Working for health
In 2008/09 NICE brought a new focus to health in the workplace with two separate pieces of public health guidance. They aim to help employers - and others with an interest in workplace health - to address some issues that are costly to them, their workers and society in general.
The first piece of guidance is on physical activity in the workplace. It looks at ways in which employers can support employees in being active, for example by encouraging them to walk or cycle to work.
Physical inactivity is estimated to cost £8.2 billion a year in England. This includes not only the direct costs of treating diseases linked to lack of exercise but also the indirect costs of sickness absence from work.
Dr Matt Kearney, a GP who is a member of NICE's Public Health Interventions Advisory Committee, which developed the guidance, said: "Physically active employees are less likely to suffer from major health problems, less likely to take sickness leave and less likely to have an accident at work. These recommendations aim to help employers make it easier for staff to be active, and so contribute towards a healthier workplace."
The second piece of guidance looked at ways employers can develop organisation-wide strategies to help and support their employees affected by longterm sickness absence. The annual cost associated with sickness absence and people being out of formal employment is estimated at over £100 billion a year in Britain.
Dr Richard Preece, a freelance occupational medicine consultant and member of the group that developed the guidance, said: "Being out of work can have a serious impact on your health and the longer you are off sick, the harder it is to return to work. This guidance is about ensuring people who are away from work get access to the right kind of support at an early stage, enabling them to return to work sooner."
This page was last updated: 11 August 2009
