Approaches that accelerate research to practice: lessons learned from NIOSH Total Worker Health Centers.

Details

• Personal Author:
  Rohlman D
• Description:
  As the burden of occupational injury, illness, cost, and productivity grows for employees and employers, research is need to identify more effective solutions and to translate these research findings into practice. The economic burden of occupational injuries, illness, and death in the US is estimated to at $250 billion including both direct and indirect costs (Leigh, 2011). Healthcare costs have been increasing at rates far above inflation, and these costs will only continue to rise. The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) launched the Total Worker Health® (TWH) program in 2011 (Schill and Chosewood, 2013) to expand traditional occupational safety and health programs to include the promotion of health and well-being among workers. This approach is based on the recognition that work is a social determinate of health. Aspects of work, such as chemical exposures, hours, wages, stress, work demands and schedule, interactions with co-workers and supervisors, and equipment design can impact the well-being of workers, families, and communities. The program supports research and outreach activities addressing conditions of work that impact the safety, health, and well-being of workers. TWH programs, policies and practices address the underlying causes that impact the health and safety of workers (Schill & Chosewood, 2013). Moreover, these programs in larger organizations have demonstrated a return on investment between $2.05 and $4.61 per $1 invested (Bertera, 1990; Keuhl et al., 2013). More broadly, workplaces benefit from value on investment, including impacts on absenteeism, presenteeism, morale, and work satisfaction. NIOSH has funded six Centers of Excellence for Total Worker Health to conduct basic and applied research, evaluate integrated interventions, and to identify evidence-based practices for employers. This work is carried out through collaborations with employers and other stakeholders. Proposed outcomes for the TWH program range from the dissemination and awareness of TWH research findings, the translation of TWH research into practice, and the development of TWH workplace policies and practices implemented in various employment settings, with the ultimate goal of improving worker safety, health and well-being which can lead to improved productivity and reduced healthcare costs. Each NIOSH Center of Excellence for TWH is required to conduct outreach and education activities to disseminate research findings and increase awareness of the benefits of workplaces that support and promote safety, health, and well-being. The key focus of the outreach core in each Center is to establish partnerships with regional and state organizations, including industry, labor, trade associations, professional organizations, public health, and academia to translate research into practice and also to better understand the needs and concerns of stakeholders. The TWH Centers also provide education to graduate and professional students, health and safety professionals, human resource specialists, and workers in a variety of synchronous and asynchronous formats. Employers of all sizes and across all industry sectors, including non-traditional work environments are impacted by outreach efforts from the NIOSH Centers of Excellence. This interactive panel will provide an overview of the outreach activities of each NIOSH Center of Excellence for Total Worker Health. Specifically, the centers will describe how they support and promote the implementation and adoption of best practices, programs, and policies that promote worker safety, health, and well-being. This will include a description of partnerships and collaborations with researchers and practitioners and how they are responding to regional needs for worker safety and health. Information about the development of communication tools and interventions that are culturally, linguistically, and educationally appropriate for their audience. In addition, each Center will discuss evaluation metrics, including process and outcome measures, that are used to determine the efficiency and effectiveness of their program. This panel will provide an opportunity to address the conference theme of "What does the future hold?" in regards to leveraging the safety, health and well-being of all workers and the aspects of work that contribute to organizational effectiveness. The outreach cores in the NIOSH funded TWH Centers play a pivotal role in helping employers navigate the rapidly changing workforce needs. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Health Promotion Occupational Health Safety Workplace
• Keywords:
  TWH; Total Worker Health; Translational research; Health promotion; Partnership; Work environment; Work organization; Worker safety
• Publisher:
  American Psychological Association
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Abstract or Summary
• Place as Subject:
  Iowa ; OSHA Region 7
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  230-231
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20065896
• Citation:
  Work, Stress and Health 2019, November 6-9, 2019, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association, 2019 Nov; :230-231
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2020
• NORA Priority Area:
  Construction ; Services
• Performing Organization:
  University of Iowa
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20060901
• Source Full Name:
  Work, Stress and Health 2019, November 6-9, 2019, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• End Date:
  20260831
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:4f190d42dc6a0c8995fcfec4b2ee569dfa564e5b96b99019f2ffe51b0ffd37649d4612a53e48765dcdf6877582851697b0bdf8a0eef12834e3c54fe8fdb05bd0
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/248529/cdc_248529_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 121.04 KB ]