OHS News - February 2012
01:05 pm, Wednesday 15 February, 2012
A study by WorkSafe Victoria and Monash University of 400,000 employees in Victoria found one in four are at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes or heart disease.The study shows more than 90 per cent of workers do not eat enough fruit or vegetables and almost 70 percent do not get enough exercise.
Diabetes is a chronic disease that occurs when there is too much glucose in the blood.
It is the sixth highest cause of death by disease in Australia, and can also potentially result in heart disease, stroke and renal failure.
The risk of contracting the disease is greatly increased when associated with lifestyle factors such as high blood pressure, being overweight or obese, insufficient physical activity, poor diet and having an apple shape body.
While there is no cure for type 2 diabetes, it can often initially be managed with healthy eating and regular physical activity.
With the average person spending a third of their day at work, WorkSafe have advised more than 4,000 workers to see their GP immediately because of high blood pressure or blood glucose levels.
WorkHealth ambassador Wayne Kayler-Thomson said business owners needed to take urgent measures to help improve the health of their workforce, not only for the benefit of their employees but for the sake of their bottom-lines.
“We’re talking about crucial things like reducing absenteeism, boosting productivity and attracting motivated, committed staff to deliver strong results for your business, all of which are linked to the health of your workers,” he said.
“Business leaders are facing the significant challenges of an ageing workforce and climbing rates of chronic disease, due in part to poor lifestyle choices. They should be concerned about the negative impact this will have on productivity and efficiency, but I believe there is a lot they could be doing to prevent this.”
Workplace initiatives such as health checks, encouraging exercise and supplying fruit and vegetable boxes were good starts, he said.
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