scholarly journals Workplace Health in Kentucky: A Statewide Comparison

Author(s):  
Gretchen Macy ◽  
Jacqueline Basham ◽  
Cecilia Watkins ◽  
Vijay Golla

The objectives of this study were to assess the state of Kentucky’s workplace health promotion and occupational safety and health programs, to ensure the ability to comprehend any possible trends over the past six years in the state’s progress in offering workplace health promotion and health protection programs, to compare the results of this survey with the 2013 Kentucky state-wide assessment, and to identify gaps in Kentucky’s workplace health promotion and occupational safety and health based on Total Worker Health® (TWH) concepts. Using Qualtrics research software, the Workplace Health in America assessment was sent to companies located in Kentucky and having 10 or more employees. Participants were identified using Dun and Bradstreet’s Hoover’s database. The results showed that, as with the 2013 survey, larger workplaces significantly were more likely to offer workplace health promotion programs than smaller companies (X2 = 24.30; p < 0.001). However, more companies (78%) reported offering programs compared to the 2013 assessment (49%). Given the results of the current study as compared to the statewide assessment conducted in 2013, Kentucky’s WHP is moving in a positive direction; yet, there is still much to be done. There remains a strong need to provide cost-effective and accessible resources for all elements of TWH to small workplaces.

2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (5) ◽  
pp. 652-665 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura A. Linnan ◽  
Laurie Cluff ◽  
Jason E. Lang ◽  
Michael Penne ◽  
Maija S. Leff

Purpose: To provide a nationally representative snapshot of workplace health promotion (WHP) and protection practices among United States worksites. Design: Cross-sectional, self-report Workplace Health in America (WHA) Survey between November 2016 and September 2017. Setting: National. Participants: Random sample of US worksites with ≥10 employees, stratified by region, size, and North American Industrial Classification System sector. Measures: Workplace health promotion programs, program administration, evidence-based strategies, health screenings, disease management, incentives, work–life policies, implementation barriers, and occupational safety and health (OSH). Analysis: Descriptive statistics, t tests, and logistic regression. Results: Among eligible worksites, 10.1% (n = 3109) responded, 2843 retained in final sample, and 46.1% offered some type of WHP program. The proportion of comparable worksites with comprehensive programs (as defined in Healthy People 2010) rose from 6.9% in 2004 to 17.1% in 2017 ( P < .001). Occupational safety and health programs were more prevalent than WHP programs, and 83.5% of all worksites had an individual responsible for employee safety, while only 72.2% of those with a WHP program had an individual responsible for it. Smaller worksites were less likely than larger to offer most programs. Conclusion: The prevalence of WHP programs has increased but remains low across most health programs; few worksites have comprehensive programs. Smaller worksites have persistent deficits and require targeted approaches; integrated OSH and WHP efforts may help. Ongoing monitoring using the WHA Survey benchmarks OSH and WHP in US worksites, updates estimates from previous surveys, and identifies gaps in research and practice.


2020 ◽  
Vol 64 (3) ◽  
pp. 223-235 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Punnett ◽  
Jennifer M Cavallari ◽  
Robert A Henning ◽  
Suzanne Nobrega ◽  
Alicia G Dugan ◽  
...  

Abstract The effects of work and the conditions of employment on health behaviors and intermediate health conditions have been demonstrated, to the extent that these relationships should be addressed in efforts to prevent chronic disease. However, conventional health promotion practice generally focuses on personal risk factors and individual behavior change. In an effort to find solutions to the myriad of health challenges faced by the American workforce, the U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) established the Total Worker Health® (TWH) program. Originally organized around the paradigm of integrating traditional occupational safety and health protections with workplace health promotion, TWH has evolved to a broader emphasis on workplace programs for enhancing worker safety, health, and well-being. Among the research programs and approaches developed by investigators at NIOSH Centers of Excellence for TWH and elsewhere, definitions of ‘integration’ in workplace interventions vary widely. There is no consensus about which organizational or individual outcomes are the most salient, how much to emphasize organizational contexts of work, or which program elements are necessary in order to qualify as ‘Total Worker Health’. Agreement about the dimensions of integration would facilitate comparison of programs and interventions which are self-defined as TWH, although diverse in content. The specific criteria needed to define integration should be unique to that concept—i.e. distinct from and additive to conventional criteria for predicting or evaluating the success of a workplace health program. We propose a set of four TWH-specific metrics for integrated interventions that address both program content and process: (i) coordination and interaction of workplace programs across domains; (ii) assessment of both work and non-work exposures; (iii) emphasis on interventions to make the workplace more health-promoting; and (iv) participatory engagement of workers in pivotal ways during intervention prioritization and planning to develop self-efficacy in addressing root causes, skill transfer, building program ownership, empowerment, and continuous improvement. Thus we find that integration requires organizational change, both to engage two managerial functions with different goals, legal responsibilities, and (often) internal incentives & resources, and also to orient the organization toward salutogenesis. Examples from research activity within the Center for the Promotion of Health in the New England Workplace illustrate how these criteria have been applied in practice.


ON A WINTRY DAY LAST DECEMBER, nearly 20 years to the day after the nation's lawmakers approved the Occupational Safety and Health Act that aimed to substantially curb the injury, illness and death that are an everyday fact of life in America's workplaces, New Solutions convened a panel of invited guests at the Institute for Policy Studies in Washington, D.C., to gauge just how far we have come. Earlier, in the premiere issue of New Solutions, we had run Charles Noble's analysis of “OSHA at 20.” It gave us starting points for a searching discussion of workplace health and safety in this country from the many perspectives that were represented by our panelists (see box, page 65). All of the opinions and comments made during the discussion represent the participants' own viewpoints and are in no way a reflection of the opinions or views of the agencies or organizations with which they are associated. We asked panelists Charles Noble and Richard Pfeffer to begin the discussion with their analyses of the problems. The talk went on for hours, all of it captured on tape. Insights were plentiful; frustrations were obvious; the suggestions, many. Here is Part 1 of a two-part edited transcript of the Roundtable on OSHA, the agency that is 20 years old this April, and the OSH Act which established it. Part 2 will run in an upcoming issue of this journal. We invite you to join the controversy with your letters and longer comments.


Author(s):  
Michael B. Lax

The occupational safety and health movement has been transformed from a struggle emphasizing workplace democracy to a de-politicized technical debate. Professionals involved in occupational safety and health (OSH) are continuously urged to keep “politics” out of their work. However, “politics,” defined as the participation in knowledge production and decision-making that profoundly affects working life, is inherent to the work of OSH professionals. These professionals function within specified roles largely created and shaped to meet the needs of the corporate class. In this context, there is a need for professionals who are explicitly allied to workers struggling for health and safety. However, there are powerful constraints to the development of this alliance, including professionals’ need for jobs, job security, and credibility. Additionally, many professionals seeking an alliance with workers remain under the sway of hegemonic myths that limit their ability to function as worker allies. These myths include non-recognition of class power and its effects on workplace health, a view of OSH as purely a technical issue, and a failure to recognize how OSH knowledge is shaped by its political/economic context. Ideas for developing an alternative praxis are offered.


Author(s):  
Jodi Sugerman-Brozan ◽  

The Massachusetts Coalition for Occupational Safety and Health (MassCOSH) developed workplace health and safety recommendations for Phase 2 of the Massachusetts plans to reopen the economy as the spread of SARS-CoV-2 novel coronavirus was reduced in the state. The governor’s plan included minimal measures for workplace health and safety protections during this pandemic. The MassCOSH recommendations are presented in this document.


Work ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 52 (1) ◽  
pp. 169-176 ◽  
Author(s):  
Candace C. Nelson ◽  
Jennifer D. Allen ◽  
Deborah McLellan ◽  
Nico Pronk ◽  
Kia L. Davis

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tanti - Winarti ◽  
Banowati - Talim

Occupational safety and health is an effort to provide safety assurance and improve the health of workers by prevention of occupational accidents and diseases, hazards in the workplace, health promotion, treatment and rehabilitation. Hospitals have a variety of potential hazards, therefore Hospital is required to implement safety and health efforts through the implementation of safety and health management work carried out in an integrated and comprehensive. Employee participation is an important factor in improving safety and health performance.This study aims to determine and analyze the extent of the influence of employee participation on the performance of occupational safety and health of Hospital Santo Borromeus. This type of research is a survey study, supported by the spread of questionnaires as a means of data collection. The research method used is a mix method with descriptive analysis technique. Other research data were obtained from interviews, observations, and document studies. This study was restricted to the Laboratory unit and the Central Sterilization Supply Department (CSSD) unit of Santo Borromeus Hospital. The results showed that employee participation has a significant influence on the performance of occupational safety and health of Santo Borromeus Hospital with total influence of 31.2%. And based on the result of correlation analysis, the type of work accident has a significant influence on job position, this is proved by significance value <0,05. Keywords:Employee Participation, Occupational Health and Safety Hospital, Occupational Types


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