Worker health is key in creating an engaged work force and becoming a sustainable farm. It forms a large part of employee participation and contribution from the workforce. Ill health can generate many losses on the farm including decreased morale due to absenteeism, decreased productivity, reduced quality of work, incomplete tasks, time spent on other activities such as extended breaks and booking necessary medical appointments, increased injuries , temporary labour, overtime, as well as conflict among employees due to stress of trying to compensate for the losses. The Farm Sustainability Assessment Tool code FSA104 speaks to regular medical checks for workers that have a higher risk of health issues associated with their work. For example, those who work with chemicals, apply pesticides, work in dusty environments, do heavy lifting, and find the work stressful.
Health promotion is designed to help develop a lifestyle to move towards a balanced state of optimal health which includes the physical, emotional, social, spiritual and intellectual health of workers. Workers are motivated to increase their well-being and will participate in routine medical exams, obtain vaccinations and immunizations, annual eye exams, general fitness, psychological awareness, and strive to learn more to achieve optimal health.
Early diagnosis and treatment can improve worker health by lessening the severity of the condition and perhaps shortening the duration of the illness. Promoting blood pressure monitoring, weight management programs, cholesterol screening, hearing tests, and screening for other particular illness are key activities in doing this.
Do you have a way to communicate ways to help monitor the health of your workers? Protect your human resources by implementing a communicating good health today.
Use the following resources to help communicate the importance f good health on the farm:
- Farm Family Support Centre: workhealthlife.com or 1-844-880-9142
- Mental Health Mobile Crisis Team: 902-429-8167
- For non-emergency health information and services: 8-1-1
- Public Health
- Healthy Communities
- Healthy Development
- Provincial Programs
