The Victorian Government’s $200 million WorkHealth initiative via the Victorian WorkCover Authority is timely and will boost productivity in the workplace and the wider economy.
“Long-term health conditions impose a large and increasing cost across the Australian community”, says VECCI CEO Wayne Kayler-Thomson.
“According to figures in the Australian Bureau of Statistics’ 2008 Yearbook, people are living longer, but are more likely to be overweight and suffer diabetes or another chronic disease.
“Such diseases impose a triple burden on family budgets, the overall health budget and on the workplace through absenteeism.
“This is especially problematic at a time of increased skills and labour shortages.
“Prevention is the best cure and a workplace program such as WorkHealth provides a win-win – to governments and taxpayers through reduced health budgets, to families through reduced expenditure on medicines and hospital stays and to workplaces, through reduced absenteeism.
“Most importantly of all, such programs are aimed at improving the quality of life enjoyed by Victorians.
“VECCI is committed to working with Government, Victorian WorkCover Authority, health authorities, employers and employees to put the `health’ back into OH&S”, says Mr Kayler-Thomson.
Workplace health - key statistics
- Research shows that 62 percent of Australian workers are overweight or excessively overweight – this translates roughly to 1.6 million Victorian workers
- Lost productivity resulting from this is estimated to cost the Australian economy $1.7 billion
- Households are spending more of their budget on health and medical care, rising from 3.9 per cent in 1984 to 5.1 per cent in 2003-04.
- Total health expenditure - including spending by individuals, governments and private insurance companies - increased 7.1 per cent in 2005-06 from the previous year to $86.9 billion. The figure represents about $4200 per person
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