Canadian Experiences in Workers’ Health Promotion

1. Canadian Experiences in Workers’ Health Promotion Presented by Len Hong Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety March 2000

2. Background • 30 million people • 14 million workers • 700,000 workplaces • 6.4% unemployment

3. Demographics • 800 fatalities/year1 in 16 workers are injured • illnesses (disabilitiy claims = 8% payroll costs) • $4 billion direct workers compensation costs (mostly safety-related) • $10 billion total impact of workers compensation costs • $20 billion for workers’ health direct and indirect costs • $12 stress related

4. Employment Trends • Increases in • service sector, knowledge work • health care, transportation • flex work, self employment • Decreases in • extracting natural resources • heavy manufacturing

5. Governments in Canada • 1 federal • 10 provincial • 3 territorial

6. Legal governmental authority • Resides with all 14 jurisdictions • Each jurisdiction sets their own standards and legislation: • Education, training, health, workers compensation • Occupational health and safety • No uniform laws/standards

7. Workers Health Surveillance • Workers Compensation Boards (all public sector) • Departments of Health

8. Social Safety Network • National health care system • National pension system • Welfare system • Employment insurance and training programs

9. Occupational Health and Safety System • Internal responsibility system • Employee/employer are the stakeholders • Joint occupational health and safety committees • Hazard/ risk based • Clear responsibilities and duties

10. Occupational Health and Safety System (cont’d) • Government role of setting statutes, policy, enforcement • Support for prevention and training programs • Some support for research and education

11. Significant Barriers for Workers Health Promotion • Clear definition of workers’ health • Unified policy/legislation • Authority/accountability for workers health • Standards • Full stakeholder participation • National vision linked to results based on accountability

12. Health for All Framework 1. creating health, at the roots of health and disease at work, including social andenvironmental determinants 2. improving health over the entire working lifecycle 3. improving health in the settings which give them context i.e. at work, and related to work

13. Health for All Framework (cont’d) 4. taking action across sectors and in partnerships that go beyond those boundaries 5. measuring the success of health strategies and actions at all levels, in terms of health outcomes

14. Health Considerations in Canadian Workplaces 1. Physical 2. Psychosocial - Emotional, mental, social, spiritual, intellectual

15. Lifecycle considerations • Employee assistance programs • Family work balance • Family burden • Continuous learning

16. Leadership • Guidelines • Health Canada-Workplace Health System for small businesses, corporations and schools • Small business • needs assessment-employees health survey • Workplace health profile-general report • Special report : stress, health and safety concerns at work, physical activity, weight, smoking, drinking, medication use

17. Leadership (cont’d) • Guidelines (cont’d) • Small Business (cont’d) • Health plan • one to three years involving a community (5) • Action plan • programs, policies and activities

18. National Quality Institute – Canadian Healthy Workplace Criteria • Annual award to recognize good to best practices • Partnership of Health Canada, health and safety professionals • Jointly sponsored by the Health, Work and Wellness Institute of Canada

19. Initiatives • Use of Canadian Healthy Workplace System • Community plan (5 provinces) • Issue based - pregnancy • School health program for students, staff and teachers

20. Partnerships • Multisectoral • eg: Ottawa Carleton Workplace Health System • public health (regional government), safety association (NGO), community group, labour , business (large and small), professional, federal and provincial government, health care, management/research

21. Partnerships (cont’d) • Safe Communities coalitions (> 30) • Curriculum development • Resources for educating teachers • Teaching resources • Youth OSH Conference • Minerva Canada

22. Business Case • Annual conference and awards for workers’ health programs • Provincial best practices database in OSH

23. Resources • labour, management, government, NGO, professional, trade associations, business organizations, schools, academics, researchers • training/ training materials • staff • funding • case studies and reports • academic research • planning

24. Advocacy • Labour unions • Business leaders • Professional/health/injury prevention interest groups • Parents

25. Enhanced public profile • Social marketing • New Brunswick • Ontario • British Columbia

26. Evidence-based • Institute for Work and Health • Canadian Research Institutes • Workers Compensation Boards

27. Future • Accountability • Social policies • National programs • Redirect resources • Best evidence • Capacity and capability building