Transcript Wellness in the Workplace

Wellness in the Workplace
Introduction
This presentation covers issues and procedures in maintaining
a healthy workplace and can be used for all employees.
This is a sample presentation that must be customized to
include and match the employer’s own policies and practices.
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Why is preventing contagious illnesses important at
work?
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Sickness means you and others can be affected
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Lost productivity at work
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Creates stress and concern among employees
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Sick employees can transfer the virus to others (i.e.,
family, co-workers)
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Persons who are ill may suffer complications that
lead to more serious health problems
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What can we do to reduce the spread of illness?
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Live a healthy lifestyle
Follow the recommendations of health care professionals
Pay attention to good hygiene habits
Use common sense in crowded conditions
Take special care when traveling
Get medical treatment when you are sick
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Maintain a healthy immune system
Take good care of yourself:
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Exercise regularly
Get adequate sleep
Eat balanced meals
Manage your daily stress level
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Follow the advice of health care professionals to
prevent illness
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Get your flu vaccine!
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Limit exposure to people who are sick, and wash hands
often
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Educate yourself about illnesses and how to mitigate risk to
disease exposure
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Check reliable health sources
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www.who.int/en
• www.cdc.gov
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Good personal hygiene habits
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Keep household and work surfaces clean with disinfectant
solution including:
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Countertops
Bathroom sinks
Cell phones
Telephone handsets
TV remote controls
Computer keyboards
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Avoid sharing towels, telephones or other common utensils
with others
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Consume only thoroughly cooked food including eggs, meat,
poultry
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Social Distancing
Social distancing is designed to minimize the kind of social
contact that enables virus transmission from others. It is a good
practice to set boundaries for your physical distance from others
in business and social settings.
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Be courteous to others
When coughing or sneezing:
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Cover your mouth and nose
Face away from others
Photo Courtesy of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Cover and clean up!
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Use tissues when coughing or sneezing
Then place used tissues into the trash
Courtesy Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Germs hang around!
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Remember tiny infectious droplets can remain airborne, in some
cases for hours
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Stop germs
Wash your hands
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After you cough or sneeze
After using the bathroom
Before you eat food
After visiting public places
Before you touch your eyes,
mouth or nose
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Effective hand washing method
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Wash fingers, palms and back of both hands with soap and
warm water for at least 10 seconds
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Use alcohol-based disinfectant hand sanitizer
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Use disposable towels for drying hands
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Cover hands with a towel before touching door handles and
fixtures after washing
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When traveling….
Don’t Bring Anything Home!
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Travel with a health kit
• For information see the Centers for Disease Control
Travel Kit www.cdc.gov
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Travel with alcohol-based disinfectant or hand sanitizer
Clean hands often
Consume only thoroughly cooked foods
Drink bottled water
Monitor your health for at least 10 days after you return
If you become ill with fever or respiratory symptoms, consult
a physician
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In general, get medical care
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If you become ill with fever or respiratory symptoms, consult
a physician right away…Don’t wait until it gets worse!
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If diagnosed with influenza…Don’t go to work while you are
sick!
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Preparation at home
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Teach your family good hygiene:
Instruct them on taking time to wash hands thoroughly
> Make sure you have available soap and/or hand sanitizer
> Stock up on tissues and paper towels
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Preparation at home
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Post a family contact list with:
Work and school phone numbers
> Doctor’s phone numbers for each family member
> Emergency services and hospitals
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Preparation at home
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Have an emergency kit with:
Water, food, a first aid kit, clothing, bedding, tools, supplies and
special items (e.g., medicine, cash)
> Items you would need in case of an evacuation should be kept in
an easy-to-carry container
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Preparation at home
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Keep in touch by:
Watching TV
> Listening to the radio
> Checking the Internet often for official news and information as
it becomes available
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Historical flu/illness reflection
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1918 Spanish Flu: 675,000 people died in the US, many of
pneumonia
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1957-58 Asian Flu: 70,000 people died in the US
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1968-69 Hong Kong Flu: 34,000 people died in the US
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What is the flu?
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Flu is caused by a virus
Viruses can not be “cured” with antibiotics
When people get viruses, they often get “secondary
infections” like pneumonia, which can be very serious
Vaccines can stop people from getting a bad case of a virus
Vaccines can only be created when a virus has been
“identified”
Viruses change or mutate which makes the development of a
vaccine a challenge
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The ABC’s of flu
• Influenza A
Has many hosts – especially wild birds – sometimes called bird or avian,
could cause a pandemic (world wide illness)
• Influenza B
Only makes humans sick, some epidemics, no pandemics
• Influenza C
Mild illness, no epidemics
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Why is it called “bird flu?”
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Most flu viruses come from birds
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Practice good hygiene precautions at all times, but especially
when around birds
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Wash hands after touching areas that might have bird feces
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Exercise caution when disposing of dead birds
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Notify authorities if you observe a large number of “sick” birds
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Wellness
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Staying healthy is a desired goal for organizations and their
employees
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Understanding communicable disease can avoid fears (i.e.,
“bird flu”, HIV/Aids, Hepatitis)
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Keeping healthy is everyone’s job
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Being proactive can assist in mitigating the spread of certain
diseases
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Exercise good wellness habits
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No one can prevent the spread of all disease
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Common sense and exercising good health habits can
mitigate certain risks
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We are all responsible for doing our part
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Course Evaluation
Please be sure to complete and leave the evaluation sheet you
received with your handouts.
Thank you for your attention and interest!
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Questions? Comments?
We would like to acknowledge that the preceding presentation was
prepared by the Employee Health, Safety & Security, and the
Employee Relations Special Expertise Panels.
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