FOOD AND ACTIVITY ENVIRONMENTS

ENACT STRATEGY: Ample Water
Provide water to drink; have clean sources of tap water and/or working water fountains.

A healthy food and activity environment includes safe sources of water to drink. The health benefits of water are far-reaching: from weight loss to cancer prevention. In a healthcare setting, both employees and visitors alike benefit from access to a clean water source. Providing water to visitors may be of particular importance due to the unknown circumstance of their visit. For healthcare workers, drinking water can cut down on mild dehydration and increase employee health and productivity.

Characteristics of a succesful plan to incorporate clean drinking water into a healthcare setting:

• Provide a water cooler, bottled water, and/or a water fountain for all employees and visitors to use;
• When offering drinks at meetings also offer water;
• Allow employees to keep glasses of water on their desks;
• Encourage visitors and employees to carry water bottles.

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Model Policies

UK Workplace Regulations

The United Kingdom passed legislation titled The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 (PDF), which covers a wide range of basic health, safety and welfare issues and applies to most work environments. The Statutory Instrument of these laws details the requirements and specific policy language to incorporate drinking water into workplace policy, but they can also be applied to a healthcare setting.

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