This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Promotion of a healthy workforce
26/08/2004
A new organisation is to be established to improve the
health of Scotland's working age population.
In Aberdeen today, Deputy Health Minister Tom McCabe
announced "Healthy Working Lives" - a strategy which sets
out a number of initiatives to improve health in the
workplace.
The Minister said:
"Improving the health of Scotland's working age
population is vital to the country's economic
prosperity.
"It is estimated that the number of Scots aged between
24 and 34 will fall by a quarter over the next 20 years
while the numbers of those at pensionable age is due to
rise from 18 per cent in 1999 to 23 per cent by 2019.
"That means that a smaller proportion of working people
will be responsible for producing the economic wealth to
sustain an increasing non-working population. Looking after
the health of our workforce is therefore vital.
"That is why I am announcing today a new organisation
that will provide a single focus for promoting health in
the workplace.
"It will integrate two existing strands of Executive
policy: the national health promotion award scheme
Scotland's Health at Work; and the Executive funded Safe
and Healthy Working initiative aimed at small and
medium-sized enterprises.
"The new organisation will operate within a single
strategic framework bringing together discreet professional
disciplines and will offer employers, employees and
potential employees a range of services according to need
that will be delivered by the partner organisations who
have developed this approach.
"Last year we identified the workplace as a key area in
improving the health of the nation and since then we have
been working with trade unions, business, voluntary groups,
the Health and Safety Executive and medical professionals
to develop a strategy that meets that aim.
"Our new initiative "Healthy Working Lives" sets out how
we intend to deliver that strategy."
Deputy Enterprise Minister Lewis Macdonald said:
"A healthy well-motivated workforce is an essential
element in delivering the Executive's priority of growing
Scotland's economy.
"We recognise that many employers, working in highly
competitive markets under continual pressure to cut costs,
may not instantly identify with Healthy Working Lives as a
critical business activity. But Scotland's poor health
record and ageing population carry costs to business and
risks to competitiveness.
"I firmly believe there is a clear business case to
support Healthy Working Lives."
Healthy Working Lives - A Plan for Action sets out a
number of initiatives including:
- Securing the support of employers across all
sectors so that investment in the workplace in
increased
- Delivering beyond the traditional health agenda by
supporting efforts to help people into formal
employment
- Adding value to health improvement activities in
key areas such as smoking, alcohol and drug misuse
- Establishing closer working relationships with
local government and the department for Work and
Pensions and the Health and Safety executive
- Providing a focus for researching the evidence base
in supporting actions aimed at promoting healthy
working lives
The partners who developed the Healthy Working Lives
initiative are: Federation of Small Businesses
- Scottish Chamber of Commerce
- UNISON
- Voluntary Health Scotland
- Scottish Social Enterprise CoalitionBEMIS
- Scottish Business in the Community
- Health and Safety Executive
- Scotland's Health at Work
- Health Scotland
- SALUS
- ASH Scotland
- Royal Bank of Scotland
- Royal College of Nursing
- STUC
- CBI
- Scottish Partnership Forum
- Boots plc
- COSLA
- Society of Chief Officers of Environmental
Health
- University of Glasgow