Union of Security Employees launches new customised health programme for healthier and more productive security officers

A new customised health programme is now available for security officers who wish to assess their current health status and seek advice on how to better manage their health. The six-month pilot programme, ‘Secure Your Health’, which started on 23 November 2015, is a collaboration between the Union of Security Employees (USE) and Health Promotion Board (HPB). National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) Secretary-General Chan Chun Sing was the Special Guest for the official launch event which took place on 3 December 2015.

Due to the shift-based nature of their jobs, security officers often work long hours, with some clocking in over-time hours as a means to earn more than their basic wages. This may lead to poor lifestyle habits that may cause negative effects on their health. A USE-HPB snap poll on 50 security officers conducted in August 2014 showed that:

• They suffer from a range of health issues, such as high blood pressure (29.2 per cent), high cholesterol (29.2 per cent) and diabetes (16.7 per cent).
• In addition, 60 per cent of the security officers do not engage in regular exercise. Of those who exercise, 70 per cent do not meet the recommended 150 minutes of physical activity in a week.

Empowering Security Officers to Take Charge of Personal Health

‘Secure Your Health’ aims to empower security officers to work towards leading fitter, healthier lives so as to be better able to meet the requirements of their jobs and also to live life fully. Through the programme, security officers will be more aware of their current health status and lifestyle risks, and are equipped with resources and assistance to nudge them to form healthy habits and to manage their own health.

Mr Hareenderpal Singh, President of USE, said, “USE aims to look at effective and sustainable ways to improve all aspects of our security officers’ lives. As our efforts to enhance their jobs continue, we also want to encourage them to take charge of their personal well-being so that they can enjoy better, more meaningful lives both on and off work.”

As part of the $3 billion Action Plan on Successful Ageing announced by the Ministerial Committee on Ageing (MCA) in August 2015, the programme targets security officers who visit USE’s Customer Service Centre at Waterloo Centre every month for their Private Security Identification Card application and collection. It leverages on the facilities at the Centre to offer basic health screening and coaching, as well as consultation on health programmes that these security officers can participate in. Out of 1,200 security officers who visit USE’s Customer Service Centre every month, about 70 per cent are mature workers aged 40 and above.

Security officers who visit USE’s Customer Service Centre will receive a basic health check, such as blood pressure checks and Body Mass Index (BMI) measurements from the health coaches on site. This will be followed up with advice on how to manage their health based on the basic health check.

Security officers who require more detailed screening on their blood glucose and cholesterol levels will be registered for a more extensive session at the Centre. The individual coaching that follows will include help to set up medical appointments and personalised health advice on their lifestyle habits. The health coaches will also provide information and assistance to help eligible officers apply for the Community Health Assist Scheme (CHAS) to receive subsidies for medical care at participating General Practitioners (GP) near their homes or workplaces. 

At the end of this pilot programme in May 2016, HPB will work together with USE to review the results to determine next steps in engaging workers in the security sector on healthy living and adopting healthier practices.

Holistic Efforts to Improve Lives of Security Officers

As the voice of workers in the security industry, USE aims to make the lives of security officers better in all areas of work, live and play. In its efforts to help security officers have better jobs, the tripartite partners of the Security Tripartite Cluster (STC) first embarked on the Progressive Wage Model (PWM) to raise basic wages, skills and productivity of the security industry. USE provided valuable on-ground feedback that contributed to the five-level Command Track launched in October 2014.

The next step the union will take is to look at providing security officers with more options in their career progression:

• Specialist Track: To develop specialist competencies in non-guarding skill sets, which could incorporate security technology system integration and maintenance, executive security protection, security consultation, etc. This would appeal to professionals, managers and executives (PMEs) and fresh graduates from Polytechnics and ITEs.
• Ad-hoc Specialist/Event Track: To grow and maintain a pool of ad-hoc security officers who can perform event-based security such as crowd control, bomb screening and vehicle security checks.

Moving forward, USE will continue to represent the interests of workers in the security industry, and work closely with tripartite partners to holistically improve the workplace conditions and enhance career progression for security officers.

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