Protecting and Promoting the Total Health of Workers: Keys to a Healthier, Safer and More Engaged Workforce

This presentation introduces participants to the new NIOSH Total Worker Health program, an expansion and reinvention of the former NIOSH WorkLife initiative. Total Worker Health at NIOSH is a research-to-practice effort that illustrates evidence-based concepts, policies, and interventions that integrate traditional occupational health and worker protection programs with proven, innovative health promotion and wellness interventions. This presentation will challenge the audience to build opportunities for health into every aspect of the workday and in every workplace. Participants will explore the impact of work organization and stress on the health of employees, with emphasis on emerging research related to the need for enhanced flexibility and autonomy. A discussion on the demographic challenges facing employers in promoting health and building a wellness culture will also be included. Highlights include: a description of the essential elements of successful worksite health and wellness programs; case studies of powerful policy and built environment levers; and real-life examples of promising, integrated worker protection and health promotion programs. Concepts of culture-building, novel strategies for engaging workers, and mechanisms to permanently sustain programs will be elucidated. We will also review recently released worksite health intervention reviews from CDC's Guide to Community Preventive Services, examining the growing evidence base for proven work-based prevention interventions shown to be successful at improving health and provide good value return on such investments. Finally, participants will be provided with credible resources for further action from NIOSH, CDC and other credible sources, ideally suited to launch or improve effective worker protection and wellness programs.