Total Worker Health® Program

Key points

  • The NIOSH Total Worker Health Program focuses on ensuring that work is safe and enhances workers' health and well-being.
  • The program seeks to improve the well-being of the U.S. workforce through Total Worker Health approaches.
blue letters spelling total worker health

Purpose

NIOSH was created by the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970. The act mandates "to assure so far as possible every man and woman in the Nation safe and healthful working conditions." Keeping workers safe is the foundation of the Total Worker Health approach.

The Total Worker Health program seeks to amplify NIOSH's mission to transfer knowledge into practice. The program informs work design to prioritize safety and improve physical and psychological outcomes. This work includes an active role in the:

Program priorities

Future of work

NIOSH's Future of Work Initiative applies Total Worker Health principles, encouraging collaboration across the spectrum of organizational policies, programs, and practices. The program aims to identify new workplace solutions, practical approaches, and partnership opportunities.

Healthy work design and well-being

The NIOSH Healthy Work Design and Well-Being Program promotes evidence-based, comprehensive approaches to advance worker well-being, including Total Worker Health. The Total Worker Health approach emphasizes the fundamental role of high-quality work and healthy work design for safer, healthier workers.

Keep Reading: National Occupational Research Agenda: Healthy Work Design

Measuring worker well-being

The NIOSH Worker Well-Being Questionnaire (WellBQ) was developed to assess and measure worker well-being. The WellBQ can help identify opportunities for advancing worker well-being through workplace policies, programs, and practices.

Mental health in the workplace

Mental health is a crucial part of worker well-being. NIOSH aims to increase awareness of this connection and provide systems-level resources to ensure psychosocially safe and healthy workplaces.

Keep Reading: Impact Wellbeing Campaign

Outreach, education, and training

Regional networks and partnerships help disseminate and implement programs, policies, and practices throughout workplaces. They also provide Total Worker Health education and training. Developing new and strengthening existing partnerships and collaborations is a priority.

Substance use disorders in the workplace

Substance use can be an occupational and personal risk factor for worker injury and illness. NIOSH developed a framework to address the opioid crisis in the workplace using Total Worker Health principles. The framework informs solutions about opioids in the workplace and workplace supported recovery.

Timeline

The program originates from an earlier initiative, Steps to a Healthier U.S. Workforce, and the NIOSH WorkLife program. NIOSH developed and modeled the program after the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services initiative. In 2011, NIOSH renamed "WorkLife" to the Total Worker Health® Program.

The historical development of the concept and field of Total Worker Health are described in the Edited Volume: Total Worker Health. The program continues to evolve to address the wide range of factors that influence workers.

See Also: The NIOSH Total Worker Health Program: The Third Decade

Get involved

The program routinely collaborates with partners to ensure that organizations address the safety, health, and well-being of their workers. Examples of these partnerships include the Centers of Excellence for Total Worker Health and the NIOSH Total Worker Health Affiliate Program. Beyond formal relationships, the program welcomes collaborators to help advance worker well-being through various activities.

Contacts

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Content Source:
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health