It may be common knowledge that living a healthy lifestyle supports longevity and fosters well-being.  Unhealthy behaviors such as smoking, lack of sleep, poor diet, and low physical activity are a breeding ground for the development of conditions such as obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. Inside the workplace, this can translate into lost productivity, employee dissatisfaction, increased sick days and increased vulnerability for work-related injuries.

While work-related injuries stem from a variety of factors including repetitive motions, poor sleep quality, stress, and illness, a predominant workplaces issue that can compound these factors and lead to injury is body-weight.

Excess weight has been associated with weaker musculoskeletal structure, making tasks such as walking up/down steps, lifting heavy items, and performing repetitive movements while standing more straining.

Individuals with a body mass index in the overweight/obese category also have a higher risk of developing chronic conditions such as sleep apnea, heart disease, diabetes, and arthritis. The management of a chronic condition or illness can lead to increased stress, reduced concentration, and increased risk for work-related errors and injury.

Of highest concern are individuals employed in the trucking industry, where the risk of injury has the potential to threaten the safety of others in the form of accidents (insert information on trucking accidents due to lack of sleep, etc.). Within this industry, 71% are overweight/obese, 53% smoke, 82% have high blood pressure and over 70% don’t even have a primary care doctor. 

Beyond the individual risks, companies risk losing valuable resources and dollars. In 2010, NCCI Holdings Inc. released research that found a range of medical treatments and costs, as well as duration, is typically greater for obese workers compared to those who are not obese with similar injuries. Not only are obese workers comp claimants likely to miss more work days than healthy-weight co-workers with similar injuries, obese workers are likely to have higher medical costs and are more likely to become permanently disabled.

So what can be done?

Worksite Wellness solutions are available to support the health and safety of your workers. Health Well Solutions (HWS) offer many corporate wellness tools to help you implement a healthy and safer work environment. From health coaching to bariatric screening and biometric screenings, HWS can not only help your company become a safer workplace but save you money in the long run. Learn more and contact us today: https://healthwellcorp.com/services-grid/