New PEROSH project on worker well- being

Worker well being has become a central theme adopted by both policy makers and researchers around Europe offering great potential to improve working lives. In November 2010, the Health and Safety Laboratory (HSL) hosted a workshop to provide an opportunity for PEROSH member representatives to discuss well being and work, with a primary purpose of information sharing.

The workshop format included individual member presentations and small and whole group discussions, which culminated in the identification of a set of specific well being research ideas.

Understanding well being
In order to understand well being, various themes were dis­cussed including acceptance that wellbeing is not just the lack of mental ill health but incorporates social and physical func­tioning. PEROSH members described the concept of wellbeing in OSH as a positive, sustainable concept of optimal functioning. It was also thought that wellbeing should be proactively promoted at work within a pragmatic approach that focuses on what is required and what can actually be changed. It was recognised that well being should be meaningfully recognised at personal, group and organisational levels with the emphasis on positive consequences to workability and creativity.

Drivers for well being
Suggested drivers to research this area more comprehensively included societal costs, governmental policy, legislative posi­tions, altruism and moral arguments within civilised societ­ies. There is also a scientific need to understand wellbeing interventions given changing worker demographic and rapid changes in organisational structure.

Further steps
Following the first workshop, a paper was drafted by HSL to present the comments and observations of the participants on well being, to highlight the common areas of well being re­search interests for the PEROSH partners and to present the range of suggestions for specific PEROSH research.

In February, a second workshop led by FIOH and HSL was held in the frame of the conference on well being organized by FIOH in Helsinki.
During the workshop, partners elaborated on the results of the first workshop and agreed on a joint project to be further developed. Subsequently, the results of the workshops were presented by HSL as part of the well being conference in order to present the status quo and research ideas to a wider audi­ence.
Further steps will be the refinement of the project goals and plan in order to further develop the project.

Further information: Ed Robinson, Health and Safety Laboratory, e-mail