The importance of health and wellbeing at work has been celebrated at an annual awards event.
The Better Health At Work Awards (BHAWA) is an initiative across the North East and Cumbria and the largest of its kind in England.
Established in 2009 and open to all employers across the region, the BHAWA encourages employers to focus on the health needs of their staff.
That includes promoting positive mental health and wellbeing within the workforce, promoting healthier food choices and providing guidance on reducing alcohol use and stopping smoking.
More than 30,000 staff are directly engaged in BHAWA across the South Tees area.
Throughout the regions, more than 550 employers have signed up to the scheme, bringing benefits for more than 240,000 employees, while nearly 7,000 trained health advocates maintain awareness in workplaces.
This year’s awards were presented to 15 workplaces at a special celebration event at Middlesbrough Town Hall by Middlesbrough Mayor Chris Cooke and Councillor Alec Brown, leader of Redcar & Cleveland Council.
Awards are made at five levels: Bronze, Silver, Gold, Continuing Excellence and Maintaining Excellence with each level taking 12-18 months to complete.
Mayor Cooke said: “It’s all too easy to take the health of employees and staff for granted, but they’re an invaluable resource that we neglect at our peril.
“For too long this region has suffered from below-average life expectancy rates and high long-term sickness and disability figures.
“Quite simply people who are healthier and happier work better, longer and smarter, and that’s a benefit not just to their employer but to the community as a whole.
“These awards are deserved recognition of businesses and employers who’ve been engaging with this approach for a number of years, and whose efforts have improved and even saved lives.”
Councillor Alec Brown, Leader of Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council, said: “Workers deserve to be fully supported with their health as they work hard to serve residents and their employers.
“The healthier and happier they are the better our communities are served.
“I would like to thank and congratulate everyone involved in doing such fantastic work promoting health and wellbeing of our workforce across the region.”
Any employer or workplace can find out more about the Better Health At Work Awards by clicking here to visit its website.