Perspectives of Occupational Safety and Health Professionals on Total Worker Health® Competencies: A Three-Paper Dissertation

Details

• Personal Author:
  Nobrega SM
• Description:
  Occupational safety and health (OSH) practice is transitioning from a regulatory compliance focus to a more expansive paradigm called Total Worker Health® that holistically addresses worker safety, health, and well-being. New competencies are required but little empirical evidence is available to guide the design of in Total Worker Health (TWH) training curricula. This study was motivated by the need to understand what competencies should be addressed in TWH education and whether interprofessional education (IPE) would align well with OSH professionals' learning needs. Three papers, together, addressed these questions. This study used a descriptive, exploratory design involving mixed methods. Data were collected from a national sample of multi-disciplinary OSH professionals. All participants completed an anonymous online survey to assess levels of TWH education, experience, skill, and IPE readiness. Survey participants were invited to a virtual focus group if they reported intermediate or higher TWH experience. Focus group participants shared their direct experiences with competencies and barriers relevant to five specific TWH practices, as well as motivators and barriers for IPE. The first paper assessed OSH professionals' self-reported skills for specific TWH practices using a new 11-item scale. Two TWH competency constructs were identified through exploratory factor analysis: 1) Program Leadership, and 2) Risk Assessment and Control. Professionals reported greater competency gaps for the leadership domain than risk assessment and control. Advanced career stage and TWH education were associated with higher TWH skill. OSH discipline, organization size, and collaborative climate were not correlated with TWH skill level. Overall low levels of TWH education were observed, even among some professionals implementing TWH practices. The second paper explored the real-world TWH experiences of OSH professionals regarding competencies and barriers for five specific TWH practices. Communication and collaboration skills were relevant for most TWH practices. However, competency needs varied by TWH practice, suggesting a need for targeted curricula. OSH and TWH concepts were identified as foundational. TWH risk assessment and hazard control practices required specialized knowledge of instruments, evaluation methods, and interventions related to psychosocial risks and mental health outcomes. Organizational barriers were the numerous and included: culture (lack of trust, top-down), competing priorities, cost/time, lack of leader TWH knowledge and buy-in. These may be useful to include in problem-based learning scenarios. The third paper examined attitudes about IPE for TWH continuing education. Participants strongly endorsed IPE as beneficial to facilitate TWH workplace collaboration; learn different perspectives and best practices from people of diverse backgrounds; and develop "common ground" across disciplines. Using case studies for collaborative problem-solving was suggested as an effective tool for achieving IPE goals. Overall, the findings suggest that much wider access to TWH education is needed to keep pace with practitioner TWH adoption. Introducing TWH concepts early in OSH training can set the stage for practical learning later. This study contributes empirical evidence to advance a tailored curricula and competency framework for TWH practice. Accomplishing the latter is urgent for ensuring that TWH curricula are standardized to support consistent TWH practice across industrial settings. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Education Occupational Health Safety Staff Development
• Keywords:
  Curriculum Development Occupational Health Programs Occupational Safety Programs Total Worker Health Training TWH
• Publisher:
  University of Massachusetts Lowell
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Dissertation
• Place as Subject:
  Connecticut ; Massachusetts ; OSHA Region 1
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1-259
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20068692
• Citation:
  Lowell, MA: University of Massachusetts Lowell, 2023 May; :1-259
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2023
• NORA Priority Area:
  Services
• Performing Organization:
  University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20210901
• Source Full Name:
  Perspectives of occupational safety and health professionals on Total Worker Health® competencies: a three-paper dissertation
• End Date:
  20260831
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:06c42be2a73fac242d10d34f8ed01720e833b62a247c993f95c37303e18197cc5277fae86a93befe34e339356fd03b852ef2c3bf3dcb4af2f6621ff311af5eb7
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/207282/cdc_207282_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 2.09 MB ]