pulse How to cut winter absenteeism by up to 43% Corporate responsibility doesn t stop at the border Services expand in Queensland Autumn wellness

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1 Your HSA Group guide to health in the workplace pulse AUTUMN 2006 How to cut winter absenteeism by up to 43% Corporate responsibility doesn t stop at the border Services expand in Queensland Autumn wellness New MD for HSA Group

2 How to cut winter absenteeism by up to 43% > In an attempt to cut the more than 1 million working days lost in Australia each year from the flu, Australian business is rapidly embracing workplace vaccination programs. Vaccination is the best form of prevention against the flu. Published studies in North America, including in the The New England Journal of Medicine, show that the Flu Vaccine reduces the risk of illness in healthy people by 70 to 90 percent. This converts to a 43 percent reduction in absenteeism, or 74 fewer lost days per 100 employees, Dr Tony Gherardin, HSA Group Medical Advisor, said. Flu is a common illness, affecting on average around 20 percent of staff. Because of its highly infectious nature once it gets established in a workplace it will rapidly spread. The rising tide of bird flu outbreaks around the world has added impetus to the value of workplace flu vaccination. While the current flu vaccine doesn t offer any protection against the H5N1 bird flu virus it may have a role in preventing a pandemic, Dr Gherardin said. By protecting against circulating human strains of flu, vaccination reduces the risk of a human and bird virus mixing to create a new strain with pandemic potential. Vaccination is also important to improve diagnosis should a new flu strain emerge. If someone has been vaccinated yet falls ill with flu-like symptoms this could suggest a new strain as the source of infection. Knowing a person has been vaccinated makes it easier to make a differential diagnosis and helps doctors to know who and when to treat, he said. Australia s flu season usually starts in late autumn and runs through winter. It takes around days for the vaccination to be fully effective, so March and April are the best months to vaccinate. Dr Gherardin believes the benefits of workplace vaccination extend way beyond the economics of absenteeism to staff wellbeing and team morale. These kinds of initiatives send a clear message to staff that management is interested in and cares about their people. And, against the backdrop of bird flu, vaccination is also good for the community at large. The rising tide of bird flu outbreaks has added impetus to the value of workplace flu vaccination. Give influenza the boot Vaccinate Now!! Every year the HSA Group vaccinates to Australian workers. We are totally flexible in our approach, delivering programs: wherever on-site or in our clinics whenever 24/7 however numbers great or small For bookings call , also visit the websites below: Flu facts Autumn is the best time to vaccinate People with flu are contagious 1 2 days before they exhibit obvious signs Illness may last 5 10 days You can t get flu from the vaccine To maintain protection you need annual revaccination

3 > TRAVEL NEWS Corporate responsibility doesn t stop at the border By Dr Tony Gherardin, National Medical Advisor, The Travel Doctor-TMVC Employers don t just have to worry about accidents or illness when staff travel overseas. They also have a responsibility for their employees overall wellness. DUTY OF CARE FOR BUSINESS TRAVELLERS In a normal work environment, employers assume a substantial level of responsibility for keeping employees safe while at work. Indeed, the employer is both morally and legally bound to ensure that they do not cause death or injury to their employees. While OH&S legislation is primarily focused on traditional workplaces (eg office, factory), the non-traditional work environment of the corporate traveller should not alleviate an employer s obligation to its employees. A study undertaken several years ago by the World Bank revealed a startling difference in the number of medical insurance claims made by staff who travelled internationally compared with non-travelling staff. The study found that claim rates were 80 percent higher among male travellers and almost 20 percent higher among female travellers. Travellers also evidenced a dramatic increase in psychological disorders, such as anxiety and acute reaction to stress especially for those travelling internationally four or more times a year. With corporate travel continuing to increase, employers need to recognise the implications of travel on their personnel. Instead of viewing travel as a mainly administrative function, companies need to understand and apply OH&S principles and practices directed towards education, training and supporting staff in order to prevent or minimise injury and illness. To help meet duty-of-care obligations for staff travelling overseas, companies should: develop and implement a vaccination policy consider annual medical examinations for staff travelling internationally 3 or more times a year facilitate access to travel health education and information provide travelling employees with specially designed travellers medical kits consider giving travellers a day off when they return to recouperate and recover more fully from their travel.

4 Services expand in Queensland To meet the growing demand of industry clients, the HSA Group has expanded its network of Health For Industry (HFI) clinics with the opening in February of a clinic close to the Brisbane Airport. As with all HFI clinics, the new HFI Northside clinic is a one stop occupational health service tailored specifically to the needs of industry. HFI Northside Aside from comprehensive health, safety and rehabilitation services, the clinic also provides treatment for acute injuries (ie fractures, burns, lacerations, chemical exposure) and offers priority clients a 24/7 hotline for advice and emergency injury management. The new clinic brings the number of HFI clinics in Brisbane to three. Five more clinics will be launched in one in Brisbane, two in Melbourne and two in Sydney. HFI is one of four organisations which make up the HSA Group; the others are Health Services Australia, Work Solutions Australia and The Travel Doctor. visa applicants Visa applicants seeking appointments for medical examinations should book online to save time. On-line bookings require an accepted credit card and valid address. Beat the rush, log onto Autumn Wellness prevention is better than cure Remember to have your flu vaccination. Be proactive and talk to us about injury prevention, treatment and rehabilitation. Hold a Health Fair a fun interactive way to assess employee health and create healthier, more productive workplaces.

5 New MD for HSA Group The HSA Group has much pleasure in announcing the appointment of Mr Walter Kmet as its new Managing Director. Mr Kmet brings to the position more than 15 years international health administration experience gained in Australia, the United Kingdom (UK) and South East Asia. He has been CEO of a number of healthcare companies, including most recently the UK-based Nations Healthcare where he gained extensive experience in the public health sector through public/private projects undertaken with the UK s National Health System. Mr Kmet said he is looking forward to working with his HSA Group colleagues to continue to build on a legacy of eight years of continuous revenue growth. Growth provides not only the basis for financial stability and economic success but also creates tremendous opportunities and incentives for the people working within the organisation, Mr Kmet said. Originally from Newcastle, NSW, Mr Kmet has also held leadership positions with the MIA Group and Mayne Nickless. He is married with two sons. Mr Kmet said a major attraction in working for the HSA Group was its focus on quality. Quality is an integral part of the HSA Group framework, from products and services to customer relations and management systems. This has resulted in an outward looking approach which places customers at the centre of decision-making, Mr Kmet said. Mr Walter Kmet, Managing Director This has created a tremendous platform to move forward from. And I would like to acknowledge the roles played by Rae Taylor (HSA Group Chairman) and my two predecessors, Vanessa Fanning and Stan Macionis, in guiding the organisation to such a strong position. Mr Kmet s commitment to quality is longstanding. He cites one of his proudest career achievements as leading the team which achieved the first ever ISO 9002 quality certification for an Indonesian hospital Jakarta s Jatinegara General Hospital.

6 Profiles DR BERNADETTE TRIFILETTI MBBS GradDipOccHealth FAFOM ACCAM Occupational Physician, Health Services Australia DR MELISSA LEHMANN BA Psych (Hons) Grad Cert Ed PhD MAPS Senior Consultant, Work Solutions Australia Dr Bernadette Trifiletti, Uluru 2005 Dr Trifiletti is a senior occupational physician with more than 15 years occupational medicine experience. Her work is evenly divided between delivering clinical services individual employee health assessments and consulting to the private and public sectors. The majority of her clinical work comes from referrals relating to conflict, absenteeism, performance decline and minimising disability after illness or injury. Dr Trifiletti also counsels organisations on optimising work performance through better employee health management. She has developed programs to manage work attendance, fatigue associated with shift work, prevention of acoustic shock injury and return to work. Dr Trifiletti has a passion for learning from and sharing her expertise with colleagues, employers, employees and all who are committed to the best possible health and safety environment for Australian workplaces. With a love of public speaking, she is determined to visit every workplace on the planet. This coincides with her other passions travel and photography. Dr Melissa Lehmann Dr Lehmann is a Melbourne-based psychologist with a background in clinical and social psychology. She specialises in absenteeism, health and wellbeing management, conflict resolution, leadership coaching and team building. She has led early intervention pilots and absenteeism projects for key government agencies and also managed several projects to help organisations take a proactive, preventative approach to workplace health and safety. Dr Lehmann is currently completing a project on employee wellbeing for a large hospital and is also responsible for resolving complex Return-to-Work cases within Work Solutions Australia. Before becoming a psychologist, Dr Lehmann had a career as a publicist and marketeer in film and theatre, including working for the Melbourne International Film Festival. She will soon be putting all her combined skills and experience to the test when she and two colleagues represent Work Solutions Australia in a corporate triathlon. Word bank Absenteeism: the practice of absenting oneself from duties, studies, employment etc, often for inadequate reasons. Incubation period: time between exposure to a germ and showing signs or symptoms of the disease. Influenza: an acute contagious viral infection characterised by inflammation of the respiratory tract and by fever, chills, muscular pain and weakness. Vaccine: a suspension of attenuated (weakened) or killed micro-organisms administered for the prevention or treatment of disease. Vaccination: introducing a vaccine into the body for the purpose of producing immunity. Publisher Health Services Australia Group Editor Day & Hodge Associates Design Z00 Print Paragon Printers Australasia For more information please contact Health Services Australia Group or phone occupational health occupational rehabilitation and injury prevention travel health Z