PREVENTIVE HEALTH MEASURES

Prevention of musculo-skeletal disorders

The most common cause of sickness absence and disability in our industry is musculo-skeletal problems. 60 per cent of Veidekke's employees in Norway reported having musculo-skeletal problems in 2009, compared with 64 per cent in 2008 and 2007. Before 2007 the proportion of such complaints was between 70 and 80 per cent, a noticeable decline in recent years. The average for the Norwegian population is 70 per cent.

Measures for the prevention of musculo-skeletal disorders seem to have a good effect. Most work places have implemented the training device Redcord, and 1 500 employees in Norway have purchased Redcord to practice at home. Our company physiotherapists teach employees about appropriate work equipment, smart technological solutions, appropriate tools, organisation of work and provide advice on training and exercises. 57 per cent of employees state that they exercise regularly in 2009, the highest per centage ever recorded by the work health survey.

Focus on ergonomics reduces problems

Veidekke aims to prevent musculo-skeletal disorders among employees, and has therefore decided to implement ergonomic inspections on all our projects. The focus has been on identifying unfortunate ergonomic conditions. It is important to create an understanding of job rotation, job variety and distribution of the heaviest and hardest working positions amongst several people, so that the total load on each is low.

Since 2002, an annual average of 20 employees in Veidekke's Norwegian operations have had a consultation with Dr. Lars Kolsrud at the health department of Olympiatoppen. Dr. Kolsrud is a specialist in physical medicine and rehabilitation, and is a very well-renowned sports medicine specialist. Each employee is entitled to one to three consultations with the doctor, in order to avoid a exacerbating existing musculo-skeletal problems. It is of great value to the occupational health service that these patients are evaluated as quickly as possible. In this way, we attempt to avoid long-term sick leave and prevent illnesses from becoming chronic.

Smoking cessation efforts continue

In the course of a three-year period, all Veidekke employees in Norway undergo an occupational health examination. In the period from 2000-2002, as many as 42 per cent of all employees were smokers. The corresponding figure for 2003-2006 was 36 per cent, and for 2006-2008 the number was down to 30 per cent. In 2009 only 27 per cent reported that they smoke. We are pleased to see that so many have managed to stop smoking, but the number of smokers in Veidekke is still well above the Norwegian national average, as only 21 per cent of Norway's population smoke daily.

Surveys carried out by the National Health Screening Service have previously shown that heavy smokers (more than 20 cigarettes a day) have twice as much absence as non-smokers. Veidekke's occupational health services, therefore, focuses on the importance of smoking cessation efforts using health surveys in which lung function tests are included.

Prevention of mental health problems

In Norway, the occupational health service cooperates with a company called Psykologbistand AS to offer Veidekke employees all over Norway help to prevent illness and absence due to mental problems. Employees are entitled to up to ten consultations per year with a psychologist, and are guaranteed a first appointment within a week.
80 employees have accepted this offer in 2009. Each employee needs an average of 3-5 consultations. The employees who have taken advantage of this offer, are very pleased with the fact that they were to be able to get an appointment so quickly. Psykologbistand AS has also arranged courses at Veidekke on coping with stress.

AKAN (The Workplace Advisory Centre for issues related to alcohol, drugs and addictive gambling in the workplace)

Veidekke's Norwegian operations have had a well-functioning AKAN system since 1994, and AKAN is included in Veidekke's management system. Employees with an alcohol or drug problem or an addiction to gambling are eligible for help through Veidekke's AKAN system, preferably before problems become so serious that they are cautioned for breaching Veidekke's guidelines. A total of 15 Norwegian employees signed an AKAN agreement in 2009; 11 due to alcohol abuse, 3 due to drug abuse and one due to an addiction to gambling. We are very pleased to say that 13 of the 15 employees were still employed by Veidekke at the end of the year. Our conclusion is that the sooner help is provided to a person with an addiction, the greater the chances are of success. This is the main message in the AKAN information to Veidekke employees.