Safe Work Australia has called on workplaces across the country to appoint BeUpstanding Champions during National Safe Work Month this month, encouraging workers to stand up, sit less and move more.
In a statement, Safe Work Australia said it supported the BeUpstanding campaign, which argued that high levels of sitting was a work health and safety risk and could cause chronic health conditions and poor work performance.
“BeUpstanding is an evidence-based program designed to address the health and financial costs associated with excess sitting,” the Agency said.
“The BeUpstanding trial and champion toolkit encourages workers to share the health impacts of long periods of sitting in an office environment with their organisations and register their workplace to be part of the trial.”
Based on more than 10 years of research, BeUpstanding targets too much sitting in the workplace by encouraging more movement, more often aimed at improving staff health and wellbeing.
The campaign organisers said their research showed that a workplace champion who promoted the main messages of BeUpstanding and motivated others was critical to success.
“That’s why, through collaboration with Government and industry, we developed this free online champion toolkit,” the organisers said.
“The toolkit gives workplace champions the tools and resources needed to create and sustain a dynamic work environment where sitting less and moving more is the norm.”
More information about BeUpstanding is available on the campaign website at this PS News link.
