Total Worker Health Exclusive

Office for Total Worker Health Leads NIOSH Future of Work Initiative

Today’s innovations in technology, digital transformation, and globalization are shaping new ways of designing and accomplishing work. Workers and employers struggle for personal, professional, and economic sustainability in this ever-changing economy. The population is aging and the incidence of chronic health problems among workers is on the rise. Many workers face greater cognitive demands and less job security, and often they have limited control over how, when, and where they work.

In response to demands posed by these innovations, we see the creation of new forms of work and work arrangements (for example, the gig economy). Workers today seek meaningful work, more flexibility and autonomy, access to on-the-job learning, and a sense of stability. Collectively these forces present new, complex, and competing challenges for workers, employers, and societies around the globe. They also have a significant effect on the overall safety, health, and well-being of workers and, in turn, can influence worker productivity and employers’ efficiency and profitability. Therefore, in order to prepare organizations, workers, and society with the necessary resources to protect and promote worker safety, health, and well-being, it is important to characterize these challenges within the context of modern work.

To address this task, NIOSH has developed the Future of Work Initiative and is framing it on the basis of the multidisciplinary Total Worker Health approach. The initiative promotes worker well-being by encouraging collaboration across the spectrum of organizational policies, programs, and practices that have an effect on the safety and health of workers, their families, communities, employers, and society. The new initiative provides a broad, overarching structure through which programs across NIOSH and beyond can work together to conduct research and develop solutions to the changing nature of work. Visit the new FOW webpage for more information.

Total Worker Health Featured at Upcoming Conference

This fall, together with the American Psychological Association and the Society for Occupational Health Psychology, NIOSH will co-host Work, Stress and Health 2019: What Does the Future Hold? The conference will be held November 6–9 at the Philadelphia 201 Hotel. It will feature presentations from our NIOSH TWH team, researchers from each of the six Centers of Excellence for TWH, and other partners. The bi-annual conference attracts professionals from a range of disciplines, such as safety and health, psychology, public health, occupational medicine, industrial hygiene, labor relations, and management. NIOSH Director Dr. John Howard will be joining this cross-disciplinary event as a speaker and will be signing copies of the newly published book Total Worker Health.

This year the conference is turning its attention to emerging issues and the workplace of the future, to consider how organizations can support and promote the well-being and productivity of workers even as the world copes with changing economic, political, environmental, and social landscapes. Attendees will consider how to design work to best utilize the skills of a changing workforce, how new work arrangements and technology are changing jobs, and how to leverage the positive aspects of work to promote safety, health, and well-being for all workers.

Presentations on TWH Implementation and Measurement

Pre-conference workshops will cover the future of worker well-being, measurement and analysis, student training, non-standard work arrangements, and safety climate and culture. Keynote addresses will explore What Will It Take for People to Stop “Dying for a Paycheck”? (Jeffrey Pfeffer) and Safety and Health at the Heart of the Future of Work (Manal Azzi). In addition, the conference features a track of TWH–related paper presentations and symposia.

On Thursday, the Organizational Readiness for TWH symposium will focus on how to assess an organization’s readiness for a TWH intervention, as well as how to engage leaders and labor in the process. How to introduce, apply, and evaluate TWH practices in small businesses will also be covered that day. In addition, a session on mental health will describe a TWH participatory approach in an intervention for correctional officers. Friday sessions will discuss a new tool for measuring worker well-being, the NIOSH Healthy Work Design and Well-being Approach, and approaches that accelerate research to practice. NIOSH TWH Centers of Excellence will share lessons learned from their research and practice. During the final day of the conference on Saturday, presenters will describe the application of TWH within specific industries.

Presentations on the Future of Work and TWH

NIOSH Total Worker Health researchers Heidi Hudson, Sara Tamers, Chia-Chia Chang, and Constance Franklin will hold a workshop on The Future of Worker Well-being and Total Worker Health. Drs. Casey Chosewood, Rene Pana-Cryan, and Naomi Swanson will present a town hall forum on NIOSH’s new research cross-sector related to Healthy Work Design and Well-being. In addition, NIOSH researchers Tom Cunningham, Paul Schulte, Rebecca Guerin, and Julianne Scholl will present a symposium on The Future of Work: Implications for Occupational Health and Worker Well-being. The six NIOSH Centers of Excellence will host Approaches that Accelerate Research to Practice: Lessons Learned from NIOSH Total Worker Health Centers and will speak on the changing nature of work. Their topics will include “Healthy Work Collaborative: Addressing Precarious Work through Social Change,” by the University of Illinois–Chicago Center for Healthy Work, and “Engaging Unions in Public Sector Workplaces through Participatory Design in Total Worker Health Interventions,” by the Center for the Promotion of Health in the New England Workplace (CPH-NEW).

For more information about the conference and to view a complete and updated program, please visit https://www.apa.org/wsh.

NIOSH Responds to the Opioid Crisis: Vital Information for Workers and Employers

Editor’s note: In this and future issues, TWH in Action! will highlight the latest research, resources, and news around the opioid crisis and work. Learn more about opioids and work by visiting the NIOSH Opioids Topic Page. If you or someone you know needs assistance with mental and/or substance use disorders, prevention, and recovery (in English or Spanish,) please contact SAMHSA’s National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357) or visit https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help.

NIOSH Employees Take Action to Address the Opioid Crisis in their Communities

Of the eight NIOSH office sites in the United States, four are located in the most-challenged five states for opioid-use disorder. NIOSH locations in Ohio, West Virginia, and Washington, D.C., represent especially hard-hit areas. Knowing this, HealthiestNIOSH, the internal safety, health, and well-being program for NIOSH employees, saw an opportunity to expand the reach of NIOSH’s opioid crisis response efforts locally. HealthiestNIOSH program coordinators Kellie Pierson and Constance Franklin wanted to both inform NIOSH employees and give them skills for helping out in their communities during an emergency.

In June, HealthiestNIOSH and Hamilton County Public Health partnered to lead their first Opioid Awareness Seminar at NIOSH Cincinnati. The seminar was available to all NIOSH employees virtually, and local NIOSH employees could attend in person. The seminar began with an overview of the opioid crisis and concluded with a Naloxone Safe User Training for in-person attendees. Employees who participated in the Naloxone Safe User Training received hands-on instruction for safe administration of naloxone and received a free naloxone kit from NIOSH’s partner as part of the NARCAN ^® Distribution Collaborative.

HealthiestNIOSH and Hamilton County Public Health held a second seminar and training at NIOSH Cincinnati last month. More than 100 NIOSH employees attended the first two Opioid Awareness Seminars, and nearly 40 NIOSH employees participated in the Naloxone Safe User Trainings.

HealthiestNIOSH looks forward to continuing and expanding its efforts at other NIOSH locations throughout the country, beginning this month at NIOSH Washington, D.C.

To learn more about using naloxone to reverse opioid overdose in the workplace, visit here.

For more information on opioids in the workplace, visit the NIOSH Opioids Topic page.

Update from June’s TWH in Action! Opioid Feature, “What Workers’ Compensation Data Tells Us About the Opioid Epidemic”

In July, NIOSH convened Advancing Workers’ Compensation Research to Prevent and Treat Worker Opioid Use Disorders, a daylong meeting of more than 40 national experts, stakeholders, and working professionals in the field of workers’ compensation service delivery and research. The event was held on the NIOSH campus in Cincinnati. Experts shared the most up-to-date knowledge on the correlates of opioid prescribing and use in the worker injury and illness settings and their relationships to types of work, working conditions, and other employment-related issues. Find out more about the important work of the NIOSH Center for Workers’ Compensation Studies by visiting www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/workercomp/cwcs.

Updates from the NIOSH Office for Total Worker Health

2019 NIOSH Total Worker Health Affiliates Colloquium

During the 2019 NIOSH Total Worker Health^® Affiliates Colloquium, July 31^st and August 1^st, NIOSH recognized three Affiliates:

• The Laborers’ Health & Safety Fund of North America, represented by Jamie Becker, for championing stronger workers’ voices and ownership of workplace policies, practices, and programs related to worker well-being.
• The SAIF Corporation, one of the earliest TWH Affiliates and the leading non-profit workers’ compensation organization in Oregon. SAIF is now part of a statewide alliance with Oregon OSHA and the Oregon Healthy Workforce Center, a TWH Center of Excellence, all collaborating to advance TWH.
• The Gillings School of Public Health at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, which convened a landmark workshop in 2017 to identify core competencies for TWH professionals of the future, a critical effort to support the launch of many TWH certificate and degree programs across the nation.

NIOSH also recognized the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for exemplary service and hospitality in hosting the 2019 NIOSH Total Worker Health^® Affiliates Colloquium at its Washington, D.C., headquarters.

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Updates from the NIOSH Centers of Excellence for Total Worker Health

Center for Health, Work & Environment

The Center for Health, Work & Environment is working with partners to create a new professional organization dedicated to advancing the field of Total Worker Health. They would like your feedback on membership benefits and interest in participating in a TWH professional association. They invite you to complete a brief survey. Your responses will be kept confidential. Thank you in advance for your help.

Colorado Governor proclaims August 15, 2019, Total Worker Health^® Day: On August 15^th, the state of Colorado celebrated the newly minted Total Worker Health Day, announced by Governor Jared Polis. Health Links™, a nonprofit program in the Center for Health, Work & Environment (CHWE), celebrated the day by recognizing some of Colorado’s healthiest and safest employers.

Through a new partnership with Early Matters Greater Austin in Texas, CHWE is providing employers with an online survey to benchmark best practices for supporting employees and work-life integration through all stages of life, including caregiving for children and older adults, based on the Family-Friendly Workplace initiative. Learn more.

CHWE also collaborated with the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade to implement a new statewide strategy for engaging employers to improve public health through nature-based recreation. Learn more here.

In international Total Worker Health: CHWE continues to work with partners in Central America to implement new TWH programs in the agriculture industry, such as conducting an evaluation of TWH culture across five countries, multiple work settings, and job functions. Its team will be conducting leadership trainings this fall, based on findings and recommendations. Read the latest research.

New trainings available from CHWE are (1) Suicide in the Workplace, a 1-hour online course on how to recognize the warning signs and risk factors of suicide in the workplace and how to follow up on concerns appropriately; and (2) the Total Worker Health educational video series for continuing education, focusing on HealthLinks Program tenets and implementation of TWH strategies in the workplace.

Center for Work, Health, and Well-being

This fall, Center for Work, Health, and Well-being Associate Director Jack Dennerlein and others will be delivering a training entitled Work, Health, and Wellbeing: Making the Business Case for Integrated Approaches, at Mutual de Seguridad in Chile. Similar to the trainings offered in 2017 and 2018, this course describes the components and benefits of integrated approaches that focus on the conditions of work to improve worker health, safety, and well-being in organizations by providing the fundamentals of an integrated approach; the value added from an integrated approach; and research and business cases for integrated approaches. The audience is upper-level managers, Occupational Safety and Health managers, and personnel from Mutual de Seguridad, as well as their clients, who are decision-makers in the implementation of an integrated approach.

Center for the Promotion of Health in the New England Workplace

The Center for the Promotion of Health in the New England Workplace (CPH-NEW), in collaboration with Saint Louis University and the Healthier Workforce Center of the Midwest, held the 3rd National Symposium on Corrections Worker Health on August 1 in Boston, Massachusetts. The symposium brought together 103 corrections leaders, corrections officers, practitioners, university researchers, and government representatives to discuss current research and practice to advance the health and well-being of corrections workers. View the program and presentations on the symposium website.

CPH-NEW also has announced Healthy Workplace Participatory Program 2.0, with a new Facilitator Manual and updated online toolkit page. CPH-NEW has expanded and upgraded the implementation tools for its signature Healthy Workplace Participatory Program (HWPP) Facilitator Manual. The upgrades are based on user feedback since the initial dissemination in 2014 and have been field tested. Features include (1) an updated Toolkit at a Glance; (2) new detailed guidance, Get Ready for Program Start-up; (3) new Design Team Start-up meeting guides; (4) a new Facilitation Skills Video Training Series; and (5) HWPP Facilitator Manual updates, such as an addition titled Generate Solutions Using the IDEAS Tool. CPH-NEW’s video training demonstrates how to lead high-energy, high-impact meetings. The videos are part of the HWPP Toolkit. Watch all eight videos (2–3 minutes each) in the series to bring your facilitation skills to the next level and then apply them to your work with any team.

Oregon Healthy Workforce Center

The Oregon Healthy Workforce Center (OHWC) has released Total Worker Health in Practice: Toolkit Kiosk. Designed as a one-stop online source for OHWC research products and materials, the Kiosk houses evidence-informed tools and comprehensive evidence-based toolkits from the center’s Total Worker Health projects. These include SHIP, for supervisors in any industry; PUSH, for young workers; COMPASS, for home health care workers (available through the Oregon Home Care Commission); and Be Super! for supervisors and employees in the construction industry.

University of Illinois–Chicago (UIC) Center for Healthy Work

The Center for Healthy Work launched its new website, which includes comprehensive local resources and an interactive map for workers living in the Chicagoland area. The center hosted a collaborative event titled On the Table: The Future of Work and Health at the UIC School of Public Health to provide an opportunity for its partners, UIC, and community members to come together to discuss issues that impact workers’ health. Conversations were summarized in Memos to the Mayor—a tangible way to let Chicago’s new mayor understand how work impacts the health of area communities.

News from NIOSH TWH Affiliates and Partners

Miami Occupational Research Group (MORG)

On June 10 & 11, the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center Firefighter Cancer Initiative at the University of Miami hosted its inaugural 2019 State of the Science National Firefighter Cancer Symposium. Over the two-day event, attendees learned about keynote speakers’ findings from groundbreaking research across the globe, heard testimonials from cancer survivors in the fire service, and engaged in collaborative discussions. Individuals from all industries worked together on a scientific roadmap for the control and prevention of cancer in the U.S. fire service. The live-broadcast symposium was attended by firefighters from around the world. Additional information from the Symposium, such as the keynote speaker presentations, poster presentations, and pictures from the event, can be found here.

Gallup

Gallup recently published two blog articles featuring NIOSH research. The first, titled “Your Boss Could Be Bad—or Good—for Your Heart,” is based on a NIOSH analysis of the Gallup–Sharecare Well-Being Index. The second, “Supportive Managers Relieve Job Insecurity, Boost Engagement,” features research previously published in the Journal of Workplace Behavioral Health. The latter highlights the perceived job insecurity associated with reduced engagement, which may be moderated by supervisor support.

Join us in welcoming five new NIOSH TWH Affiliates!  

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). CDC works 24/7 to protect America from health, safety and security threats, both foreign and in the U.S. To accomplish its mission, CDC conducts critical science, provides health information, and responds when threats arise. CDC supports and actively engages with its own National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health’s Total Worker Health® program. Multiple offices and divisions within CDC contribute to the safety, health, and well-being of CDC workers through a variety of programs, policies, and initiatives. Creating and maintaining a culture of worker safety, health, and well-being in a sustainable working environment serves to enhance CDC’s ability to perform its mission.

Madison County Department of Health (MCDOH). In the geographic center of New York State, the MCDOH provides public health services and programs to the county’s 73,000 residents. The mission of MCDOH is to protect and enhance the health of the community in all aspects of life, including where people live, play, and work. In 2017, MCDOH launched a Healthy Workforce Initiative in collaboration with local employers and community stakeholders. This initiative is aimed at improving the overall health and wellbeing of work-age adults, their families, and communities. NIOSH’s Total Worker Health program is foundational to the MCDOH Healthy Workforce Initiative.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Office of Marine and Aviation Operations (OMAO). There are more than twelve thousand people in the NOAA, all striving toward a common mission: to understand and predict changes in climate, weather, oceans, and coasts; share that knowledge and information with others; and conserve and manage coastal and marine ecosystems and resources. Within NOAA, the OMAO provides operational platforms and unique skill sets with a fleet of 16 ships, 9 aircraft, and over 400 divers in support of NOAA’s mission. From flying into hurricanes to sailing in rough seas around the world to diving deep beneath the ocean’s surface, OMAO’s mission is inherently demanding, stressful, and dangerous. OMAO is proud to invest in its personnel by becoming a Total Worker Health Affiliate. Its initial program focuses on Mental Health Screening and Support; Respectful Workplace Training and Victim Advocacy; Drug Testing; Substance Abuse Education; Maintenance of Operational Platforms; Job Training; integrating EEO into the TWH Initiatives; Fatigue at Sea/Crew Rest Analysis (including policy changes/education); and Individual/Family Deployment Resiliency. OMAO is committed to implementing a practical program and comprehensive culture that integrates policies, programs, and practices throughout the entire organization to protect, promote, and advance employee safety, health, and well-being.

The Center for Intelligent Environments (CENTIENTS). The mission of CENTIENTS at the University of Southern California Viterbi School of Engineering is to facilitate a broad, far-reaching conversation and research about user-centered solutions. It seeks to design, introduce, and oversee such solutions in ways that make built environments not only more supportive of personal and organizational goals but also safer, healthier, more humane, and capable of producing joy and well-being in the humans that use them. CENTIENTS supports cutting-edge research and brings together scholars, innovators, and leaders to tackle some of the most challenging questions brought about by the fast pace of technology implementation, including how intelligent environments should shape the future of work while supporting worker health, well-being, and productivity.

UTHealth—The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. The Southwest Center for Occupational and Environmental Health (SWCOEH), within the UTHealth School of Public Health, promotes the health, safety, and well-being of workers and the communities where they live. The SWCOEH has been continuously funded as a NIOSH Education and Research Center (ERC) since 1977. For more than 40 years, it has served the region and nation by conducting rigorous research, offering excellent graduate-level education, and providing exceptional professional workforce development training in occupational safety and health. The SWCOEH offers the first-ever doctoral Total Worker Health program in the U.S., housed within the Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Program of UTHealth School of Public Health. The SWCOEH continuing education program is expanding to include TWH opportunities to meet the needs of stakeholders, given the shifting paradigm for a more holistic approach to worker well-being that accounts for changes in the nature of work and the workforce.

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New Publications and Resources

From CDC and NIOSH

Availability of and Participation in Workplace Health Promotion Programs by Sociodemographic, Occupation, and Work Organization Characteristics in US Workers. Researchers at NIOSH examined how the availability of and participation in workplace health promotion programs vary based on sociodemographic, occupational, and work organization characteristics. Results indicate that employers should tailor their programs on the basis of specific work characteristics to increase participation.

Promoting Worker Well-Being through Maternal and Child Health: Breastfeeding Accommodations in the Workplace. Comprehensive corporate lactation programs have helped at least 75% of participating moms achieve 6 months or more of breastfeeding. These programs have important benefits for employers, too: reducing absenteeism, improving employee retention and morale, and lowering medical insurance claims by reducing infections among breastfeeding children and their parents.

From NIOSH Centers of Excellence for Total Worker Health

Evaluation of Heat Stress and Cumulative Incidence of Acute Kidney Injury in Sugarcane Workers in Guatemala. A new study from researchers at CHWE, published in International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health, found that hydration helps but does not prevent kidney injury in farm workers. More information here.

Health Risk Calculator: An Online, Interactive Tool to Estimate How Health Impacts Workers’ Compensation Claim Incidence and Cost. Researchers at CHWE developed a Health Risk Cost Calculator to help businesses understand the value of the health of their workforce and make the case for investing in it. The report appears in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

Health Links™ Assessment of Total Worker Health® Practices as Indicators of Organizational Behavior in Small Business. In this article published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, researchers at CHWE describe a cross-sectional assessment of the adoption of TWH policies and practices by business size. Find more information from CHWE here.

Health Links Annual Report. CHWE has released its annual report, highlighting the impact of different programs and success stories from organizations committed to Total Worker Health. Learn more about the center’s work in Colorado and internationally to implement TWH policies and practices in communities.

Sex and Gender Role Differences in Occupational Exposures and Work Outcomes Among Registered Nurses in Correctional Settings. Researchers at CPH-NEW highlight the importance of understanding occupational exposures and outcomes among male and female registered nurses in correctional settings, as related to sex and gender role differences.

Prospective Evaluation of Fidelity, Impact, and Sustainability of Participatory Workplace Health Teams in Skilled Nursing Facilities. This study from CPH-NEW researchers, published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, investigated how different organizational structures facilitate or prevent the implementation of integrated occupational safety and health programs, using a participatory method.

Claim Costs, Musculoskeletal Health, and Work Exposure in Physical Therapists, Occupational Therapists, Physical Therapist Assistants, and Occupational Therapist Assistants: A Comparison Among Long-Term Care Jobs. This study, published in Physical Therapy, illustrates the risk factors and frequency of MSDs in physical and occupational therapy personnel versus nursing staff members. Both groups appear to encounter similar MSDs due to the nature of their work in nursing homes. CPH-NEW conducted the research; see https://doi.org/10.1093/ptj/pzy137.

Working on Wellness: Protocol for a Worksite Health Promotion Capacity-Building Program for Employers. The Massachusetts Working on Wellness (WoW) program is a statewide program and model designed to increase the number of small employers adopting health promotion initiatives. This article from CPH-NEW describes the WoW program design, in addition to methods of implementation and evaluation.

Work and Health Correlates of Sleep Quantity and Quality Among Correctional Nurses.  Published in the Journal of Forensic Nursing, this report from CPH-NEW attempts to further explore the work and health correlates associated with sleep quality and quantity in nurses in the correctional environment.

The Role of Safe Patient Handling in Reducing Type II Workplace Violence in Healthcare Settings. This article in CPH News and Views demonstrates that the CPH-NEW ProCare Study, evaluating a large nursing home corporation’s Safe Resident Handling Program, had unintended effects; worker claims for “aggression” injuries reduced by about 12% following the program and for at least six years afterward.

Workplace Sexual Harassment among Low-Income Latinas (Latinas TRASH Violence at Work). As they describe in CPH News and Views, researchers designed a pilot study with the assistance of the MassCOSH Worker Center International Women’s Committee. The study involved conducting interviews with 42 immigrant Latinas regarding their experience of sexual harassment and violence in the workplace.

Improving Working Conditions to Promote Worker Safety, Health, and Wellbeing for Low-Wage Workers: The Workplace Organizational Health Study. Researchers at the Harvard Center for Work, Health and Well-being attempted to address a gap in the literature by examining organizational interventions to improve the well-being of low-wage food service workers; doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16081449.

The Workplace, Social Work, and Social Justice: Framing an Emerging Research and Practice Agenda (in press). This forthcoming article from the Harvard Center for Work, Health and Well-being calls on social work, as a discipline, to engage with the workplace, acknowledging the ways that work can impact social determinants of health. The researchers argue that protecting the health and well-being of workers naturally aligns with the social work mission.

Perceived Workplace Health and Safety Climates: Associations With Worker Outcomes and Productivity (in press). Soon to be published in American Journal of Preventive Medicine Harvard, this study investigated associations between perceived safety climates and perceived health and well-being (HWB) climates and three sets of outcomes: worker outcomes, worker health behaviors, and employer outcomes. This article has been selected by AJPM editors for 3 months of free online access as part of their program for continuing medical education for physicians who read AJPM.

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Job Burnout Among Jail Officers. Researchers from the Healthier Workforce Center of the Midwest investigated symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder among correctional officers. Results were published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

Sedentary Work and Measuring Physical Activity in Applied Sedentary Behavior Research. The Oregon Healthy Workplace Center Active Workplace Study, a randomized, controlled trial geared toward reducing sedentary behavior in call center employees, has been featured in the Society for Occupational Health Psychology newsletter.

Exploration of the Impact of Organizational Context on a Workplace Safety and Health Intervention. New research from the Oregon Healthy Workforce Center, published in Work & Stress: An International Journal of Work, Health & Organisations¸ explored the impact of the Safety and Health Improvement Program, designed to improve worker well-being by means of supervisor training.

Sustaining Sleep: Results from the Randomized, Controlled Work, Family, and Health Study. Researchers at the Oregon Healthy Workforce Center investigated sleep by using a work-family intervention over 6 and 18 months, to demonstrate the value of more rigorous sleep research in workplace interventions.

Home is Where the Mind Is: Family Interference with Work and Safety Performance in Two High-Risk Industries. Published in the Journal of Vocational Behavior, this study from the Oregon Healthy Workforce Center examined how family life might play a role in the safety behaviors of workers, which may allow for improved efforts to protect worker safety.

Supervisor Support Training Effects on Veteran Health and Work Outcomes in the Civilian Workplace. This study report recounts the creation and evaluation of a supervisor support training program in a workplace. The study confirmed that programs such as Veteran-Supportive Supervisor Training can improve the health and well-being of workers through supervisor training. This research, by the Oregon Healthy Workforce Center, was published in the Journal of Applied Psychology.

Conferences, Webinars, and Trainings in Support of NIOSH Total Worker Health

September

9^th to 12^th—Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health Executive and Continuing Professional Education is offering Ergonomics and Human Factors: Strategic Solutions for Workplace Safety and Health. This applied program brings together professionals from across industries and sectors to prevent work-related musculoskeletal disorders and improve workplace health and safety through ergonomics.  For more information, visit here.

12^th—Healthy Communities through Healthy Work will be presenting Public Health’s Role in Addressing Precarious Work and Integration of Community Health Workers, at the Illinois Public Health Association Annual Event.

19^th—Dr. Chosewood will speak at SAFETY 2019 in Denver, Colorado, presenting Stress, Fatigue, and Mental Health: Fostering a Wellness Culture to Improve Safety and Health at Work and Beyond. Read a Q&A on the topic with Dr. Chosewood here.

26^th—Organized by the Heartland Center for Occupational Health and Safety, a NIOSH Educational Research Center, and other partners, with support from the Healthier Workforce Center of the Midwest, Hawkeye on Safety is a single-day annual conference for construction managers, workers, union representatives, safety professionals, human resources professionals, wellness administrators, and others interested in improving the health, safety, and well-being of construction workers.

26^th—Dr. Chosewood will speak in Bern, Switzerland, at the Suisse Occupational Safety and Health National Congress on Applied Total Worker Health, providing an introduction of the concept to many of the nation’s safety, hygiene, medicine, ergonomics, psychology, and nursing professionals.

26^th—Chia-Chia Chang, MBA, of the NIOSH Office for TWH, will travel to Bogota, Colombia, to present at the Colombian Society of Occupational Hygienists’ Sixth National Occupational Hygiene Day, to present a primer on Total Worker Health.

October

9^th—At 1 p.m. EST, CPH-NEW will host a webinar, Introducing the NEW Healthy Workplace Participatory Program “2.0” online toolkit. View a demonstration and learn how CPH-NEW evaluated user satisfaction and implementation outcomes in the field to design features of the upgraded materials.

9^th to 11^th—Dr. Diane Rohlman will present at the Iowa State Society for Human Resource Management Conference (more information).

15^th—Center for Work, Health, and Well-being associate Jack Dennerlein will be a keynote speaker at the Healthy Workforce Conference in Hamilton, NY. He’ll be speaking about Total Worker Health to representatives of businesses, healthcare facilities, and educational institutions from Madison County, NY. Dr. Dennerlein will also present as part of the conference’s safety track.

15^th—Chia-Chia Chang, MBA, of the NIOSH Office for TWH, will present at the Healthy Workforce Conference in Madison County, NY, discussing leadership practices that can create a healthier workforce.

15^th to 16^th—The Nebraska Safety Council, an HWC partner and TWH affiliate, will hold its annual conference in York, Nebraska. Presentation topics will highlight the “Worker 360” ripple effect, an approaches to safety and wellness for the whole person.

16^th—Center for Work, Health, and Well-being associate Erika Sabbath will deliver the plenary presentation at the annual conference of the Nova Scotia CEO Health & Safety Charter, an organization promoting workplace health and safety across the province.

17^th—Dr. Diane Rohlman from the Healthier Workforce Center of the Midwest will present “Total Worker Health: What it Means to Your Bottom Line” at The Safety Council of Greater St. Louis Safety and Health Conference. AnnMarie Dale will present “A Model Ergonomics Program: Integrating Ergonomics into the Safety Management Program.”

18^th— Chia-Chia Chang, MBA, of the NIOSH Office for TWH, will attend the Tri-State Occupational Medicine Conference in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She will present on the future of work and the evolution of occupational risks in the 21^st century workplace.

30^th—While attending a Local Section Meeting of the New York City AIHA-ASSP, Chia-Chia Chang, MBA, of the NIOSH Office for TWH, will present on strategies to protect worker safety and health.

31^st—Chia-Chia Chang, MBA, of the NIOSH Office for TWH, will present on Healthy Work Design and Worker Well-being at a Mount Sinai Environmental Medicine and Public Health Seminar, in New York, NY.

November

2^nd to 6^th— Multiple NIOSH Centers of Excellence for Total Worker Health will present at The American Public Health Association Annual Meeting in Philadephia, PA. The Center for Healthy Work will present at the event in the following sessions: Maximizing the Utility of Key Informant Interviews in a CBPR Context in the Greater Lawndale Healthy Work (GLHW) Project; Impacts of Technical Assistance in a Capacity Building Process to Address Precarious Work.

6^th to 9^th—The 13^th International Conference on Occupational Stress and Health, “Work, Stress and Health 2019: What Does the Future Hold?” will be held at the Sheraton Philadelphia Downtown. Preconference workshops and opening events are planned for November 6. This conference is organized by the American Psychological Association, NIOSH, and the Society for Occupational Health Psychology.

15^th—Dr. Chosewood will speak on the Opioid Overdose Crisis and Work at the Occupational Health Psychology Fall Symposium in Portland, Oregon. This event is co-sponsored by Portland State University and Oregon Health and Science University.

Contributors

Editorial Board

L. Casey Chosewood, MD, MPH, Executive Editor

CDR Heidi Hudson, MPH, Editor-in-Chief

Sarah Mitchell, Managing Editor

Seleen Collins, Copy Editor

Steve Leonard, NIOSH Web Publisher

Please send your comments and suggestions to us at twh@cdc.gov.

This newsletter is published quarterly via email by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Total Worker Health^® Program to inform members of the public health community as well as interested members of the general public of program-related news, new publications, and updates on existing activities and initiatives.