Duke University Workplace Health Study   Obese Employees Weigh Heavily on Bottom Line says Duke University Research  “Maintaining healthy weight should be of strong interest not only to workers, but also to their employers and to the workers’ compensation system.” Important Points: ·          Study of over 11,000 employees shows a linear relationship between weight and workers compensation claim rates ·          Previous studies have shown obese workers have up to 21% higher health care costs ·          Heaviest employees filed twice as many workers comp. claims and missed 13 times as many workdays as those with normal weight Statistics: Study included 11,000 employees of Duke University Health System and averaged three years follow up. Rate of Workers Comp Claims per 100 full time employees: Recommended weight employees had 5.8 claims per 100 full-time workers. For obese class I employees, that figure climbed to 8.81 and it doubled to 11.65 for obese class III workers. The study found a similar trend in lost workdays and insurance costs: Lost workdays for recommended weight employees equaled about 14 days per 100 employees. For Obese class I employees the rate rose five fold to about 75 lost days. For Obese class III employees the figure was 13 times higher at 183 lost days. Medical Claim Costs were $7,503.00 per 100 recommended weight workers. For Obese class I employees that figure more than doubled to $19,661.00 For Obese class III employees that figure increased seven fold to $51,091.00 Indemnity Claim Costs per 100 full time employees: Indemnity claim costs were about $5,396.00 per 100 recommended weight employees. That figure more than doubled to $23,633 for Obese class I workers and rose to $59,178 for Obese class III workers (a staggering 11 fold increase). Weight Categories were determined by the following classifications: BMI Classification Under 18.5 Underweight 18.5 - 24.9 Recommended weight 25 - 29.9 Overweight 30 - 34.9 Obese I 35 - 39.9 Obese II 40 + Obese III ACTION POINTS: ·          Employers should promote and encourage organized wellness activities within the work place by offering a qualified wellness program through TSC Corporate Wellness that focuses on physical activity and healthy eating habits. ·          This study further supports the link between obesity and a variety of health risks.