Union Pacific Railroad has established a world-class integrated health, productivity and safety management program which has achieved widespread recognition as a best practice. The company has developed a unique Occupational Health Psychology Program. To support its initiatives, program champions developed a “health index” report card that provides feedback to managers related to their support of health and safety efforts at the railroad. This unique scoreboard/report card system provides key health metrics to managers at each major company site. Senior management at Union Pacific clearly articulates the value of health to employees and external audiences. The company has introduced aggressive environmental interventions aimed at reducing accidents at the workplace and improving employee health, e.g., stairways in buildings are accessible and well lit, an expanded smoking policy that includes not hiring smokers, and nutrition policies that mandate offering 50% healthy food choices in vending machines and cafeterias. Management chooses its food vendor based on the vendor’s ability to provide healthy food choices.
Program Description
Narrative Description of Program
Union Pacific Railroad has established a world-class integrated health, productivity and safety management program which has achieved widespread recognition as a best practice. The company has developed a unique Occupational Health Psychology Program. To support its initiatives, program champions developed a “health index” report card that provides feedback to managers related to their support of health and safety efforts at the railroad. This unique scoreboard/report card system provides key health metrics to managers at each major company site. Senior management at Union Pacific clearly articulates the value of health to employees and external audiences. The company has introduced aggressive environmental interventions aimed at reducing accidents at the workplace and improving employee health, e.g., stairways in buildings are accessible and well lit, an expanded smoking policy that includes not hiring smokers, and nutrition policies that mandate offering 50% healthy food choices in vending machines and cafeterias. Management chooses its food vendor based on the vendor’s ability to provide healthy food choices.
Program managers are constantly innovating. Incentives for participation in the program are provided through the company’s consumer driven health plans. Consequently, the program achieves very high participation rates in programs (for example, 66% participation rates in HRAs). Union Pacific management forces communication among health, safety and productivity vendors and promotes integration of services across these external suppliers, e.g., disease management, nurse line and health promotion. The company pays for preventive screenings at 100%. Program champions have developed creative reports and analyses that support a business case for maintaining and growing their program. These analyses include data that link overweight of employees to safety concerns.
Contact Summary
| General Information | |
|---|---|
| Program Name | Project Health Track |
| Company Name and Address | Union Pacific Railroad1400 Douglas St, Mail Stop 0320Omaha, Nebraska 68179 |
| Contact Person | Marcy Zauha |
| Program Information | |
| Program Category | Worksite-based |
| Year begun | 1987 |
| Total number of individual participants | 30,541 over the years |
| Number of currently actively enrolled | 11,000 |
| Access to Program | Primarily employees while encouraging spouse participation in most program offerings |
| Program targeted at Healthy People 2000 and/or Healthy People 2010 goals | Yes - 2/4 |
| Program goals (in priority order) | (1) Continue lifestyle related health care claims. (2) Enhance employee productivity. (3) Improve employer relations. (4) Decrease injuries and absenteeism. |
Evaluation Documentation
Critique
The following are verbatim remarks made by the reviewers:
A
- Large, functioning, 4th application, 3 Koop Awards previously
- Health, safety, productivity
- Strong corporate support
- Lifestyle claims trending down
- Cost avoidance of 53.6 million huge
- Integrated with CDAP
- Good regional scorecards
- Since 1987
B
- Excellent integration of health and safety programs
- Developed a “health index” report card – providing feedback to managers on their support of health and safety initiatives.
- Continuously apply for and achieve national recognition as best practice.
- Senior management clearly articulates the value of health.
- Constantly innovating.
- Adapt the best practices of others to their own worksite.
- Provide incentives for participation in health promoting programs through CDHPs.
- 66% participation rates in HRAs.
- Force communication/integration among their vendors.
- Pay for preventive screenings at 100%.
- Provide DM, nurse line, and other health management programs.
- Introduced new programs directed at smoking cessation, biometric measure controls, Know Your Numbers,…
- Initiate research projects with pharmaceutical partners.
- Unique scoreboard/report cards systems by site.
- Creative use of data to support business cases.
- Well designed and well-organized report/presentation.
- Aggressive environmental interventions, e.g., expanded smoking policies – not hiring smokers, nutrition programs include offering 50% healthy food choices in vending machines and cafeterias
- Link overweight of employees to safety concerns.
- State of the art fitness center
- Stairways accessible and well lit
- Choose food vendor based on healthy food offerings
- Unique Occupational Health Psychology Program
C
- Conflict
D
- Their program just gets better and better. From internal integration to data warehouses, they seem to be doing it all.
- Their strategy for involving management by way of the health index is excellent. Very few have come this far. Coverage under the plan for prevention is 100%, Zyban and nicotine replacement is covered at 100% and on it goes.
- They have implemented a consumer driven health plan and also provide $100 into the healthcare reimbursement account for not smoking and doing the HRA. Vendors are held responsible to integrate, avoid duplication and coordinate communications
- They have successfully received grant money; do not charge employees for any program; have been widely recognized for their work—what more to say.
E
- Conflict
F
- High Participation
- Worksite based
- Great results
- Good Documentation
- Impressive expansion plan for Fatigue and Depression. Very important for public safety