The provision of managerial support and help for employees with depression is linked to lower rates of workplace absenteeism, finds an international survey study of practice in 15 countries in different regions of the world, published in the online journal BMJ Open The findings bolster the case for active workplace policies on mental health, say the researchers. Continue →

Bay of Plenty businesses are embracing a new way of providing health services to their staff – a mobile Fit For Work clinic Fit For Work, one of the country’s leading providers of occupational health services, has recently launched the clinic which will travel to workplaces. Continue →

Working 45 or more hours in a week is linked to a heightened risk of diabetes in women, finds an observational study published online in the journal BMJ Diabetes Research & Care No such heightened risk was found among women working 30 to 40 hours a week, the findings show, prompting the researchers to suggest that sticking to this total might help curb the risk of the disease. Continue →

Your technology is the culprit – try this one relaxation exercise you can do at your desk Something I write about frequently is productively, specifically as they relate to positive habits. Continue →

If these things are happening at work, try these coping strategies to keep your sanity Much has been written about hiring and developing top performers in the workplace, but less attention has been paid to the effects of toxic workers on their organizations. Continue →

A more physically active commute to work linked to 30% reduced risk of dying from heart disease and stroke People who are more active when commuting to work by walking or cycling could be cutting their relative risk of developing ischaemic heart disease or stroke by 11% and their relative risk of dying from these diseases by 30%, a study published in the journal Heart suggests. Continue →

People in industrialized countries spend more than 80% of their lives indoors, increasingly in air-tight buildings that aren’t particularly good for human health These structures require less energy for heating, ventilating, and air conditioning, but can be hazardous if particulate matter and potentially toxic gases, including carbon monoxide, ozone, and volatile organic compounds, from sources such as furniture, paints, carpets, and office equipment accumulate. Continue →

New research led by the University of East Anglia (UEA) reveals that frequently being the target of workplace aggression not only affects the victim’s health but can also cause them to behave badly towards others Workplace aggression is a significant issue particularly in the healthcare sector, where nurses can be targeted by both their colleagues and co-workers through bullying, and by patients and their relatives through ‘third-party’ aggression. Continue →

A New Zealand fitness expert is urging Kiwis to exercise more to help beat asthma, a debilitating condition that affects one in six Kiwis May 1 was World Asthma Day and Exercise NZ ChiefE xecutive Richard Beddie says keeping fit with exercise is great way for managing asthma. Continue →

WorkSafe has accepted its ninth enforceable undertaking under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 The regulator accepted the undertaking from Earthcare Environmental Limited, following an incident in July 2016 where a worker suffered hand injuries including the amputation of two fingers. Continue →

The government-funded seasonal influenza vaccine will be available in April, and wise employers and workers should consider vaccinating themselves as soon as possible against the traditional winter menace Vaccination is recommended by most health professionals despite the fact that reports from the Northern Hemisphere reveal that the latest season’s vaccine was not as effective as expected. Continue →

Wearable sensors are not just useful for personal fitness tracking, but can also be used to gain new insights in several fields of biomedical research In a research article in the open access journal PLOS Biology, Weng Khong Lim and colleagues from the SingHealth Duke-NUS Institute of Precision Medicine, Singapore, and the National Heart Centre Singapore show that wearables are not only able to identify groups of volunteers with similar patterns of daily activity, but can also predict various markers of risk for cardiovascular diseases such as obesity, high blood pressure and high blood sugar. Continue →

Electrical equipment is common to every office, notes Jeson Pitt According to one study, one person is electrocuted every single day in their workplace and most are within the age group of 25-44 years. Continue →

There are no second chances with heavy machinery says WorkSafe after the recent sentencing of Easton Agriculture Limited in Palmerston North District Court The sentencing follows the death of a worker in August 2016 after he became trapped in a potato harvester on a farm in Shannon. Continue →

The Health and Safety Association of New Zealand (HASANZ) has appointed Philip Aldridge as its first Executive Director with responsibility for managing its day to day operations and implementing its business strategy HASANZ is the umbrella organisation for workplace health and safety professions and was established in September 2014 to raise professional standards to provide healthier and safer workplaces. Continue →

Researchers are taking active steps to identify and combat the problem of people driving under the influence, but problems abound Recent studies in which marijuana users took controlled doses of cannabis in the lab have identified new biomarkers that can be used to estimate a person’s recent cannabinoid intake. Continue →