The social value of Participatory Ergonomics from a practitioner’s perspective

2020 ◽  
Vol 64 (1) ◽  
pp. 919-923
Author(s):  
Kátia M. Costa-Black ◽  
Chris Arteberry
Keyword(s):  
Human Performance ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Participatory Approach ◽  
Performance Outcomes ◽  
Participatory Ergonomics ◽  
Worker Health ◽  
Healthy Working ◽  
The Social ◽  
Health And Well Being ◽  
Total Worker Health

Ergonomics applies a set of ambitious frameworks and robust body of evidence for integrating different practices to optimize worker health and well-being. One recognized framework is the participatory approach, which delves into sociotechnical workplace actions – developed from the ground up – to achieve improved human performance outcomes and acceptability across the organization. Much of what is known about the value of participatory ergonomics centers on return-on-investment analyses related to injury prevention. Outside this spectrum, little has been discussed. This paper imparts how a participatory approach can lead to various positive impacts beyond financial gains, mainly by focusing on continuous improvements at the management systems level and on proactively motivating people and organizations to embrace healthy working conditions and behaviors. Issues such as the social-ethical value of involving workers in work design and return-to-work solutions are discussed to illustrate the holistic value of participatory ergonomics in the context of Total Worker Health.

Building Capacity for Integrated Occupational Safety, Health, and Well-Being Initiatives Using Guidelines for Total Worker Health® Approaches

2021 ◽  
Vol Publish Ahead of Print ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicolaas P. Pronk ◽  
Deborah L. McLellan ◽  
Jack T. Dennerlein ◽  
Paul Anderson ◽  
Melissa Karapanos ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Occupational Safety ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Building Capacity ◽  
Worker Health ◽  
Health And Well Being ◽  
Total Worker Health

scholarly journals Advancing Well-Being Through Total Worker Health®

2017 ◽  
Vol 65 (4) ◽  
pp. 158-163 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anita L. Schill
Keyword(s):  
Well Being ◽  
Health Hazards ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Worker Health ◽  
Illness Prevention ◽  
Safety And Health ◽  
Paradigm Shifting ◽  
Health And Well Being ◽  
Total Worker Health

Total Worker Health® (TWH) is a paradigm-shifting approach to safety, health, and well-being in the workplace. It is defined as policies, programs, and practices that integrate protection from work-related safety and health hazards with promotion of injury and illness prevention efforts to advance worker well-being. The most current TWH concepts are presented, including a description of issues relevant to TWH and introduction of a hierarchy of controls applied to TWH. Total Worker Health advocates for a foundation of safety and health through which work can contribute to higher levels of well-being.

scholarly journals Total worker health® is the future of worker safety, health, and well-being

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
S Tamers
Keyword(s):  
Occupational Safety ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Occupational Safety And Health ◽  
Worker Safety ◽  
Future Of Work ◽  
Worker Health ◽  
Safety And Health ◽  
The Future ◽  
Health And Well Being ◽  
Total Worker Health

Abstract The future of work is being shaped by rapid changes in the workplace, work, and workforce. Driven by advances in industry, this movement is marked by the accelerated pace of developments connecting people, places, and things. All these advances and developments have implications for worker safety, health, and well-being and require innovative occupational safety and health strategies. Because of these new realities, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) recently launched the Future of Work (FOW) Initiative. This Initiative is a collaborative effort of multidisciplinary research, communication, and partnerships throughout NIOSH, other agencies, and organizations that aims to identify novel research solutions, practical approaches, and partnership opportunities to address the future of work. To more broadly address worker safety, health, and well-being, the FOW Initiative applies the Total Worker Health® (TWH) framework. TWH is defined as policies, programs, and practices that integrate protection from work-related safety and health hazards with promotion of injury and illness prevention efforts to advance worker well-being. The TWH approach prioritizes changes to improve physical, organizational, and psychosocial factors that present possible risks in the work environment for today's and tomorrow's workforce. This presentation will first introduce CDC/NIOSH's FOW Initiative. Next, the TWH integrated approach will be defined and described. Centering on CDC/NIOSH's future of work priority topics in the areas of workplace (organizational design, technological displacement, work arrangements), work (artificial intelligence, robotics, technologies), and workforce (demographics, economic security, skills), the presenter will then provide evidence-based solutions to address future of work issues and related outcomes, using the TWH approach. Key messages The future of work has world-wide implications for the workplace, work, workforce. The Total Worker Health framework is a transdisciplinary approach by which to view and address the future of work. Public health professionals and other stakeholders must take a proactive approach to address worker safety, health, and well-being issues impacted by the future of work.

scholarly journals Total Worker Health® 2014–2018: The Novel Approach to Worker Safety, Health, and Well-Being Evolves

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 321 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara Tamers ◽  
L. Chosewood ◽  
Adele Childress ◽  
Heidi Hudson ◽  
Jeannie Nigam ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Occupational Safety ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Worker Safety ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Worker Health ◽  
Novel Approach ◽  
Safety And Health ◽  
Building Information ◽  
Health And Well Being ◽  
Total Worker Health

Background: The objective of this article is to provide an overview of and update on the Office for Total Worker Health® (TWH) program of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (CDC/NIOSH). Methods: This article describes the evolution of the TWH program from 2014 to 2018 and future steps and directions. Results: The TWH framework is defined as policies, programs, and practices that integrate protection from work-related safety and health hazards with promotion of injury and illness prevention efforts to advance worker well-being. Conclusions: The CDC/NIOSH TWH program continues to evolve in order to respond to demands for research, practice, policy, and capacity building information and solutions to the safety, health, and well-being challenges that workers and their employers face.

scholarly journals International Total Worker Health: Applicability to Agribusiness in Latin America

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (5) ◽  
pp. 2252
Author(s):  
Diana Jaramillo ◽  
Lyndsay Krisher ◽  
Natalie V. Schwatka ◽  
Liliana Tenney ◽  
Gwenith G. Fisher ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Latin America ◽  
Latin American ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Workplace Safety ◽  
Adaptation Strategy ◽  
Worker Health ◽  
Policies And Programs ◽  
Health And Well Being ◽  
Total Worker Health

Total Worker Health® (TWH) is a framework for integrating worker and workplace safety, health, and well-being, which has achieved success in European and US settings. However, the framework has not been implemented in Latin America or in agricultural sectors, leaving large and vulnerable populations underrepresented in the implementation and evaluation of these strategies to improve safety and promote health and well-being. This study presents a case study of how a TWH approach can be applied to a multinational Latin American agribusiness. We describe the process and adaptation strategy for conducting a TWH assessment at multiple organizational levels and in multiple countries. We follow this with a description of a TWH leadership training that was conducted based on the results of the assessment. Finally, we describe our methods to make corporate recommendations for TWH policies and programs that were informed by the TWH assessment and leadership trainings. With this case study we aim to demonstrate the importance and feasibility of conducting TWH in Latin America.

scholarly journals Employer Preparedness: A Total Worker Health Conceptual Framework and Model

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cora Roelofs
Keyword(s):  
Occupational Safety ◽  
Planning Process ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Self Assessment ◽  
Worker Health ◽  
Safety And Health ◽  
The Face ◽  
Health And Well Being ◽  
Total Worker Health

Background: Recent disasters have demonstrated gaps in employers’ preparedness to protect employees and promote their well-being in the face of emergencies and disasters affecting the workplace and their communities. Total Worker Health (TWH), a comprehensive perspective developed by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, is a helpful framework for addressing employer preparedness. It includes attention to health and safety at work, and the promotion of the health and well-being of the employee in the context of social determinants of health, such as work-life balance. Methods: TWH concepts, including the domains of TWH and the TWH Hierarchy of Controls, were investigated for their relevance to protecting employees and promoting their well-being during and after crises such as weather disasters, pandemics, and acts of terrorism. Building upon TWH concepts, an employer preparedness framework and model is proposed. Findings: The Model emphasizes upstream prevention, workplace-community linkages, social and economic impacts, and employer leadership through a cyclical planning process. Conclusions/Application to Practice: The Model can assist employers in advancing their preparedness for all hazards through self-assessment and planning agendas based upon the proposed domains.

scholarly journals An Integrative Total Worker Health Framework for Keeping Workers Safe and Healthy During the COVID-19 Pandemic

2020 ◽  
Vol 62 (5) ◽  
pp. 689-696 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jack T. Dennerlein ◽  
Lisa Burke ◽  
Erika L. Sabbath ◽  
Jessica A. R. Williams ◽  
Susan E. Peters ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Infection Control ◽  
Work Environment ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Worker Safety ◽  
Worker Health ◽  
Safety And Health ◽  
Key Characteristics ◽  
Health And Well Being ◽  
Total Worker Health ◽  
Psychological Demands

Objective The aim was to recommend an integrated Total Worker Health (TWH) approach which embraces core human factors and ergonomic principles, supporting worker safety, health, and well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic. Background COVID-19 has resulted in unprecedented challenges to workplace safety and health for workers and managers in essential businesses, including healthcare workers, grocery stores, delivery services, warehouses, and distribution centers. Essential workers need protection, accurate information, and a supportive work environment with an unwavering focus on effective infection control. Method The investigators reviewed emerging workplace recommendations for reducing workers’ exposures to the novel coronavirus and the challenges to workers in protecting their health. Using a theoretical framework and guidelines for integrating safety and health management systems into an organization for TWH, the investigators adapted the framework’s key characteristics to meet the specific worker safety and health issues for effective infection control, providing supports for increasing psychological demands while ensuring a safe work environment. Results The recommended approach includes six key characteristics: focusing on working conditions for infection control and supportive environments for increased psychological demands; utilizing participatory approaches involving workers in identifying daily challenges and unique solutions; employing comprehensive and collaborative efforts to increase system efficiencies; committing as leaders to supporting workers through action and communications; adhering to ethical and legal standards; and using data to guide actions and evaluate progress. Conclusion Applying an integrative TWH approach for worker safety, health, and well-being provides a framework to help managers systematically organize and protect themselves, essential workers, and the public during the COVID-19 pandemic. Application By using the systems approach provided by the six implementation characteristics, employers of essential workers can organize their own efforts to improve system performance and worker well-being during these unprecedented times.

scholarly journals Answering a Call to Action on American Workplace and Community Opioid Concerns

2021 ◽  
pp. 104829112110375
Author(s):  
Peter Harnett ◽  
John Hindman ◽  
Melissa Duenas ◽  
Michael Coogan ◽  
Heather Misicko
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Community Outreach ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Opioid Overdose ◽  
Opioid Use ◽  
Call To Action ◽  
Worker Health ◽  
Opioid Use Disorders ◽  
Health And Well Being ◽  
Total Worker Health

Leidos, Inc. is a large government science and technology company. When a Leidos employee lost his son to an opioid overdose, he wrote an impassioned email to the CEO, asking him to take action related to the growing societal problem of opioid use disorders. The CEO understood and accepted this important call to action. Leidos’ subsequent efforts included supporting employees and families, as well as community outreach, eventually broadening to include mental health and well-being. This paper outlines the company’s efforts to combat opioid use disorders, understanding that they sit within a larger total worker health umbrella inclusive of mental health and well-being. The hope is that this ongoing journey and its exemplars are helpful for other organizations seeking to make an impact for their employees and society.

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