Environmental Support

It is important for the overall workplace health program to contain a combination of individual and organizational level strategies and interventions to influence health, including:

• Environmental Support  – refers to the physical factors at and nearby the workplace that help protect and enhance employee health

Examples of environmental support include:

• On-site fitness facilities, walking/running trails, basketball hoop, or open green space for exercise or relaxation
• Healthy foods available in an on-site cafeterias, snack shops, or vending machines
• On-site showers and changing rooms
• On-site occupational health clinics
• Bulletin boards, kiosks, intranet or other communications mechanisms that provide information on the company workplace health program, workplace or community opportunities for health programs or services, or general health promotion information
• Supportive supervisory structure
• Control of dust, fumes, and vapors
• Good lighting and well-designed work spaces

Workplace health programs are not add-on benefits but basic investments in human capital, similar to training, mentoring, and other employee development programs.

Regardless of which interventions are selected, the program should strive to:  

• Use multiple interventions, such as combining a policy and a health benefit intervention, for a single health issue.  Combinations are more effective than any one intervention alone
• Use interventions that address multiple health issues at the same time, which is more effective than addressing each single health issue separately