Institute of Sports Science

BGM vital - Service centre for addressee-oriented occupational health management in SME

The project "BGM vital" is an interdisciplinary joint project sponsored by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). The joint project falls within the field of implementation research on occupational health management (OHM) in small and medium-sized enterprises (SME). The aim is to provide SME with sustainable support in the area of OHM through an addressee-oriented and diversity-sensitive service centre.

The free service point with all its offers can be reached here: https://bgmvital.de.

The use of the service centre is intended to facilitate the introduction of occupational health management and its health-oriented continuation. Employers and employees receive scientifically supported information on occupational health management as well as valuable tips and advice on how to improve health in the company. Findings from research on occupational health literacy are made available in an addressee-oriented manner. Interested employers and employees can obtain an assessment of their individual work-related resource profile, as well as general tips and measures for better health in the company, directly on the website. More information on occupational health literacy and work-related resource profiles (German only).

Background

In order to actively maintain and promote health in working life, measures are bundled in occupational health management. The aim is to reduce burdens and strengthen resources. Small and medium-sized enterprises are often left alone when it comes to health promotion.

The focus of the project is on supporting SME. Through the development of diversity-sensitive strategies in occupational health management, companies are supported in setting up a health-promoting organisation.

Goal and approach

The aim of the joint project is a scientifically sound support concept in the form of a web-based OHM service centre. Various services will be developed, such as

  • a questionnaire for assessing occupational health literacy and subsequently deriving work-related resource profiles,
  • a potential identifier for assessing the need for occupational health management and a checklist as an important aid,
  • an interactive game on workplace hazards,
  • links and contacts for further challenges in OHM.

For this purpose, project partners from different areas, including occupational medicine, media science and sports science, work closely together with companies. A service centre developed in an interdisciplinary exchange takes diversity-sensitive differences into account.

The participating companies help to gain insights into the specific needs of employees and to take socio-demographic influences into account. One focus of the subproject of the Institute of Sports Science is the identification of individual profiles of occupational health literacy and health of employees (so-called resource profiles). Through this characterisation of different groups of people, targeted strategies for occupational health management can be derived.