diff --git a/bin/docker-entrypoint b/bin/docker-entrypoint
index d88266fa2d..b9d1dc9025 100755
--- a/bin/docker-entrypoint
+++ b/bin/docker-entrypoint
@@ -23,15 +23,17 @@ dev_scheduler() {
 }
 
 worker() {
-  echo "Starting RQ worker..."
+  WORKERS_COUNT=${WORKERS_COUNT:-2}
+  echo "Starting $WORKERS_COUNT RQ workers for queues $QUEUES..."
 
-  exec /app/manage.py rq worker $QUEUES
+  exec /app/manage.py rq workers $WORKERS_COUNT $QUEUES
 }
 
 dev_worker() {
-  echo "Starting dev RQ worker..."
+  WORKERS_COUNT=${WORKERS_COUNT:-2}
+  echo "Starting $WORKERS_COUNT dev RQ workers for queues: $QUEUES..."
 
-  exec watchmedo auto-restart --directory=./redash/ --pattern=*.py --recursive -- ./manage.py rq worker $QUEUES
+  exec watchmedo auto-restart --directory=./redash/ --pattern=*.py --recursive -- ./manage.py rq workers $WORKERS_COUNT $QUEUES
 }
 
 dev_celery_worker() {
diff --git a/redash/cli/rq.py b/redash/cli/rq.py
index 357f7cfd2d..4fd9215003 100644
--- a/redash/cli/rq.py
+++ b/redash/cli/rq.py
@@ -3,9 +3,11 @@
 import sys
 import datetime
 
+from honcho.manager import Manager
 from click import argument
 from flask.cli import AppGroup
 from rq import Connection, Worker
+from sqlalchemy.orm import configure_mappers
 
 from redash import rq_redis_connection
 from redash.schedule import rq_scheduler, schedule_periodic_jobs
@@ -19,9 +21,27 @@ def scheduler():
     rq_scheduler.run()
 
 
+@manager.command()
+@argument('workers_count')
+@argument('queues', nargs=-1)
+def workers(workers_count=1, queues='default'):
+    m = Manager()
+    for i in range(int(workers_count)):
+        cmd = './manage.py rq worker {}'.format(" ".join(queues))
+        m.add_process('worker #{}'.format(i+1), cmd)
+
+    m.loop()
+    sys.exit(m.returncode)
+
+
 @manager.command()
 @argument('queues', nargs=-1)
 def worker(queues='default'):
+    # Configure any SQLAlchemy mappers loaded until now so that the mapping configuration 
+    # will already be available to the forked work horses and they won't need 
+    # to spend valuable time re-doing that on every fork.
+    configure_mappers()
+
     if not queues:
         queues = ('default',)
     with Connection(rq_redis_connection):
@@ -35,9 +55,32 @@ def healthcheck():
     with Connection(rq_redis_connection):
         all_workers = Worker.all()
 
-        local_workers = [w for w in all_workers if w.hostname == hostname]
+        local_workers = [w for w in all_workers if w.hostname.decode() == hostname]
+        row_format ="{:>10}" * (len(local_workers) + 1)
+
+        print("Local worker PIDs:")
+        local_worker_pids = set([w.pid for w in local_workers])
+        print(row_format.format("", *local_worker_pids))
+
+        print("Time since seen:")
         heartbeats = [w.last_heartbeat for w in local_workers]
         time_since_seen = [datetime.datetime.utcnow() - hb for hb in heartbeats]
-        active = [t.seconds < 60 for t in time_since_seen]
+        print(row_format.format("", *[t.seconds for t in time_since_seen]))
+        seen_lately = [t.seconds < 60 for t in time_since_seen]
+
+        print("State:")
+        states = [w.state for w in local_workers]
+        print(row_format.format("", *states))
+        busy = [s == "busy" for s in states]
+
+        print("Jobs in queues:")
+        jobs_in_queues = [sum([len(q.jobs) for q in w.queues]) for w in local_workers]
+        print(row_format.format("", *jobs_in_queues))
+        has_nothing_to_do = [j == 0 for j in jobs_in_queues]
+
+        print("Healty:")
+        # a healthy worker is either busy, has been seen lately or has nothing to do
+        healthy = [any(w) for w in zip(busy, seen_lately, has_nothing_to_do)]
+        print(row_format.format("", *healthy))
 
-        sys.exit(int(not all(active)))
+        sys.exit(int(not all(healthy)))
diff --git a/requirements.txt b/requirements.txt
index 771c2e5c60..3fa3b0d1d9 100644
--- a/requirements.txt
+++ b/requirements.txt
@@ -59,6 +59,7 @@ chromelogger==0.4.3
 pypd==1.1.0
 disposable-email-domains>=0.0.52
 gevent==1.4.0
+honcho==1.0.1
 # Install the dependencies of the bin/bundle-extensions script here.
 # It has its own requirements file to simplify the frontend client build process
 -r requirements_bundles.txt