A5: Getting Started With a Total Worker Health® Approach

Greater Columbus Convention Center 

Room: A 113 

CM Credit Hours: 1 

Taking a TWH approach can seem overwhelming. What is a Total Worker Health® approach and how do I get started? A Total Worker Health® (TWH) approach expands the traditional occupational safety and health practices in several ways. First, it considers worker well-being in addition to their health and safety, acknowledging factors such as stress, chronic diseases, and the ability to work and live well into older age. Second, a TWH approach acknowledges that workplace safety and health risks are influenced by multiple factors on and off the job (e.g., environment, social conditions, and personal health behaviors). And third, the defining elements of a TWH approach include leadership commitment, eliminating health and safety hazards, worker engagement, protecting privacy, and integrating systems that advance worker well-being. TWH can serve as a future-ready model providing a holistic, integrated approach for consideration in geographies outside of the U.S. and across sectors. This session aims to: a) introduce TWH; b) present case studies; c) provide TWH practices for implementing a TWH approach in an organization; d) highlight discussions with organizations worldwide; and offer opportunities for meaningful partnerships to advance worker safety, health, and well-being.

Upon completion, the participant will be able to:

• Recognize the rationale for TWH practices in the workplace.
• Discuss the elements of a Total Worker Health® program.
• Provide examples of how a TWH approach can be used in an OSH program.
• Identify practical, feasible action steps for implementation of TWH practices.
• Describe the commit-plan-do-check-act cycle for continuous improvement.
• Examine resources to support the implementation of a TWH approach.
• Organize discussions around the value of a TWH approach. 

Intermediate

Q&A

Quiz

Corporation/Company

All Industries

Total Worker Health®

Available as part of AIHA CONNECT OnDemand

Changing Workplaces, Workforce, and Work Arrangements

Management/Leadership