Healthy Workplace Bulletin February 2016
Wo r k p l a c e We l l n e s s N e t w o r k i n g M e e t i n g Inside this issue: Workplace Wellness Networking Meeting
...1
Apply to be Recognized as a Bicycle Friendly Business ...2
Sneak it in Week ….2
Help Employees Quit Smoking Cigarettes ...2
Be Sun Safe at Work Resources ...3
Are you new to employee wellness or have you been providing initiatives in your workplace for some time? Are you interested in learning from others who support workplace wellness within their organizations? If you answered “yes”, you are invited to attend an informal session to discuss your successes and challenges with others in similar positions. The meeting will feature guest speaker, Jennifer Gray, MPH, Physical Activity Specialist with the City of Hamilton Public Health Services. Jennifer will discuss a healthy stairwell project called “Transform Stairs”. Did you know that two additional minutes of stair climbing a day, or about 6 floors, can burn enough calories to offset the average adult weight gain (WalkBC, 2008)? Transform Stairs is effective in helping employees be active while not interfering with work, taking only a few minutes, with no special training or equipment required. Physically active employees are 15% more productive (Zimring, C et al, 2005). However, employers don’t have to pour financial resources to offer a state of the art gym to get their employees moving. With a few simple modifications, employers can turn their stairs from StairREPEL to StairWELL! Jennifer will explain how the Transform Stairs Coordinators Package can help workplaces get started and highlight additional ways for employers to promote being physically active at work. Date: March 21, 2016 Time: 9:00am—11:00am
March is Nutrition Month ...4
Location: Nicolas Mancini Centre, Room 1D, 44 Hunt Street, Hamilton RSVP to workplace@hamilton.ca by March 15, 2016. There is no cost.
Ap p l y t o b e R e c o g n i z e d a s a B i c y c l e F r i e n d l y Business The first round of Bicycle Friendly Business (BFB) applications was a success! A number of Hamilton organizations were recognized across the bronze, silver and gold levels. See the first round of BFB Award Winners here! The Bicycle Friendly Business program recognizes employers who support a welcoming atmosphere for bicycling employees, customers, and the community. Visit Share The Road website to learn more about the program and to start your Bicycle Friendly Business (BFB2016) application today in preparation for the next round of applications.
S n e a k i t i n We e k : Ap r i l 4 - 8 , 2 0 1 6 Looking to fit some physical activity into your workday? Trying to sit less in the office? Canada’s ParticiPACTION presents the Sneak it in Week campaign to help get employees moving. Information and resources can be found here.
Help Employees Quit Smoking Cigarettes The STOP program delivers research-based, cost-free smoking cessation workshops in local communities. Eligible participants will attend an educational session and will receive a five-week course of nicotine patches Workshops will be held in Downtown Hamilton on:
March 11, 2016 at 1:30pm only
April 19, 2016 at 10:00am and 1:30pm
Employees can call the Tobacco Hotline at 905-540-5566 ext. 1 to learn more, see if they qualify, and to register. Page 2
S u n S a f e t y a t Wo r k : * N e w * Tr a i n i n g M a t e r i a l s Av a i l a b l e With Spring just around the corner, many workplaces will be busy recruiting outdoor employees to work in seasonal roles, or planning outdoor work during the warmer and sunnier Spring and Summer months. Under Ontario’s Occupational Health and Safety Act, employers are required to take every reasonable precaution to protect workers by educating, developing policies, and/ or providing resources to keep employees safe at work. Employers can help promote sun safety, and protect their employees from the harmful effects of ultra-violet radiation, by developing sun safety policies and providing employees with training on sun safety practices at the workplace. Hamilton Public Health Services is pleased to offer workplaces new training materials to help promote sun safety in the workplace. These include: Become a Sun Safe Workplace, a guide to support sun safety in the workplace and aimed at human resources, health and safety, and occupational health staff or management. It includes the steps to take to address sun safety at work and with employees. Be Sun Safe at Work, a handout and accompanying poster, aimed at employees, to promote staying sun safe at work Be Sun Safe at Work PowerPoint, a 20-40 minute presentation aimed at engaging employees in sun safety education and promoting sun safety at work Be Sun Safe at Work Tailgate, a 5 minute presentation for management to use at weekly staff meetings to reinforce sun-safety messages with outdoor workers and promote sun safety at work. This is meant to follow up the Be Sun Safe at Work PowerPoint.
Contact workplace@hamilton.ca to obtain copies of our sun safety training materials for use at your workplace, to get assistance in developing a sun safety policy, or to request that a staff member from Hamilton Public Health Services deliver Sun Safety training at your workplace (based on availability). Note: The materials will be available by the end of February 2016.
Page 3
March is Nutrition Month! Workplaces can help employees make healthy food and beverage choices in two ways: 1) having a supportive workplace environment so that is easier for employees to choose healthy foods; and 2) encouraging employees to seek out credible sources of nutrition information. Ideas for creating a supportive workplace environment:
Improve the nutritional quality of food offered in cafeterias, cafes, vending machines, and during meetings, staff events, and celebrations.
Encourage managers and employees to avoid using food as a reward or for fundraising purposes.
Offer nutritional counselling by a Registered Dietitian as part of your benefits package or your Employee and Family Assistance Program (EFAP).
Provide adequate time and space to eat and facilities to allow employees to store and prepare their own food.
Develop a healthy eating policy at your workplace.
Credible sources of nutrition information to share:
Dietitians of Canada has some great Apps to help employees make healthy choices: Cookspiration is a popular tool to inspire you to get into the kitchen and cook anytime with Registered Dietitian-approved recipes. eaTipster serves up a new Registered Dietitian-approved nutrition tip every day. eaTracker allows you to enter foods and activities on the go, set goals to change eating and activity habits, and get feedback on progress.
EatRight Ontario allows you to ask nutrition-related questions and receive feedback by phone or email from a Registered Dietitian. Nutrition tools and links offer many additional resources to support people and their families in developing healthy eating habits. This service is free! Visit www.eatrightontario.ca or call 1-877-510-5102.
If you would like help in working towards creating supportive environments and/or policies for healthy eating, contact workplace@hamilton.ca.
Page 4
For more information, contact a Workplace Health Promotion Specialist with the City of Hamilton Public Health Services: Phone: 905-546-2424 x3065 or x3634 Email: workplace@hamilton.ca Website: www.hamilton.ca/operating-business/workplace-policies-programs
Having previously signed up to receive electronic communications from the City of Hamilton Public Health Services Workplace Health Promotion Program, we are pleased to share with you the latest edition of the Healthy Workplace Bulletin. If you wish to be removed from the distribution list, please send an email to workplace@hamilton.ca with your name and “unsubscribe� in the subject line. The Healthy Workplace Bulletin (HWB), published by the City of Hamilton Public Health Services, is a source of ideas for planning and sharing workplace health in Hamilton. Contents of the HWB can be forwarded, posted on intranets, included in newsletters, memoranda and other communications within an organization, provided the contents are not changed and the source is identified. Some content may be subject to additional conditions set by other parties claiming intellectual property rights relating to the contents. The City of Hamilton Public Health Services will try to disclose these additional conditions in the relevant sections of the HWB, but it is ultimately your responsibility for ensuring that your use of the contents is authorized. The HWB provides general information and is not intended as a substitute for professional advice. If you need medical or other professional advice, you are recommended to consult with a qualified health care professional. The City of Hamilton Public Health Services puts considerable effort into ensuring the quality of the contents of the HWB. However, it provides no warranty and makes no claims as to the reliability and accuracy of the contents. The City of Hamilton assumes no liability or responsibility for any loss or damage caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly by the information in the HWB. The HWB provides links to external organizations’ websites for information purposes only. These websites contain information created, published and maintained by or for those organizations, independent of the City of Hamilton. The City of Hamilton does not necessarily guarantee or endorse the organizations or the information, views or advice found on their respective websites. The City of Hamilton assumes no liability or responsibility for the linking of any of these websites, the operation or content of any of these websites, or for the information, views or advice found on them. Page 5