Health and accident prevention in the workplace: everyone can be a helpful guide for others
The success factors of a joint preventive approach by accident and health insurance companies and company stakeholders in occupational health and safety and workplace health promotion were the focus of an event at “Arbeitsschutz Aktuell 2022” in Stuttgart. Basi, the Federal Working Group for Safety and Health at Work, and its member IKK classic discussed with expert speakers and the audience how pilots can achieve sustainable effects in the multitude of different prevention offers. At the same time, many interested guests visited the Basi stand to find out about the upcoming A+A Congress 2023 and have their photo taken.
Finding each other successfully
How can workplace health promotion and occupational health and safety work together in such a way that companies and workforces benefit on site? In his presentation at “Arbeitsschutz Aktuell 2022” in Stuttgart, Stefan Ammel, head of the department for the prevention of work-related health risks at the health insurance company IKK classic, showed ways in which practitioners can successfully come together: firstly, through personal contacts that are systematically expanded via the institutions, and secondly, by bundling inquiries and establishing regional contact persons at accident and health insurance companies. According to him, this will lead to more and more successful accident and health insurance tandems, which will ultimately serve the companies and their employees better. When asked, he explained that IKK classic believes that health insurance companies should also support risk assessments in companies. “Our health advisors know the list of risk factors and are in contact with colleagues from the employers’ liability insurance associations. Our analyses and results as part of the workplace health promotion process are systematically accessible to occupational health and safety experts.” From the perspective of Basi Managing Director Dr. Christian Felten, it is revolutionary that a health insurance company is participating in this way.
Imparting know-how in training and further education
Johanna Post from the German Social Accident Insurance (DGUV) emphasized that the services of the social benefit providers should come from a single source in order to provide companies with the best possible support for all questions and problems relating to health and safety. The decisive factor is where one’s own legal mandate ends and thus also the corresponding expert knowledge to refer to the respective social service provider who can provide further assistance. This requires knowledge of the tasks and services of the social service providers as well as knowledge of the right contact points. In Post’s opinion, this know-how should be imparted primarily in training and further education so that the possible interfaces with the service areas of other social service providers are automatically taken into account when monitoring and advising companies. For example, the extent to which other social service providers can support the individual process steps should always be taken into account during the risk assessment. In order to establish direct contact with regional contact persons at social service providers, it is a good idea to get involved in an existing network of consultants or companies or to set up your own network. As basic reading for successful cooperation, the expert referred to the “map of support providers” in the DGUV’s publication database, which contains information on the legal mandates of social service providers as well as their support services in various fields of action and suggestions for implementation in supervisory and advisory practice.
Bringing the worlds together
Occupational safety specialists and company doctors play a decisive role in advising entrepreneurs on occupational health and safety, emphasizes Katrin Zittlau, a self-employed safety engineer and occupational psychologist and member of the board of the VDSI – Verband für Sicherheit, Gesundheit und Umweltschutz bei der Arbeit e.V. (German Association for Safety, Health and Environmental Protection at Work). The Prevention Act provides for cooperation between these advisors and the advisors of the social partners. In small companies in particular, occupational health and safety and risk assessment in particular are poorly implemented. The Prevention Act creates a new opportunity for access and cooperation here. The goal of maintaining and promoting safety and health at work is a common one.
“Who does what and who can I approach for what?” is a key question when discussing a joint approach that leads to the goal. To this end, she presented a pilot project of cooperation between the VDSI and IKK classic, which focuses primarily on craft businesses. This pilot project is taking place in the Thuringia region and is intended to provide insights for cooperation that could be extended to other regions and other sectors. According to the expert, the pilot in this context is the person who is first on site – depending on the situation, this could be the contact person, the contact person at the health insurance company, the occupational safety specialist or an integration advisor. Katrin Zittlau: “It’s about bringing the worlds of occupational health and safety advice together in order to achieve a goal-oriented and beneficial situation for everyone.”
Pilot project: Training with the help of the job simulator
A successful pilot project was also the focus of the presentation by Dr. Nadja Schilling from the Berufsgenossenschaft Verkehrswirtschaft Post-Logistik Telekommunikation (BG Verkehr): The aim was to reduce musculoskeletal disorders and, in particular, back complaints among employees working in baggage handling at Hamburg Airport. Previously, prevention programs had not been well received – progress was then made with a so-called job simulator: a simple, modular system based on the activities and processes involved in baggage handling. This enabled the multidisciplinary team of physiotherapists and trainers to analyze the movement patterns of employees and show them more ergonomic and less stressful alternatives. They were supported by “health coaches” who accompanied the workplace-based training on a collegial basis. One success factor was that the baggage handling employees were able to train and practise during working hours. “The success of this workplace-based training was demonstrated by the fact that the number of sick days was reduced by 40 percent,” explained Dr. Schilling. As a result, the project was continued and expanded to include other physically demanding activities related to aircraft handling – according to her, it could also be transferred to other areas with adapted job simulators.
Sustainability and connectivity are the goals that Dr. Milena Barz from the Prevention Department of the German Social Accident Insurance Institution for the construction industry (BG BAU) is particularly concerned with when it comes to preventing work-related health risks. “The BG BAU works together with health insurance companies and provides offers that the target group needs. We want to meet the needs of companies.” Networked advice in the construction sector, for example, can provide effective instruction on UV protection. Barz: “The benefits of occupational safety measures for employees and companies should be reported in the media so that they become more widely known.”
In a joint final round with Dr. Christian Felten from Basi, the speakers emphasized that, in terms of effective cooperation, everyone can become a guide for someone else – the prerequisite for this, however, is that people know about each other and the respective offers in order to make progress together.
You can find more information on the services offered by Basi and its members on the Basi homepage.