Avoid high blood pressure

High blood pressure sometimes manifests itself as sleep disturbances, headaches or dizziness. However, it is not uncommon for sufferers to be completely symptom-free. This is fatal in the case of permanent high blood pressure. After all, the disease is considered a precursor to cardiovascular disease. Unfortunately, the diagnosis of high blood pressure is becoming more frequent, as evidenced by the Care Atlas study published in 2020 by the Central Institute for Statutory Health Insurance Physicians. Between 2009 and 2018, for example, with unchanged threshold values in Germany, the number of people with statutory health insurance with diagnosed hypertension - as high blood pressure is known in medicine - rose from just under 17 million to a good 19 million. The causes for this can also be found in the working world.

"Whether it's shift work, time pressure, noise, conflicts within the team, long working hours, or under-demanding and monotonous work: stress-related high blood pressure has individual triggers that vary according to personality and disposition," explains Dr. Ingolf Hosbach from the Institute for Prevention and Occupational Medicine of the German Social Accident Insurance (IPA). Likewise, the risk of contracting high blood pressure is not limited to certain industries. "Admittedly, there are jobs that are more risky, think of management positions or healthcare workers. However, the family situation also plays a big role," he says. Mothers in partnerships with traditional roles are often exposed to a double burden, which leads to stress and thus promotes high blood pressure.

Detect and eliminate stress factors at work

As a preventive measure, it may be necessary to adjust working conditions. Safety officers play a crucial role in this process at the interface between employees and supervisors. "It is important that they do not act in a controlling manner, but listen and mediate when concerns and grievances arise," explains Hosbach.

For example, safety officers can help to identify stress-triggering factors in the workplace and encourage supervisors to eliminate them. They can also encourage colleagues to exercise more. After all, exercise is good for you: "Studies have shown that daily exercise can significantly reduce elevated blood pressure. Just ten minutes of moderate physical activity a day is enough to reduce the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease as a result of hypertension by almost two-thirds," says Hosbach.

Occupational health care detects diseases at an early stage

Employers are obliged to protect the health of their employees. This also includes preventive occupational medicine. In this way, illnesses can be detected at an early stage and thus usually treated more effectively. In cooperation with company physicians, a company can also find out how to make workplaces, working hours and break arrangements healthier.

Last but not least, successful health protection requires companies to recognize that their most valuable asset is their employees. "Companies can do a lot by providing healthy food in the canteen, relaxing breaks, sensible digitization of work steps or suggestions for physical activity," says Hosbach. However, it is clear that those affected must also contribute something themselves. A company cannot prescribe a healthy lifestyle for its employees, for example without alcohol and cigarettes - it can only motivate them to do so.

How to reduce stress in the workplace

• Reduce noise
• Improve lighting
• Eliminate sources of danger that place a high burden on employees, e.g. at workplaces with a high risk of assault
• Adhere to working and break times
• If workload is too heavy, seek discussion with supervisors

(Source: This article originally appeared in the 1/2022 issue of "Das Magazin für Sicherheitsbeauftragte" published by Raufeld Medien AG)