Health Programs

Under the motto “Just Move It,” WACKER organized its Health Week 2017 in Burghausen, including information events, fitness checks, workshops and the opportunity to get the German Sports Badge. WACKER employees in Munich were given similar offers at the Health Days 2017 in the form of information booths and health initiatives.

In 2018, WACKER collaborated with external partners to offer Health Weeks in Bad Endorf and Bad Griesbach, including workshops on various health-related topics such as exercise, nutrition, relaxation and stress management. A maximum of 15 WACKER employees were able to take part in any one Health Week after prior registration – a total of 16 Health Weeks were offered for employees in Burghausen and four in Munich.

WACKER’s Health Services launches a groupwide campaign on relevant health topics every two years. “Go for the Check-Up” is the topic of the most recent initiative, launched in 2018. It aims to raise awareness, introduce prevention programs and encourage participation. Specific topics included “Dental Care” and “Vaccination.”

An influenza vaccination is offered once a year for all employees, at all sites around the world. This vaccination is free of charge and voluntary. WACKER employees at both Burghausen and Munich can furthermore complete the in-house WACKER Health Checks and medical checkups with Health Services and external service providers – employees receive paid leave for the time taken for the checkup plus an approximate travel time.

WACKER promotes substance abuse prevention. In general, alcohol is forbidden at work. All managerial staff members are required to attend training programs on the topic of substance abuse prevention. These programs aim to help them recognize employees who are at risk or are already addicted, and to assist them in seeking proper treatment. We also provide management with courses on detecting employees suffering from psychological stress and on alleviating the problem.

The “Fit for Your Shift” project targets stress and strain specific to shift work, skilled manual workers, work in logistics or certified industrial forepersons. In this health program, participants are taught habits that can help them deal better with the pressures of shift work or manual labor in the long term. The program consists of four modules:

• A one-week stay at a rehabilitation clinic
• A three-month program of training at the workplace
• A six-month period during which workers continue the training on their own
• A final refresher weekend

Evaluation of the program after five years showed a significant reduction in risk factors such as blood pressure and blood lipids, but also body weight and body mass index (BMI), and an improvement in the participants’ training level and quality of sleep. Just under 62 percent of participants succeeded in lowering their blood pressure or changing their diet, while 49 percent increased their level of physical activity and 49 percent improved their LDL cholesterol value. By the end of 2018, over 570 employees had taken part in Fit for Your Shift since the program began in 2013.

The number of recognized occupational diseases is very low at WACKER’s German sites. In the past, respiratory diseases and cancer were the most frequent causes of illness; there are some isolated cases where previous exposure to asbestos has caused occupational diseases. In 2018, only one occupational illness was recognized: carpal tunnel syndrome. 2017 was the first time that no occupational disease had been recognized at the Burghausen site. Where there were suspected cases of occupational diseases, different medical conditions were indicated. So far, WACKER has not evaluated groupwide figures concerning occupational diseases of its employees, because the criteria for the recognition of illnesses as occupational vary from country to country.