Workplace Health & Safety

Obesity is common, serious, and costly. This epidemic has affected all of the United States. The related health care costs are staggering. However, many occupational health nurses have not yet implemented weight management programs at their companies or taken steps to improve their own health. This article explores the obstacles to weight loss and suggests reasons and resources to implement on-site weight loss programs.

Various social media sites, including Facebook, have become part of everyday life. They are used by individuals of all ages and are even favored by companies and organizations as a promotional mechanism. Professional organizations, including the American Association of Occupational Health Nurses, Inc., would be remiss to overlook the potential of social media.

Workplace bullying is a significant occupational health problem worldwide. Nurses are vulnerable to workplace bullying. During interactions with staff nurses, occupational health nurses have crucial opportunities to identify victims of workplace bullying and provide effective techniques for preventing and managing workplace bullying behaviors. The purpose of this systematic review was to identify best practices for preventing and managing workplace bullying among staff nurses. The best method found to control and stop workplace bullying involves cognitive rehearsal of responses to common bullying behaviors. Translation of the 3-hour workplace bullying prevention and management program is discussed.

Employee wellness programs can potentially contribute to a stronger and healthier work force, with increased dexterity and positive mental health. Programs that keep the work force physically active can reduce heart disease, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, cerebrovascular accident, and workplace injury. The occupational health nurse provides information to motivate employees to take the first step toward an active lifestyle. The purpose of this article is to present the qualitative evaluation results of an intervention study that tested the effectiveness of tailored e-mail communications designed to increase intentional physical activity in a group of manufacturing workers. The increase in overall physical activity demonstrates the effectiveness of the workplace interventions. Research will now strengthen theoretical concepts, refine messages, and increase both the dose and the power of the interventions.

Alcohol dependence prevention measures were implemented at a Japanese newspaper company, a company undergoing restructuring. An occupational health nurse interviewed each employee twice a year, providing guidance about reducing daily alcohol consumption and binge drinking. These nursing interventions were evaluated through individual employee health examinations conducted in 2000 and 2007. The examinations revealed that fewer employees drank alcohol in 2007 than in 2000 (8.4% and 11.6%, respectively). Employees who drank at least 1,500 milliliters of alcohol daily decreased from 13.7% to 7.0% (p = .004). By gathering case studies, the effectiveness of the occupational health nursing interventions was made clear.

With the aging of the current nursing work force, nursing leaders must develop strategies to maintain current employment levels and improve availability of nurses to care for patients. One way to maintain current levels is to retain older nurses at the bedside by adapting the current working environment to meet the needs and the limitations associated with aging. This article includes a review of literature on the effects of aging on the human body, cognitively, physically, and psychosocially; current trends in the aging population; the advantages and disadvantages of employing aging nurses; retention strategies to keep aging nurses at the bedside; methods to adapt the work environment to aging nurses' needs; policies that address the needs of aging nurses; and implications for occupational health nursing practice. This article is limited to aging as it relates to nurses employed in hospitals.

Dengue is currently the world's most rapidly spreading mosquito-borne illness.