Wakefield Council - Healthy Working Community
The need for people to adopt healthier lifestyles is well established. The Council through its Environmental Health Service has direct, day-to-day relationships with business in its role as regulator for both health and safety and food safety. For employers, improving the health of their workforce has a clear benefit in terms of improved productivity, reduced absenteeism and public relations: Good Health is Good Business.
Football tournaments, lunchtime walks and healthy eating advice are just a few of the initiatives Wakefield Council has introduced to encourage the district’s businesses to kick bad health into touch. Through the Healthy Working Community initiative the Council and its partners, including local businesses, Health & Safety Executive and Primary Care Trust, encourage employers to address the wider public health issues such as obesity, healthy eating, exercise, smoking, drugs and alcohol by introducing small changes in working practices, employment arrangements and workplace facilities.
One company representative involved realised that although companies are often in competition when it comes to good health and safety practices they have one goal. He said “It’s in everyone’s interest to make the workplace healthier and safer.” Since taking part in the scheme this company has joined with others to form a Health and Safety Working Group to improve workplace health and safety