Working together to make prevention even better

Promoting health in working life: this target and the complex demands of today’s working environment call for cooperation and concerted action. This is the point of view of the German government, too. For this reason the separate systems of statutory health and accident insurance funds are obliged to work together on the prevention of work-related health risks. This requirement for cooperative work is being realized in the Initiative for Health and Work (“Initiative Gesundheit und Arbeit”, iga). 

• The Federal Association of Company Health Insurance Funds (BKK Bundesverband),
• the Federal Association of Local Health Insurance Funds (AOK-Bundesverband), 
• Association of Substitute Health Funds (Verband der Ersatzkassen - vdek) and 
• the German Statutory Accident Insurance (Deutsche Gesetzliche Unfallversicherung - DGUV)

work together on prevention and occupational health promotion.

iga sees itself as a provider of stimuli for statutory health insurance funds, institutions for statutory accident insurance and prevention and other actors in workplace prevention. Existing methods and findings are put into practice and prevention approaches developed across the sectorial boundaries between different social security agencies.

For healthy employees and competitive enterprises

This cooperation works to the advantage of employees and companies since the activities are always aimed at the workers’ health and safety. It is their health and with it their resources and their capabilities that are to be strengthened. After all, the productivity and cost-efficiency of companies and organizations is enhanced by less time off due to accident and illness as well as by consulting workers on ways to optimize the organization of work. In this way, prevention and health promotion support the competitiveness of companies.

Solutions for well-known and current problems

iga develops solutions in specific projects and provides stimuli in the following five main areas:

• Prevention aims and objectives
• Changes in the sphere of work
• Healthy work
• Effectiveness of prevention and
• Networking and exchange of information