Safety 2008 - ASSE - American Society of Safety Engineers

BestPracticesEmployee Wellness ProgramsHow UPS Improved Productivity & Reduced InjuriesBySarah BloomHealth andwellnessbecame apersonalvalue withinthe cultureof thefacility.PHOTOS ©2008 UNITED PARCEL SERVICE. PRINTED WITH PERMISSION.Twice a week, Julia Carlson cycles to work at the Wellness From the Top DownUnited Parcel Service (UPS) Center in Petaluma, The 12-month program focuses on a differentCA, 17 miles from her home. Three days a week, topic each month to educate employees about allshe participates in a walking group with other driversbefore work, enjoying the scenery of a wildlife preservenot far from the center. Sometimes, she joins herfellow drivers for a yoga class. To cope with the stressof her physically and mentally demanding job, Carlsontakes advantage of the programs that UPS now offersits employees to increase health awareness anddecrease workplace injuries and illnesses.Carlson’s is not an isolated case. Many UPS driversin Petaluma are participating in the company’snew wellness program,which offers avast array of activities,classes and healthinformation to ensurelonger and healthierlives for employees.In 1995, UPS decidedto take a fresh lookat safety, personalinjuries and on-thejobaccidents. Thecompany found thatthe most commonwere back, shoulderand knee injuries.“We decided that thenumbers were goingin the wrong direction,” says UPS spokespersonDan McMackin.Deciding to take action against this unfavorabletrend, UPS launched the Comprehensive Safetyand Health Process, and established health andsafety committees at 2,900 facilities across the country.The committees rely on nonmanagementemployees at each facility—“wellness champions”—tospearhead the program by promotingmonthly health topics and driving the activities. Atthe Petaluma facility, this is Carlson’s responsibility.Carlson has always been a healthy person. Infact, 2 years ago she was training to run a marathon.But, she says, as the wellness champion forher district, her interest in her own health is makinga greater impact on other people’s lives as theyfollow her example.Although drivers in Petaluma were initiallyapprehensive about it, the program has taken offand generated huge amounts of enthusiasm abouthealth and safety.On the whole, UPS has seen a decrease in absenteeism,an increase in productivity and morale, anda 60% reduction in on-the-job injuries since the programwas first implemented.aspects of their health. For example, the topic forJuly is immunization awareness, August is healthand well-being and September is understandingcholesterol. UPS also publishes Road Map to Health, awellness guide for employees that provides detailedinformation about each month’s topic.In addition to the monthly topics, the wellnessprogram includes a wide variety of activities toimprove employee health including morning walking,yoga, prework stretching sessions, vendordemonstrations fromorganizations such asthe American HeartAssociation, healthfairs and informationalPowerPoints.According toMcMackin, the programemploys a“cafeteria approach,”offering employees asmany options as possible,in hopes thatthey will try somethingand like it.On the corporatelevel, wellness programsare usuallyimplemented in an effort to keep employee healthcarecosts at bay by reducing doctor visits and loweringthe risk of long-term health problems.According to UPS Occupational Health ManagerMary Breen, who runs the program at the corporatelevel, the cost to put together the Roadmap to Healthand the monthly health topics was about $8,000,and each facility has its own budget to create wellnessactivities for its employees. Breen says the programis worth every penny.Last year, UPS experienced a 7.5% inflation rateon its healthcare expenses. “Most companies are inthe double digits and we expect that number tokeep going down,” Breen says.Many health-oriented organizations and vendorswere willing to give informational presentationsand participate in health fairs for the program at littleor no cost.“I don’t think a day goes by that I don’t get positivefeedback [about the program],” Breen says.Because UPS is an operations-focused industry,there was a tendency to focus too much on numbersand customers. “We had to actively push safetyto the forefront,” McMackin says.Best Practices continued on page 42www.asse.org AUGUST 2008 PROFESSIONAL SAFETY 41