Workplace Health and Safety Queensland
www.worksafe.qld.gov.au
Workplace Health and Safety Queensland
Work Health: Health and
Wellbeing in the Workplace
April Bennetts
Senior Advisor, Healthy Workers Initiative
T: 3247 4786
M: 0467 796 559
E: april.bennetts@justice.qld.gov.au
Workplace Health and Safety Queensland
www.worksafe.qld.gov.au
Top issues within transport industry
• Workers have sustained highest injury incidence
rate (Australia)
• Highest serious claim rates (QLD)
– Most injuries: muscular stress/falls/ vehicle accidents
• Highest prevalence of health risk behaviours
(Australia and QLD)
Workplace Health and Safety Queensland
www.worksafe.qld.gov.au
Benefits of worker health
• Did you know that fit health workers of normal
weight have:
–
–
–
–
–
Increased alertness and decreased fatigue
Improved ability to solve problems
Better productivity
Take less sick leave
Lower risk of injury and fewer workers compensation
claims
– Improved health and wellbeing and lower health care costs
– Decreased risk of sleep apnoea
In short, healthier workers are
good for business!
Workplace Health and Safety Queensland
www.worksafe.qld.gov.au
Making worker health a priority
Workplace health and wellbeing initiatives
Aims to:
• Improve health of workers (positive business
outcomes)
• Make healthy choices easy choices
Considers:
• Work environment impact
• Integrates with existing health and safety
systems
Workplace Health and Safety Queensland
www.worksafe.qld.gov.au
The impacts of work on worker health
Work Related Risk Factors
Obesity
(physical
inactivity/
poor
nutrition)
Job stress / lack of job control / time pressures (lack of
time)

Shift work

Long work hours / lack of work-life balance

Lack of access and availability to store, obtain, and
prepare health foods

Sedentary work

Organisational culture (e.g. lack of support for healthy
lifestyles)

Workplace Health and Safety Queensland
www.worksafe.qld.gov.au
Integrating workplace health, wellbeing and
safety
Compliance
Work Health and Safety Act 2011
A PCBU (person conducting a business or undertaking) must:
• “… ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health and
safety of their workers while they are at work”
• “provide and maintain a work environment without risks to the
health of workers”
Workers:
• have a responsibility “to take reasonable care for their own health
and safety and to comply with reasonable safety instructions”
Workplace Health and Safety Queensland
www.worksafe.qld.gov.au
www.healthyworkers.gov.au
Workplace Health and Safety Queensland
www.worksafe.qld.gov.au
Guiding principles
• Integrated commitment and vision
• Joint consultation and
communication
• Environmental audit
• Cross-disciplinary approach
• Shared monitoring, evaluation and reporting
Workplace Health and Safety Queensland
www.worksafe.qld.gov.au
Queensland Workplaces for Wellness Initiative
(QW4WI)
• Part of the National Partnership Agreement on
Preventive Health
• Chronic disease prevention through the workplace
setting – SNAPO risk factors
• Workplace Health & Safety Queensland (WHSQ):
partnering with Queensland Health to implement
• WHSQ focus: blue collar industries including
transport and storage
Workplace Health and Safety Queensland
www.worksafe.qld.gov.au
Queensland Workplaces for Wellness Initiative
(QW4WI)
WHSQ grants
•Targeting industry bodies, unions, workplace consortiums
and not for profit organisations.
http://www.deir.qld.gov.au/workplace/workers/healthyworkers/funding-program/index.htm
Advisory and coaching service and professional
development course
•Provide advice and skill development to employers to
implement health and wellbeing activities
Workplace Health and Safety Queensland
www.worksafe.qld.gov.au
Queensland Workplaces for Wellness Initiative
(QW4WI)
Awareness and education
•eSafe
•Online materials for use by safety/employers: includes Work
Health Planning resource
Workplace Quit Smoking Program
Support for workplaces
•Workplace tool kit
•Webportal information and tools
•Recognition scheme
Workplace Health and Safety Queensland
www.worksafe.qld.gov.au
Conclusion
“If our most important asset is our
employees,
then how can we build workplaces to let
them know that we care about and support
their health and wellbeing?”
Workplace Health and Safety Queensland
www.worksafe.qld.gov.au
Thank You
For more information visit:
Workplace Health and Safety Queensland
http://www.deir.qld.gov.au/workplace/workers/
healthy-workers/index.htm