Health Equity and the Future of Occupational Safety and Health: Towards a Biopsychosocial Approach

Details

• Personal Author:
  Flynn MA
• Description:
  Introduction: Occupational safety and health (OSH) has evolved into a largely technical field focused on identifying and eliminating physical, chemical, and biological hazards found in the workplace. Central to this approach has been an understanding of cause and effect rooted in the biomedical model of health. Changes to work, the workforce, and our understanding of the relationship between work and health highlight the need to expand and complement this reductionist model by finding ways of accounting for the social, political, and economic interactions that contribute to or detract from worker wellbeing. Material and Methods: For the past five years the NIOSH Occupational Health Equity (OHE) program has turned its analytical gaze on OSH institutions and research practices to identify effective ways of integrating a biosocial approach to OSH. Results: This resulted in a three-pronged OHE strategic plan to 1) promote health equity focused research, 2) ensure that NIOSH research is inclusive of the diversity in the workforce, and 3) promote the recognition of work as a fundamental determinant of health inequities. Implementation of this strategic plan has allowed NIOSH to better account for the social structures that circumscribe OSH as field and how these social structures contribute to the inequitable distribution of work-related benefits and risks across the population. Conclusions: This presentation discusses health equity as a central component of the shift to a biopsychosocial approach and the implications and opportunities this paradigm shift offers OSH professionals, researchers, and institutions. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Economics Healthcare Disparities Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Diversity Economic Analysis Health Disparities Occupational Health Equity Occupational Safety And Health Psychosocial Factors Worker Health
• ISSN:
  2093-7911
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Abstract or Summary
• Place as Subject:
  Ohio ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DSI - Division of Science Integration
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  13
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20066394
• Citation:
  Saf Health Work 2022 Jan; 13(Suppl):S198-S199
• Contact Point Address:
  Michael A. Flynn, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Division of Science Integration, Cincinnati, United States Of America
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2022
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Source Full Name:
  Safety and Health at Work
• Supplement:
  Suppl
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:23a6ad1a44702497dd95e6ed159e049d020c48c292fbe2c7e29f076e5665d9b867a32bc0ffe7587e2bde95d7cf00012291efc2d6db0b26da38984000c9acaf10
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/212844/cdc_212844_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 51.82 KB ]