Hungary Workplace Health Promotion at the Heves County Court

Details on the authority judges’ carrier, the presence of health, physical and psychical abilities, neces- The Heves County Court has 269 mem- sary to the judges’ work must be exam- bers of staff, 76 % of whom are women. ined. The aptitude test for judges con- The distribution of the employees by sists of the general medical examina- age is as follows: tion, including psychiatric examination and psychologic examination. The I under 25: 4 % health promotion programme of the I 25-29: 26 % occupational health care service is an I 30-39: 26 % important tool to assist judges to cope I 40-49: 28 % with the aptitude test. At present, the I 50-61: 23 % courts of justice are undergoing a reor- I over 61: 3 % ganisation process, the courts of appeal are planned to organise in addition to Background the present courts.

In Hungary every employer must pro- Current state of health at work vide occupational health care service for all the employees in compliance I Taking responsibility for OHS with the Labour Safety Act and the sec- The Court provides occupational health torial decrees. One service (consisting care service for the employees. Partici- of one physician and one nurse) may pation in a preemployment medical cover 1000-2000 workers depending on examination is compulsory for every- the health risks. Occupational health body and the examinations must be examination serving as basis of risk repeated annually. Performing of the assessment makes 50 % of the work of examinations is controlled. OHS partici- the occupational health care service, pates in the tasks related to labour pro- while the other 50 % is made of the pre- tection. Prior to employment the labour employment, periodic, extraordinary protection officer provides training and and final fitness for work examinations. its accomplishment is documented. Employees without the fitness for work examination may not be employed in I Creating a happy working Hungary. The occupational health care atmosphere service knows and maintains a good Within the 8 hour work shift the relationship with the management of employees are entitled to a half hour

Contact: the institution or enterprise served. The paid lunch time in a civilised canteen at National Institute of Occupational benefit of the project is the prevention the workplace where they can meet the Health Hungary Eva Gronai MD of diseases and preservation of working provision of subsidised food. The E-mail: [email protected] ability. As a new requirement, judges choice of menu is developed on a sci- Dr. Gabor Galgoczy MD, PhD have to undergo an aptitude test, regu- entific base (OÉTI) and the buffet is reg- Phone: +36-1-4761140 E-mail: [email protected] lated in a separate decree, in addition ularly controlled by the public health to the fitness for job examinations. For authority. Smoking is prohibited at the the evaluation of the suitability of workplaces. It is allowed only in desig- 52 nated areas. Alcohol is banned during and the Heves County Chief Attorney Morbidity data working hours and intoxicated employ- General’s Office. I Not classified complaints, symptoms ees may not resume work. In the insti- and pathologic clinical and tute satisfaction of both the employees I Step 6 laboratory findings: 6% and that of the customers is examined Results of the programme. I Diseases of the circulatory and found to be good. system: 13 % Systematic needs analyses I Endocrine, nutritional and How the project was set in motion metabolic diseases: 5 % I Risk factors on working I Diseases of the bone, muscle The project is under the control of a environment and connective tissues: 8 % team consisting of two occupational Noise exposure of the typists: 20 % I Diseases of the digestive system: 6% health and work hygiene specialist Workplaces with computer monitor I Diseases of the blood and hema- physicians and a Ph. D doctor, all famil- equipment: 40 % topoietic system and certain disor- iar with workplace health promotion. Increased psychic stress: during the ders of the immune system: 1 % The practice of workplace health pro- work of judges and prosecutors 20 % I Diseases of the respiratory motion was studied by the following Chemical pathogenic factor (ozone system: 8 % stepwise procedure: exposure: copy machines) 10 % Implementing WHP I Step 1 I Health status of the employees Controllers of the project approach the The health status of the employees is At the courts the greatest source of stress management to obtain approval for the evaluated by the occupational health comes from dealing with the clients as project. physician on the basis of a detailed increased psychic stress and biological medical examination. The following rel- pathogenic factor. This causes the I Step 2 evant items of the occupational health increased number of upper respiratory Personal interview with the employees evaluation can be stressed. diseases, especially in the winter months. and preparation of the checklist in the The management supported the occu- form of a questionnaire. Smoking habits pational health care service in the I Smoker: 38 % organisation of the health promotion I Step 3 I Non-smoker: 62 % programme from the beginning. It was Recording of workplace data. Perform- obvious for them that health promotion ing of risk assessment during onsite Drinking habits has a beneficial effect on the work time workplace inspection, determination of I Regular drinker: 0 % basis and on the quality of the profes- the workplace stress and strain. I Occasional drinker: 12 % sional work. This was the objective and, I Abstinent: 87 % at the same time, the importance of the I Step 4 I Ex-drinker: 1 % health promotion programme. The Recording the results of the examina- employees were informed on this by tion of the employees. The OHS pro- Sport circulars and the management allowed vide data on the health status of the I Sporting: 38 % the employees to participate in the employees. I Non-sporting: 62 % health promotion programmes during working time. In 2001 three health pro- I Step 5 Eating habits motion programmes were announced. Demonstration of the health promotion I Up-to-date: 71 % programme of the Heves County Court I Obsolete: 29 % 53 Workplace Health Promotion at the Heves County Court

I Provision of free vaccination of the I 106 persons participated at the aller- employees against flu on a voluntary gy screening, 22 persons proved to basis. (50 % of the expenses was cov- be positive. The detected persons ered by the health insurance scheme, were informed about the possible the other 50 % was paid by the ways of prevention and they received employer.) pulmonology or dermatology recom- mendation for medicines with high I Screening examinations, serving insurance support. In the case of health promotion (e.g. allergy these employees the decrease or dis- screening). appearance of the symptoms, and in this way, the improvement of their I First aid courses, initiated and asked work output are expected. for by the employer. I 40 employees participated at the first The programmes were also publicised aid courses and all of them passed by the occupational health care service the examination successfully. at the consulting room by convincing individual employees.

Has health improved?

The occupational health care service measures the success of the health pro- motion programme by the number of participants and the number of those detected during the screening pro- grammes.

I 65% of the employees were vaccinat- ed against flu, no complication was observed. The number of flu cases decreased compared to the years when no vaccination was available.

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