Health promotion in the workplace--the merging of the paradigms

To synthesize the lessons from both occupational health and health promotion, to improve workplace health.

This article briefly outlines the evolution in defining and understanding health promotion as well as current thinking in occupational health and safety. It also discusses an approach taken in the healthcare sector in British Columbia, Canada, where evidence-based practices and collaboration became the cornerstones to bringing about change and achieve impressive cost-beneficial results in healthcare workforce health.

Traditionally, workplace health promotion and occupational health and safety have been two solitudes. Workplace health promotion is rooted in "wellness" and healthy lifestyle choices, while occupational health is heavily dictated by workplace health and safety requirements and legislation. Recently however, there has been increasing recognition of the need for a more holistic approach that focusses on workplace culture, addressing both primary and secondary prevention [1], as well as interventions aimed both at the individual as well as the organisation [2].