Occupational health and safetyPromotion of health at workSocial determinants and lifestyle of health.Environmental health managementIn the past, policy was often driven solely by compliance with legislation. In the new approach to health management in the workplace, policy development is driven by both the legislative requirements and the health objectives established voluntarily by the working community within each industry. To be effective, health management in the workplace must be based on knowledge, experience and practice accumulated in three disciplines: occupational health, promotion of workplace health and environmental health. It is important to see the WHM as a process not only for continuous improvement and improvement of health within the company, but also as a framework for participation among various agencies in the community. It offers a platform for cooperation between local authorities and business leaders in matters of community development through the improvement of public and environmental health.

The healthy work environment: a cornerstone of the community action plan.
The Luxembourg Declaration of the European Union Network for the Promotion of Health in the Workplace defined WHP as the combined effort of employers, employees and society to improve the health and well-being of people in the workplace. work.
This can be achieved through a combination of:

Improvement of work organization and work environment.Promote the active participation of employees in health activities.Promotion of personal development.The promotion of health in the workplace is seen in the Luxembourg Declaration of the EU network as a modern corporate strategy that aims to prevent ill health at work and improve the potential for health and well-being in the workplace. labor force. Documented benefits for workplace programs include decreasing absenteeism, reducing cardiovascular risk, reducing claims for medical care, decreasing staff turnover, decreasing musculoskeletal injuries, increasing productivity, the increase in organizational effectiveness and the possibility of a return on investment.

However, many of these improvements require the sustained participation of employees, employers and society in the activities necessary to make a difference. This is achieved through the empowerment of employees, allowing them to make decisions about their own health. Occupational Health Consultants (OHAs) are well placed to carry out needs assessments for health promotion initiatives with the working populations they serve, to prioritize these initiatives along with other health initiatives. Occupational health and safety that may be underway, and to coordinate activities at the company level. Ensure that the initiatives planned are delivered. In the past, occupational health services have been involved in evaluating work aptitude and evaluating levels of disability for insurance purposes for many years.

The concept of maintaining work capacity, in the otherwise healthy working population, has been developed by some innovative occupational health services. In some cases, these efforts have been developed in response to the growing challenge caused by the aging workforce and the increasing cost of social security. OHAs have often been at the forefront of these developments.
There is a need to further develop the approach of all occupational health services to include efforts to maintain work capacity and prevent preventable non-workplace conditions in the workplace through interventions in the workplace. This will require that some occupational health services become more proactively involved in the promotion of health in the workplace, without reducing the attention paid to the prevention of occupational accidents and diseases. The OHAs, with their close contact with employees, sometimes for many years, are in a good position to plan, offer and evaluate health promotion interventions and the maintenance of work capacity in the workplace.