Health Promotion Report: Workplace Health Promotion at a Laboratory

This report analyzes health promotion strategies within a national laboratory, focusing on the application of the Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion. The study examines various aspects, including the building of healthy public policies, the creation of supportive environments, strengthening community actions, developing personal skills, and reorienting healthcare facilities. The report is based on a survey conducted at a national reference laboratory and provides detailed observations and recommendations. The analysis covers the laboratory's policies on food, alcohol, and smoking, as well as the availability of flexible work options and social support systems. The report also addresses cultural safety, employee skill development, and healthcare facilities. Recommendations include the development of healthy food options, smoking cessation programs, improved flexible work options, and the implementation of programs to address conflict and stress. The conclusion emphasizes the importance of workplace health promotion and offers insights into how organizations can improve employee well-being.

Running head: Health Promotion
Health promotion
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author note:

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According to WHO (2019), workplace health promotion has been established in the 21st century
and has been considered as one of the primary setting for the health care promotion. Workplace has a
direct influence on the mental, physical, social and economic well-being of the person. It also influences
the society, communities and the families of the individual. Workplace health promotion offers an ideal
setting and the infrastructure which helps in enhancing the health condition of the worker. The health of
the worker is not only affected by the work force but can also be influenced by the factors which are not
work related (Fertman & Allensworth, 2016). To reduce the adverse effect of workload in the health of
the individual, several health promotion frameworks are formulated. In this essay, the national
laboratory is chosen for observing health promotion (Health promotion, 2019). The organization is a
laboratory named as national reference laboratory. The laboratory has 5 different laboratories such as,
chemical testing, microbiological testing, bio and drug preparation, and radiation control laboratory and
seed quarantine. It helps to strengthen the public health, food security and the environmental protection
especially for the individuals of Ulaanbaatar. This essay is formulated based on the survey that has been
conducted by using the Ottawa charter health promotion. The assignment consists the recommendation
that can be used to promote the well-being of the patient. In the essay, the health promotion of the work
place, their effectiveness, evidence and socio cultural change for the change in behaviour at the work
place is discussed in detail.
Health promotion at workplace:
Ottawa charter for the health promotion is an organization that works in collaboration with the
World Health Organization in 1986 (WHO, 2019). The Ottawa charter includes the health promotion
strategy that is used in enhancing the public health. He charters works mainly in five different areas
(Ottawa Charter, 2019). These are, building the public health policy, creating environments which are
supporting, strengthening the actions of community, developing personal skills and reorienting the

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health care facilities which helps in the prevention of any illness by promoting health. In the essay, the
observation and audit that has obtained from survey has been discussed (Pescud et al., 2015).
Build healthy public policy:
The public health policy that can be focused by the Ottawa charter is the building health policy.
Health policy is extremely important in an organization to improvement the health of the workers. In the
survey, the public health policy that has been formulated by the organization is followed or not (Abel-
Smith, 2016).
Every organization should have certain policies that help in enhancing the public health.
However, the national laboratory has public policy that supports health (Di Fabio, 2017). When during
the audit observation about the food and health policy of the workplace is conducted, there were certain
regions identified which the laboratory focusses in to. The organization does not have any public health
policy based on food and drink. When asked to the employees they stated that, “as it is chemical
laboratory, drinks and foods are not permitted” (Flood et al., 2015). The policy of the laboratory also
aims to provide cultural respect and says no to the bullying behavior enhancing cultural safety. During
observation written policy that focuses on physical health of the well-being has been identified. The risk
factor responsible for causing cardiovascular, cancers and diabetes, which is alcohol, should be avoided
according to policy. Alcohol is not even allowed at single occasion as it can lead to violence, drowning,
falls and traffic injures (Friedman et al., 2017). Apart from the alcohol they do focusses on the smoke
free policy and also advise the visitors of smoke-free policy according to the respondents, “they do have
written policy about smoke-free workplace”.
Recommendation:
 They should also have canteen where the workers can get healthy foods with proper vending
machine.

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 The organization should develop programs which promotes quit smoking.
Creating supporting environments:
The Ottawa charter (1986) also aims to work in order to crate supporting environments for the
employees. According to the Ottawa charter, the workplace should be a source of wellbeing of the
employees and should not feel like burden which can only be achieved if they have the supporting
environments (Ottawa Charter, 2019). Supporting environment can be achieved by focusing on the
several factors such as, proper communication among the employees and the higher authorities, flexible
work option and psychological needs. To evaluate the factors, the observation also focusses on those
factors. The audit observation of the company focuses on enhancing the emotional and social illness, it
was identified that the organization has the written policy that addresses the social and the emotional
well ness such as, family friend work place, maintaining work life balance, but according to the
respondents the flexible work option should be improved, when asked, “they do have return to work
policy. Policy could be improved (flexible work options). The national laboratory provides space to
socialize for the employees and also provides space to get access to privacy and quiet environment
whenever needed. They do promote social functions for the employees and their family, which helps the
employees getting more comfortable to the organization and the higher authorities. To ensure emotional
and social well-being into the employees they organize managerial training which focusses to promote
leader ship, respect, workload management and trust. On the audit observation, it is identified that it
encourages the employees to involve in self-managed work teams, employee feed-back and participative
decision making. They also provide telephone service in the work place beyond-blue or the life line.
Recommendation:
 They should look more into the flexible work options as it helps in maintaining work life balance.

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 When asked during the observation the respondent answered, “they do not hold regular information
session from organization”. Hence, the organization should develop session that promotes to resolve
conflict, manage stress and should also provide the assistance program for the employees.
Strengthening the action of community:
The Ottawa charter framework works on the strengthening the community (Ottawa Charter,
2019). People from different places usually have to suffer from discrimination and bullying which lead
to depression and other mental health illness. Cultural safety id defined as the safety provided to the
individual based on their race and background. It is extremely essential for an organization to provide
cultural safety to all the employees of an organization without getting biased. During the audit and
observation of the national laboratory, it is identified that, the organization have policy which provides
cultural safety to the employees as well as also eliminates bullying in to the workplace. To ensure
strength of the emplye3ss the organization also promotes recognition scheme where the people who are
at excellence are awarded. Such people are recognized without any biased. It not only promotes cultural
safety to the patient but also enhances the motivation to work better in the organization (Ammendolia et
al., 2016).
Recommendation
 The organization should develop promotional material that could help in strengthening the
community action as well the social well-being of an individual.
 The organization should also implement penalty for those who involve in such illegal matter
such as, bullying, gender discrimination, caste and race discrimination (Fine et al., 2015).
Developing personal skill:
Enhancing personal skills not only helps in personal as well as professional growth. Hence the
organization should involve in such programs which helps in enhancing the personal skill. The Ottawa

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charter framework for health promotion (1986), ensures the development of personal skills which helps
in marinating the emotional and mental health of the individual. By observing the data of the national
chemical laboratory, it is evident that the organization does not involve much in the development of the
personal skill (Jackson & Wilton, 2016). However, the organizations have gym where the people often
do yoga. During the survey6 respondent answered, “They do not have official plan from administration,
but a group of people do yoga using gym facilities (often)”. The organization does not promote sports
completion or any cultural event that enhances the personal skill of the employees.
Recommendation:
 The workplace should involve in personal skill development programs such as, sports
completion or and other appraisal competition and cultural events (Mwarey et al., 2017).
Reorienting the health care facilities:
Each and every organization should have primary health care facilities to ensure proper health of the
individual (World Health Organization, 2015). According to the Ottawa charter framework of health
promotion ensures that for the health promotion. Reorientation of the health care facilities should be
provided. As the chosen organization is a chemical laboratory, it becomes more important to maintain
all the precaution needed for maintaining a healthy environment (Ottawa Charter, 2019). To do so, the
organization omits the preparation of food at canteen. Individuals are encouraged to prepare fresh
healthy foods during lunch break.
Recommendation:
 To ensure healthcare safety the organization should have shower facility. When asked during the
survey, a participant answered, “They have change rooms for employees. However, they do not
have shower. As it is a chemical laboratory having shower after long shift is recommended”
(Hubley & Copeman, 2018).

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 They should have proper healthy vending machine (World Health Organization, 2015).
Conclusion:
From the above solution, it can be concluded that the workplace is the main source of health for
the employee’s as maximum time of their life they spend at their workplace. Hence, it is important for
an organization to look for those factors which are essential for health promotion of the employees. In
the above essay, the health promotion frame work of an organization is observed. It is observed by
conducting the survey through a set of questionnaire. The essay is conducting based on the Ottawa
charter for the health framework. In the essay, the policies that can help in promoting the health of the
employees of an organization are discussed in detail. Apart from that, participation of the organization in
promoting supporting environments and strengthening the action of the community such as by
maintaining cultural safety are also discussed in the essay. To ensure growth of the employees
personally as well as professionally it is the responsibility of an organization to conduct programs and
policy that helps in enhancing the personal skill of the individual, which is also explained in the essay.
The organization should have primary health care facilities to ensure proper health of the individual.
Hence in the essay, such health care facilities of the national laboratory are explained from the data
obtained through survey.

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