They provide education and financial incentives to more than 2,000 health care providers to encourage use of best practices in occupational health.

DOL Officials Mark 20th Anniversary of FMLA

A survey suggests the law has worked well workers and even for employers, according to the agency.

APHA Backs Fully Voluntary Workplace Wellness Programs

The association's executive director submitted comments to HHS that say workers who choose not to participate should not be penalized.



Paper Assesses Effectiveness of HCV Treatments

Recently posted by the federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the paper says antiviral therapy for chronic hepatitis C virus infection continues to evolve.

Some Workplace Injury Costs Extend For Decades, NCCI Report Shows

Two categories of services, drugs and home services, increase significantly between early and late-term care, it shows.

Webinar to Explain New Canadian Psychological Health Standard

The CEO and the Workforce Advisory Committee chair of the Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC) will discuss the new voluntary standard Jan. 29.

WHO Board Chooses New Americas Region Director

Dr. Carissa Etienne will start a five-year term on Feb. 1. She has served as the Commonwealth of Dominica's chief medical officer and assistant director of the Pan American Health Organization.

KFF, Harvard School to Outline Health Policy Priorities for 113th Congress

The Jan. 24 briefing in Washington, D.C., is sponsored by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

JOEM Study Shows Health Promotion Cuts Costs by 18 Percent

The authors combined data from two major studies to estimate savings from reductions in seven risk factors or medical conditions typically addressed by workplace wellness programs.

The Affordable Care Act will pay for smaller companies to set up their wellness programs, and it also increases the amount of their health care costs that employers can devote to incentives.

Wellness Winning the Day

As the calendar turns to 2013, the outlook for wellness and safety incentives is bright, says Melissa Van Dyke, president of the Incentive Research Foundation.

Bremen Castings Opens On-Site Wellness Center

The 73-year-old company's president, JB Brown, said the facility "allows access to free care and free medication for our employees throughout the week."

Online OSHA Tool Aids in Cadmium Exposure Compliance

Exposure to the harmful metal, which can cause illness and cancer in cases of chronic contact, can be more easily monitored by workers and supervisors with a new OSHA online endeavor.

DC Transit System Using Broad Approach to Manage Fatigue

"While we need to avoid schedules that call for excessive hours, it's equally important to modify work patterns through a combination of education, training, and lifestyle choices to ensure employees can avoid fatigue," said Metro Board Safety Committee Chair Mort Downey.

Global Burden of Disease Findings Coming Dec. 14

According to The Lancet, the results reveal substantial shifts in the burden of disease from children to younger adults, and also from communicable, maternal, neonatal, and nutritional conditions to noncommunicable diseases.

MSA Joins Fit-Friendly Worksites Program

More than 1,800 companies thus far have been recognized by the American Heart Association for creating a corporate culture of health and wellness.

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