Evidence-based Strategies for Improving Occupational Safety and Health Among Teleworkers During and After the Coronavirus Pandemic

Details

• Alternative Title:
  Hum Factors
• Personal Author:
  Schall, Mark C. ; Chen, Peter
• Description:
  OBJECTIVE:
  
  To review practical, evidence-based strategies that may be implemented to promote teleworker safety, health, and well-being during and after the Coronavirus pandemic of 2019 (COVID-19).
  
  BACKGROUND:
  
  The prevalence of telework has increased due to COVID-19. The upsurge brings with it challenges, including limited face-to-face interaction with colleagues and supervisors, reduced access to ergonomics information and resources, increased social isolation, and blurred role definitions, which may adversely affect teleworker safety, health and well-being.
  
  METHOD:
  
  Evidence-based strategies for improving occupational safety, health, and well-being among teleworkers were synthesized in a narrative-based review to address common challenges associated with telework considering circumstances unique to the COVID-19 pandemic.
  
  RESULTS:
  
  Interventions aimed at increasing worker motivation to engage in safe and healthy behaviors via enhanced safety leadership, managing role boundaries to reduce occupational safety and health risks, and redesigning work to strengthen interpersonal interactions, interdependence, as well as workers’ initiation have been supported in the literature.
  
  APPLICATION:
  
  This review provides practical guidance for group-level supervisors, occupational safety and health managers, and organizational leaders responsible for promoting health and safety among employees despite challenges associated with an increase in telework.
  
  
• Keywords:
  COVID-19 Humans Leadership Management Occupational Health Pandemics Participatory Ergonomics Telework Teleworking Workplace
• Source:
  Hum Factors. 64(8):1404-1411
• Pubmed ID:
  33415997
• Pubmed Central ID:
  PMC9282942
• Document Type:
  Journal Article
• Funding:
  K01 OH011183/OH/NIOSH CDC HHSUnited States/ ; T42 OH008436/OH/NIOSH CDC HHSUnited States/ ; T42OH008436/ACL/ACL HHSUnited States/
• Volume:
  64
• Issue:
  8
• Collection(s):
  CDC Public Access
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha256:8e1875673afa4355b034b8836d7e6a8aa3e74c8172e25941c6d30e32eec51a10
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/119392/cdc_119392_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 315.49 KB ]