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Workplace health promotion

Workplace health promotion in Europe

The largest single research programme ever to take place in Europe on the promotion of health in the workplace (WHP) was undertaken by the Foundation largely during the 1990s. It led to the development of a training specification for WHP in 1994.

The specification was widely disseminated to encourage its use in as wide a range of sites and as many European countries as possible. By the end of 1997, 10,000 students had been trained on courses based on it. The specification has since been updated.

The resulting manual (EF9749) for training in workplace health promotion:

• presents a integrated, comprehensible definition of WHP;
• proposes an idealised model of how WHP might be undertaken;
• specifies the various roles which need to be fulfilled in developing WHP programmes;
• specifies the skills and knowledge needed for WHP;
• supports the process of developing training/education programmes for practitioners and professionals in WHP;
• explores some of the major practical issues involved in implementing an integrated and comprehensive workplace health programme.

A summary of the manual is available for downloading. Click on the preferred language to download: DA DE EL EN ES FI FR IT NL PT SV

Workplace health promotion has developed substantially in the past decade through the work of the European Commission (most visibly through the establishment of an EU-wide information and communications network); the WHO European regional office; and national agencies, particularly in some countries.