Health protection in times of crisis

Health protection in times of crisis

At the 2009 Conference of the International Labour Organisation, Dr Axel Stepken, CEO and President of TÜV SÜD AG, signed the "Seoul Declaration on Safety and Health at Work". By signing this declaration, presidents, prime ministers and decision-makers in industry proclaim their social responsibility for ensuring, safe, healthy and fair work conditions. Some 300 participants from 60 countries met at the ILO Conference in Düsseldorf to analyse how the global financial crisis will affect safety and health at work.

Dr Stepken and Gabriele Sommer, Chief Executive Officer of TÜV SÜD Life Service GmbH, spoke at the conference and appealed to companies not to cut investments in the physical and mental health of their workforce and in safe workplaces in times of economic crisis. "It is now more important than ever to strengthen health and safety at work and ensure comprehensive implementation of occupational health and safety standards, to ensure sustainable corporate performance and competitiveness", Stepken said in his opening speech at the conference on Wednesday. By signing the "Seoul Declaration", TÜV SÜD declares its support of safe and healthy workplaces – particularly in economically difficult times such as these.

A healthy workforce as the basis of economic success

According to Germany's Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, 437.7 million days were lost due to illness and injury in Germany in 2007! Every day lost through absence costs a company an average of over 400 euros. To make matters worse, in economically difficult times, sick employees fearing for their jobs frequently no longer dare to take sick leave. Estimates assume that the costs incurred by this phenomenon – known as 'presentism' – are three times higher than those caused by actual absenteeism due to illness and injuries. These figures emphasize the significance of the topic. TÜV SÜD CEO and President Stepken warned that if we cut back on occupational health and safety in the present times of crisis, we will have to pay the price in the not-too-distant future: "If the worst comes to the worst, companies will no longer have a sufficient number of healthy staff to shoulder the future upturn, the motivation of many of the remaining staff may be poor or non-existent, and only top employers will still be able to recruit specialized experts", explained Stepken. In addition, we would face significantly higher health and pension costs caused by illness or early retirement among staff. Stepken added: "I am therefore firmly convinced that investments in the physical and mental health of our employees and in safe workplaces are crucial contributions to a company's economic success."

International responsibility

"Decent work", or in other words, fair workplaces, is also becoming increasingly important at international level. To cut costs, many companies from industrialized countries have relocated their production facilities to countries where wage costs are low and legislation is more employer-friendly. The problems associated with such relocation, such as child labour and toxic ingredients in products, have increasingly been highlighted as subjects of discussion by the media and society. Dr Stepken appealed to companies' sense of responsibility, "not only to benefit from the economic advantages of globalization, but also to export our conviction that occupational health and safety are a must and that human and humane workplaces involve indisputable advantages." Luckily, there are many examples where these demands have already been excellently implemented, added the CEO and President.

Mental ill-health on the rise

Where sickness absenteeism is concerned, we notice that mental ill-health in particular is on the rise. "An increasing number of people are experiencing psychological stress at work. In Germany, for example, one in three early retirements today is on the grounds of mental ill-health", explained Gabriele Sommer in her speech on Corporate Health Management. A survey conducted among TÜV SÜD's occupational physicians also indicated a pronounced rise in psychological stress at companies. Over 80 per cent of the company doctors interviewed stated, for example, that the frequency of mental ill-health was rising in the companies they supported. This increase in mental ill-health can be attributed – at least to some extent – to the trend towards a service and knowledge-based economy, which has caused physical strain to decrease while mental strain is soaring. The reasons for these trends include information overload, intensification of work and time pressure, high demands on mobility and flexibility, being constantly "on call" due to mobile phones, BlackBerries and other devices – and last but not least the permanent worry of losing one's job.

TÜV SÜD supports companies

TÜV SÜD Life Service provides occupational health and safety and corporate health management services to staff at almost 10,000 companies in Germany. This includes individual solutions for handling stress, encouraging work motivation, addressing dangers of addiction and dealing with over- and underchallenge. The objective is always to create workplace conditions which protect workforce health and safety. Further information for media about Corporate Health Management is available on the Internet at: www.tuev-sued.de/mt .

On top of this, TÜV SÜD experts monitor fair working conditions at production facilities worldwide and certify companies in accordance with international social standards (in particular BSCI, SA 8000). As an employer, TÜV SÜD is committed to providing fair and healthy workplaces: the service provider offers an in-house gym, numerous training courses, flexible work models, support for issues such as childcare and caring for relatives, and special leave for family events.