SGS Celebrates World Health Day

The World Health Organization (WHO) will use the day to focus global attention on the urgent actions that are needed to keep people and our planet healthy and foster a movement to create societies focused on wellbeing.

Health and Wellbeing at SGS

Here at SGS, we are working to enable a better, safer and more interconnected world. We protect the safety of our employees by promoting a culture of care with initiatives to enhance their physical and mental wellbeing. This includes providing preventative health measures, such as vaccines, and mental and physical health programs focused on awareness, support and resilience. We support work-life balance by offering flexible working arrangements in many of the countries in which we operate.

We recognize that our operations can impact the health of our workforce. We continuously monitor employee health to ensure early detection of ill health caused by exposure to harmful health risks, including noise, dust, chemicals and thermal and musculoskeletal stressors, and to assist in the management of and recovery from any resulting illness.

As part of our commitment to sustainability, we make UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3, “Good Heath and Wellbeing”, a priority.

Virgin Pulse GO

Virgin Pulse GO is one of many of our initiatives to promote physical wellbeing among SGS employees. Teams of up to seven take virtual journeys around the world. Participants travel virtually to destinations like the Taj Mahal or the Great Barrier Reef, their movement forward based on the number of steps their team members take in real life. They also receive valuable information on subjects like eating healthy, reducing stress and being tobacco-free. In 2021, a total of 1,023 colleagues from 16 countries took part.

Air Sampling

Air pollution is known to cause many health problems including, but not limited to, cancers and respiratory and cardiac diseases. Air sampling helps to protect human health by determining which airborne contaminants are present in an environment. A variety of special instruments are used to detect contaminants, such as gases, vapors, dusts and fibers, in the air.

We carry out air sampling throughout SGS – in our offices and laboratories, and at chemical manufacturing plants, construction sites and mining operation  –  wherever we operate or have staff working on behalf of clients. This allows us to ensure that the air in our workplaces and our environments meets regulatory standards and helps us to assess the possibility of employee exposure to airborne hazards. We provide several types of air sampling:

• Indoor air quality (IAQ) sampling – IAQ refers to the air quality within and around buildings. It affects the health and well being of the building’s occupants. Poor IAQ is associated with reduced productivity and sick building syndrome
• Static sampling – using samples of air from the ambient environment. It is particularly useful for locating the source of a contaminant
• Personal air sampling – the air one person interacts with is sampled. Often, a worker puts on wearable sampling equipment, then continues on with their typical workday as the equipment captures a representative sample of particles

About SGS

We are SGS – the world’s leading testing, inspection and certification company. We are recognized as the global benchmark for quality and integrity. Our 96,000 employees operate a network of 2,600 offices and laboratories, working together to enable a better, safer and more interconnected world.