Minister for Health Promotion, Marcella Corcoran Kennedy, TD, and Minister for Employment and Small Business, Pat Breen, TD, have launched a public consultation on a new Healthy Workplace Framework.
The link to the consultation is https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/HealthyWorkplaceFramework– and will be open until the 19th May 2017. The aim of the consultation is to gather the views of stakeholders on priority issues to be addressed in the framework which is intended to provide flexible guidance that can be adapted to any workplace setting to help create and sustain healthy workplaces throughout Ireland. In addition to the online survey, workshops are scheduled for Limerick on 10th May and Sligo on the 17th May. To register https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/VV25FYS.
Minister Corcoran Kennedy said “we know work is good for our health and the workplace offers the perfect opportunity to promote health to a large audience. With almost two million people in employment in Ireland, this message can reach over half the population”.
The Minister went on to say that, “Working in partnership with the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation reflects the core principles and ethos of Healthy Ireland, which is about government and wider society taking steps towards making Ireland a healthier and prosperous nation”.
Minister Breen acknowledged that “significant progress has been made in recent years in relation to safety in the workplace through legislation and enforcement, which is evident with the reduction in workplace accidents. However, the two main causes of workplace ill-health now are musculoskeletal disorders and stress, which present new challenges”.
Minister Breen went on to say “we have a particular challenge with the large number of small businesses in Ireland and the new framework will need to address this by reflecting on best practice in other countries and incorporating positive health messages within Health and Safety”. The Minister acknowledged the commitment of his Department in supporting the development of the Healthy Workplace Framework, stating that, “a healthy workforce benefits all of society and contributes to economic growth as well as improved health outcomes”.
