Sources of information

• You may not need to start the needs assessment from scratch. Your workplace may already hold useful information that can be used to avoid duplication and save time. For example, personnel officers, health and safety advisors, trade union reps, training officers, occupational health advisors, catering managers, and social/sports club secretaries may hold, or be able to access existing records and information. Again it is important to safeguard confidentiality of employee records and information.
• For analysing and using the information, simple databases and spreadsheet packages are the most efficient way to analyse data collected. The analysis will pull out the priority issues, which can inform future health promotion programmes.
• Health at Work can provide advice at all stages of needs assessment - from developing the tools and methodology, to analysing the information and planning a programme of work. (click to go to contacts form)