We are working to ensure the health and wellbeing of our workforce. We have identified key areas for health improvement and are encouraging our sites to develop initiatives to address them. These are:

• Musculoskeletal injuries
• Stress
• Allergies
• Healthy lifestyles

A measure of our performance in these areas is absenteeism. We record employee absenteeism from all causes (not only work related illnesses). This focuses management attention on the underlying causes of time off work.

In 2000 the absenteeism rate was 2.9% and increased to 3.1% in 2001.

Our target is to reduce absenteeism by 10% between 2000 and 2002.

Examples

• Cork in Ireland introduced a health programme. A first aid room has been set up with occupational health nurses available for consultation one day a month. Fifty employees took part in a healthy eating programme.
  
  
• Oslo in Norway introduced health and fitness initiatives in 2001 that helped reduce sickness absenteeism by 16% between 2000-2001. These initiatives included training on stress management and fitness and massages to help prevent repetitive strain injury.
  
  
• Amersham Health ran a comprehensive training programme at several of its sites to promote healthy living.
  
  
• Managers in the UK were trained to identify possible problems such as stress, alcohol and drug abuse at an early stage, and to ensure employees have access to appropriate counselling and support.