Editor’s note: This is a massive resource list of workplace health promotion and wellness articles, tools and resources. Consider bookmarking this page for future reference!
According to NIOSH:
“Today, emerging evidence recognizes that both work-related factors and health factors beyond the workplace jointly contribute to many health and safety problems that confront today’s workers and their families.
Traditionally, workplace health and safety programs have been compartmentalized. Health protection programs have focused squarely on safety, reducing worker exposures to risk factors arising in the work environment itself. And most workplace health promotion programs have focused exclusively on lifestyle factors off-the-job that place workers at risk.
A growing body of science supports the effectiveness of combining these efforts through workplace interventions that integrate health protection and health promotion programs.”
I think you’ll agree with me that this “emerging evidence” isn’t rocket science.
Of course we all understand this concept, but taking it from idea to execution is the difficult part.
So what is NIOSH Total Worker Health and how does it apply to your workplace? What are the benefits of health promotion? How do you get started? What are successful companies doing with respect to team member health promotion and wellness?
The questions go on and on, and we’re about to answer a lot of them, with a little help from some of our friends …
NIOSH Total Worker Health
NIOSH Total Worker Health (TWH)
Total Worker Health is a strategy integrating occupational safety and health protection with health promotion to prevent worker injury and illness and to advance health and well-being. Learn more and find related resources on this page on the CDC website.
Perspectives on Total Worker Health
Total Worker Health is based on the latest scientific research and evidence for integrating health protection and health promotion. This page is a review of the evidence-base and scientific literature on which TWH is based.
Promising Practices for Total Worker Health
Proactive companies across the United States are integrating health protection and health promotion with great success. The “Promising Practices” page on the CDC website features a new success story every month.
Take Steps to Prevent Injuries Before they Happen
Ray Gage offers practical tips on controlling your worker’s compensation world by creating a safe work environment populated by healthy team members.
Resources on Comprehensive Worker Health, Safety and Well-Being Programs
These resources provide frameworks and directions for comprehensive worker health, safety, and well-being programs. The resources discuss characteristics of comprehensive programs, including the integration of health protection and health promotion.
Subjects of Interest to Total Worker Health
From the aging workforce to tobacco cessation to workplace ergonomics, this page on the CDC website contains the subjects of interest related to Total Worker Health.
SafeWell Practice Guidelines — An Integrated Approach to Worker Health
This 188 page document contains a comprehensive set of guidelines for an integrated approach to workplace safety and heatlh.
CDC Worksite Health Scorecard
Wondering how your worksite measures up? Grade yourself with this CDC Worksite Health Scorecard.
Ergonomics and Total Worker Health
Ergonomics — Fitting the Job for Total Worker Health
Ergonomics offers several important contributions to workplace health promotion. One major contribution is that engaging your team members to improve their workstation design goes a long way to show them that you care about their health and well-being.
The Definition and Causes of Musculoskeletal Disorders
Musculoskeletal Disorders are soft tissue injuries caused by risk factors relating to the workplace and to the individual team member. Prevention requires an integrated approach to reduce all risk factors.
The Musculoskeletal Disorder Risk Spectrum
The MSD Risk Spectrum illustrates that the more risk factors present, the more likely fatigue and discomfort will develop into a musculoskeletal injury.
5 Proven Benefits of Workplace Ergonomics
Systematically making workplace improvements reduces ergonomic risk factors that lead to soft tissue injuries and disorders.
The Case for Health Promotion
What is a Healthy Employee Worth?
Dr. Wendy Lynch makes the case that a focus on medical costs alone marginalizes health as an HR issue rather than a business issue, and leads to a mindset of reducing costs rather than investing in solutions. (If you only read one article in this list of resources, read this one.)
Investing in Prevention Benefits Business and the Economy
Poor health is putting the nation’s economic security in jeopardy. The skyrocketing costs of health care pose an increasing burden on American businesses, causing some companies to send jobs to other countries where costs are lower. Research indicates that prevention has a high return on investment, helping to curb direct and indirect costs associated with poor worker health.
Benefits of Health Promotion Programs
A workplace health program that combines both individual and organizational strategies produces many benefits for team members, their families and the organization as a whole.
Companies that Focus on Health and Safety Are Better Investments, Study Suggests
According to a new study by HealthNEXT LLC, companies with a strong culture of health, safety and wellness generate higher returns for investors than other firms.
Poor Worker Health Costs U.S. Businesses Billions
Lost productivity because of poor team member health is costing the U.S. $84 billion a year, according to a Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index.
Tracking True Cost of Lost Productivity Remains a Challenge
When your team members are not at work or not engaged in their work, it has a serious effect on your company’s bottom line.
The Cost of Chronic Disease and the Need for Prevention
Treatment for people with chronic conditions account for more than 75 percent of the more than $2.5 trillion spent on annual U.S. medical care costs. Obesity is a significant health care cost driver – in 2008, about $147 billion of medical bills were weight-related.
The Hidden Cost of Poor Health
Learn how to measure (and recover) productivity in the workplace with this PowerPoint presentation by Dr. Debra Lerner.
Leading by Example – The Value of Worksite Health Promotion to Small and Medium Sized Employers
This report from Prevention.org outlines the value of worksite health promotion and highlights the CEOs of companies who are leading by example in this area.
Study – The Heavier the Employees, the Heftier the Health Care Costs
A NIOSH-supported study in the journal Obesity suggests that health care costs rise in tandem with body-mass measurements.
Health Promotion and Wellness Success Stories
Promoting Global Workplace Health – 13 Companies that Get It
This report identifies eight critical success factors for organizations implementing global health promotion, based on the major commonalities uncovered among the 13 participating companies: Chevron, Dow Chemical, DuPont, Eaton, Goldman Sachs, IBM, Intel, John Deere, Johnson & Johnson, MOL Group, Novartis, Novo Nordisk and Scania.
A High Performance Manufacturing Organization Achieves a Culture of Health
Learn how Lincoln Industries has been able to significantly lower injury rates, improve their wellness statistics, and positively impact their bottom line.
Cianbro’s Journey to Create a Wellness Culture
This WELCOA case study features Cianbro and outlines the steps they took to create a wellness culture and the things they learned along the way.
Meredith Corporation Shares the Secrets to Its Wellness Program Success
Learn how Meredith Corporation was able to achieve huge success with its award-winning wellness program which has been featured in The New York Times, Forbes Magazine and Fortune Magazine.
WELCOA Self-Care Case Study
This case study outlines how to build an effective medical self-care program in three simple phases.
Health Promotion and Wellness Program Ideas
101 Ways to Wellness
Need inspiration and ideas for your wellness program? Here is a list of 101 ways to wellness in categories from nutrition and weight management to stress management.
Activity Based Wellness vs. Results Based Wellness
Is your wellness program centered on random activities or carefully planned in a cohesive, results-oriented way? As you might imagine, a results-oriented approach is a better return on your investment.
Worksite Wellness Implementation Guide
The Wellness Implementation Guide from WellSteps offers a practical and concise path to getting started with workplace wellness.
Workplace Wellness Checklist to Change
Check out this interactive, 27-point checklist to change offered by WellSteps to see how what steps your organization needs to take to change the wellness culture.
The Plan to Change Worksheet
Applying evidence-based strategies can alter the increasing cost of health care but it takes planning. “Plan to Change” will help you create a blue print to change the health culture of your company.
Additional Health Promotion and Wellness Resources
- Building Wellness from the Inside Out
- WELCOA’s Seven Benchmarks
- WellSteps Webinars
- Free Injury Prevention and Wellness Handouts
- Ergonomics Plus Resource Center
Thank you!
If you’re still reading this, thanks for sticking it out to the end of the post. I know there is an overwhelming amount of information here — you might consider bookmarking this page for future reference. Hope it helps!
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