NIOSH highlights Total Worker Health initiative
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is highlighting its Total Worker Health™ (TWH™) initiative to effectively address health promotion and protection in the workplace.
The program was developed as a strategy to integrate occupational safety and health protection into health promotion to ultimately prevent worker injury and illness. It was created in response to the rapidly aging American workforce, which is being hit by epidemic levels of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, depression, arthritis, and other conditions.
"NIOSH believes that the safest and healthiest worker only evolves in an atmosphere where management is fully engaged in the wellbeing of its staff, where the environment is hazard-free and supportive, and where workplace policies and interventions encourage healthier choices," the Institute noted.
Some of the issues relevant to TWH™ include, persistent and emerging hazards, health, productivity, and disability management, and promoting a health and wellness culture. NIOSH is finding a strong connection between the work environment and the overall health and safety of workers. The TWH™ program intends to identify and support approaches to reduce workplace hazards.