Written Answer by Mrs Josephine Teo Minister for Manpower to Parliamentary Question on Workplace Exercises

NOTICE PAPER NO. 1512 OF 2019 FOR THE SITTING ON 11 FEBRUARY 2019

QUESTION NO. 2554 FOR WRITTEN ANSWER

MP: Mr Gan Thiam Poh

To ask the Minister for Manpower whether the Government can incentivise and support employers to encourage their employees to take part in meaningful exercises every day for the long-term health benefit of employees.

Answer

1. There are existing initiatives to support employers in getting their employees to adopt healthier and more active lifestyles.
2. The Workplace Safety and Health Council (WSHC) works with the Health Promotion Board (HPB) to promote the Total Workplace Safety and Health approach. Under Total WSH, safety and health initiatives are integrated at the workplace. The WSHC and HPB provide incentives to employers to conduct health screenings, help workers to manage health conditions, promote ergonomic techniques for lifting loads, and institute workplace exercise programmes.
3. Examples of programmes that support workplace exercise are HPB’s SME Health+ and Workplace Alliance for Health schemes. They provide co-funding of up to 70% for SMEs and up to 50% for non-SMEs, for workplace exercise programmes conducted by HPB’s pre-approved providers. HPB’s National Steps Challenge, which encourages participants to accumulate at least 10,000 steps a day and 150 minutes of physical activity per week, also features a corporate component.
4. We will continue to regularly review our initiatives to support employers in encouraging their employees to adopt healthier and more active lifestyles.