TOTAL WORKER HEALTH™

Employer and Employee Resources

The following list of resources is provided to assist employers, employees, and practitioners with their efforts to implement and develop programs in their organizations that integrate employee health activities. In compiling this list, we confirmed a gap in "off-the-shelf" resources for creating programs that integrate occupational safety and health protection with health promotion and wellness activities. Most of the resources listed here are either for health promotion and wellness program or occupational safety and health program development. As resources that support the Total Worker Health™ program approach become available, we will add them to this list.

Integrated Approaches

The Research Compendium: The NIOSH Total Worker Health™ Program: Seminal Research Papers 2012 - … these three papers establish a scientific rationale for integrating health promotion and health protection programs to prevent worker injury and illness and to advance health and well-being.

"Essential Elements of Effective Workplace Programs and Policies for Improving Worker Health and Well-Being" is a resource by NIOSH intended as a guide for employers and employer-employee partnerships wishing to establish effective workplace programs that sustain and improve worker health.

SafeWell Practice Guidelines: An Integrated Approach to Worker Health Version 1.0 [PDF - 1.35MB]
A model and resources for comprehensive approaches to worker health that integrate and coordinate efforts to promote healthy behaviors, ensure a safe and healthy work environment, and provide resources for balancing work and life.

ACEOM Guidance Statement:
Workplace Health Protection and Promotion
A New Pathway for a Healthier—and Safer—Workforce
This article discusses the current state of workplace health, safety, and environmental programs; reviews the literature on the impact of these programs; and discusses how the integration of health protection and promotion activities can improve safety and decrease workplace injuries and illness.

General Wellness Resources

Federal Wellness Resource Guide Essential Federal Resources for Employee Wellness and Health Promotion

CDC general website for the Healthier Worksite Initiative, provides links to a variety of toolkits and resources for various worksite health programs.

Brief guidelines for establishing an "employee wellness committee", including who should be on the committee and the roles and responsibilities of the committee.

Identifies important attributes of a comprehensive worksite wellness program and includes resources for starting such programs.

Personal Empowerment Plan is a 12 week worksite health program to promote healthy eating and physical activity. Website provides some details about the program and links to outside sources with more information.

From the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, provides a Worksite Wellness Resource Toolkit to assist worksites in implementing strategies that have been proven effective.

Provides a short guide to organizing a health fair at the workplace [PDF - 56.03 KB]. Also includes a sample vendor information form to be used when organizing the health fair.

Provides a self-assessment and planning guide for organizations to identify strengths and weaknesses of their employee wellness programs. [PDF - 176.18 KB] Also includes a multifaceted guide to develop an action plan to implement a wellness program or change an existing program.

U.S. Office of Personnel Management website for Federal Worksite Wellness Resources

A public-private partnership that facilitates cooperation between national and grassroots efforts, fosters innovative actions, and connects individuals to spark a nationwide social movement to make the U.S. the healthiest nation in a healthier world.

Healthy Workforce 2010: An Essential Health Promotion Sourcebook for Employers, Large and Small. [PDF - 853.51 KB] Includes information for employers about planning a worksite health promotion program, contacts, and surveys to gauge interest in employees for starting a program.

From the North Carolina State Health Plan, provides a comprehensive collection of guidelines and ready to use materials to organize a worksite wellness committee and implement worksite wellness programs. Also includes four resource books that address healthy eating, physical activity, tobacco cessation and stress management.

An excellent resource for businesses to find case-studies of effective workplace health programs in a wide range of topic areas.

Worksite Wellness Programs for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention: A Policy Statement From the American Heart Association
(Journal of the American Heart Association) published online September 30, 2009 This new policy statement by the American Heart Association reflects a comprehensive integrated approach and incorporates the importance of work and the work environment as components of a Work-Site Wellness Program for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention.

Workplace Health and Safety

CDC main website for National Institute for Occupational and Safety Health.

NIOSH Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards, a source for general information on several hundred chemicals/classes for workers, employers and health care professionals.

Information from CDC related to violence in the workplace, including risk factors and references to prevention strategies.

Links to information about a variety of workplace safety topics.

Policy

General CDC website that contains specific policies that impact health promotion at federal workplaces. These resources can also be used by non-federal workplaces to examine how health promotion policies can impact organizations. Example policies listed include alternative work schedules (to include time for exercise and carpool), choosing foods and beverages for healthy meetings, public transportation subsidies, purchase and use of kitchen appliances, lactation support programs, establishing wellness programs, work site environment and tobacco-free campus policies.

Information about teen drivers, including graduated driver licenses.

Calculators

CDC BMI Calculator

General CDC website with cost calculators for depression, tobacco, alcohol and physical inactivity.

Link to CDC obesity cost calculator which estimates cost to businesses that are obesity related and to compare the costs and benefits of different interventions targeted at reducing obesity.

BMI Percentile Calculator for Children and Teens.

Daily calcium calculator for adolescent girls. Also includes calcium information for specific foods.

A calculator to estimate the financial cost of physically inactive people to a specific community, city, state or business. Also includes resources to plan for healthier workplaces and communities that better support physical activity.

A calculator to estimate the return on investment to coverage and promotion of smoking cessation for health insurance plans and employers.

Alcohol problems in the workplace reduce worker productivity and increase health care costs. This calculator estimates the cost of alcohol problems to business and suggests ways to reduce costs while addressing employee’s needs.

Since depression is a leading cause of absenteeism and low productivity in the workforce, companies may be interested in starting a wellness program in the area of depression. This website provides a calculator which can help estimate the cost of depression to a company, as well as the benefits when employees receive treatment.

Tools and Toolkits

CDC website that compiles toolkits for various worksite health initiatives.

Quiz for CDC website patrons about what vaccines they should receive.

CDC recommendations for adult vaccinations.

Provides information on how to obtain birth, death, marriage or divorce certificates.

Parental responsibility toolkit for parents of teenage drivers. Aims to prevent motor vehicle related injury and death among teenage drivers by encouraging parents to take an active role in this area.

A website designed for children and adolescents focused on health topics such as disease prevention, food and nutrition, physical activity, safety and relationships with peers. Also includes many interactive features and games.

Interactive tool that provides calorie counts for any food that users type in.

Interactive tool to examine nutritional facts for different meals visitors create.

Recipe Re-Mix interactive tool lets visitors create recipes to enjoy comfort foods in a more healthy way.

CDC website that allows visitors to calculate how many fruits and vegetables they should be eating per day- includes calculator, recipes and other information about healthy foods.

A CDC created stress test for adolescents.

My Family Health Portrait is a tool from the Surgeon General that can be used to track and create drawings of family health history.

Interactive menu planner, counts calories per specific meal.

Risk assessment tool for estimating individual’s 10 year risk of having a heart attack.

American Diabetes Association diabetes risk assessment quiz.

Calculates the calories burned in a workout or daily activity.

Tool provides target heart rate for exercise based on age.

Blogs

CDC webpage with links to all CDC blogs.

CDC blog by Dr. Ali Khan, Director, National Center for Zoonotic, Vector-Borne, and Enteric Diseases titled "Public Health Matters".

CDC blog by Dr. Jay M. Bernhardt, Director of the National Center for Health Marketing titled "Health Marketing Musings".

CDC NIOSH Science Blog

CDC Injury Center "Director’s View" Blog
The purpose of this blog is to foster public discussion about injury and violence prevention and response and gain perspectives of those we serve.

Dr. Kevin Fenton’s CDC blog about HIV, Hepatitis, STD and TB Prevention
Also serves as a forum to exchange ideas about HIV, Hepatitis, STD, and TB prevention and CDC’s efforts to reduce health disparities, increase program collaboration and service integration, and improve global health.

Health and Human Services blog to stimulate dialogue among professionals who encourage Americans to get the physical activity they need.

The purpose of this blog is to discuss strategies, best practices and outreach initiatives as they relate to the Heightened National Response to the HIV/AIDS Crisis among African Americans.

Aging Workforce

National Academies of Sciences Report on Older Workers: Health and Safety Needs of Older Workers
A comprehensive report on the aging workforce funded by NIOSH, NIA, and EPA--and conducted in 2004 by the National Research Council. Examines physical, psychological and social factors in aging workers and current knowledge about their health and safety needs.

Healthy Aging for a Sustainable Workforce
A 2009 conference report focusing on developments and progress since the 2004 National Research Council report on health and safety needs of older workers. This follow-up meeting was funded/supported by: SOEH, AOEC, CPWR, VA, and NIOSH.

NIOSH Age Awareness Training for Miners
A comprehensive approach to health and safety training developed by NIOSH researchers for both employees and supervisors in the mining industry. Many of the training materials and prevention ideas are relevant to other industries, as well.

Older Drivers in the Workplace: Crash Prevention for Employers and Workers
A two-page NIOSH fact sheet on older drivers with suggestions for prevention and an analysis of work-related crashes.

Safety and Health: A Guide to Managing an Aging Workforce
A practical guide developed by WORKSAFE Alberta that outlines how employers, managers, and supervisors can adapt workplaces, tools and procedures to deal with age-related changes.

Health and Safety Issues in an Aging Workforce
A research-based report from AARP that addresses work limitations, absence, and ways to boost worker well-being.

Growing Older in America: The Health and Retirement Study
A publication by the National Institute on Aging presenting a wide range of information on the health, safety, and employment activities of older Americans. Report is based on data from the Health and Retirement Study, a nationally representative survey of over 20,000 older adults.

Designing the Age-Friendly Workplace, University of Washington
A website that describes an innovative training program for both managers and employees on designing an “age-friendly” workplace, developed by the University of Washington, with support from the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries.

The Sloan Center on Aging & Work at Boston College
A website on aging and work that promotes quality of employment and workplace flexibility as an imperative for the 21st century multi-generational workforce.

Parents

Allows parents to create a childhood immunization schedule for children 6 years and under.

Vaccine schedules for persons aged 0-18 years.

CDC website for vaccine safety, including answers to frequently asked questions.

BMI Percentile Calculator for Children and Teens.

Provides links to CDC growth charts that illustrate the distribution of selected body measurements in U.S. children.

Provides information on how to obtain birth, death, marriage or divorce certificates.

A website designed for children and adolescents focused on health topics such as disease prevention, food and nutrition, physical activity, safety and relationships with peers. Also includes many interactive features and games.

Parental responsibility toolkit for parents of teenage drivers. Aims to prevent motor vehicle related injury and death among teenage drivers by encouraging parents to take an active role in this area.

Health and Human Services website for adolescent girls focused on maintaining strong bones and increasing calcium intake. Also includes interactive features, calculators and quizzes.

Breast Feeding

Toolkit for setting up a comprehensive lactation support program for nursing mothers at the worksite.

Excerpt of CDC "Guide to Breastfeeding Interventions" that focuses on the workplace. [PDF - 161.10 KB]

Excerpt of National Business Group on Health manual on workplace wellness that identifies three case-studies of successful breastfeeding initiatives. [PDF - 153.37 KB]

Diabetes

Link to manual titled: "Making a Difference: The Business Community takes on Diabetes" [PDF - 1.32 MB]. This publication discusses the human and economic consequences of diabetes and suggests ways that companies can assist those suffering from diabetes and help in preventing their workers from getting diabetes.

Provides resources for businesses looking into worksite wellness programs focusing on diabetes. Includes access to a diabetes cost calculator, information encouraging businesses to invest in these programs and steps to take to begin a diabetes wellness program. Also includes success stories of businesses and government offices that have implemented diabetes wellness programs.

Information from the American Diabetes Association about ways to increase diabetes awareness in the workplace, as well as a link to a guide about how to implement a multi-pronged workplace diabetes program.

This resource kit [PDF - 3.11 MB] was developed by the National Diabetes Education Program, a joint initiative of the CDC and the National Institutes of Health. Provides information to help businesses and managed care companies assess the impact of diabetes in the workplace and help employees manage their diabetes.

Substance Abuse

Department of Labor "Working Partners" website offers a variety of resources, such as brochures, presentation materials, articles and fact sheets, and posters, to help employers provide drug and alcohol education in the workplace.

A guide for employers that offers practical solutions for addressing substance abuse in the workplace. [PDF - 522.96 MB] Includes information about policy change, insurance plans, and education in the workplace.

Ergonomics

General Guidance on Establishing an Ergonomics Program

NIOSH Ergonomics Guidance and Research Products

Emergency Preparedness

eTool to help small, low-hazard service or retail businesses implement an emergency action plan, and comply with OSHA’s emergency standards.

Disaster planning toolkit [PDF - 14.31 MB] that enables small businesses to identify hazards, as well as plan for and reduce the impact of disasters. Also provides advice on insurance, disaster supplies and other things that make a small business more disaster resistant.

Provides information about developing an emergency action plan, including fire prevention plans. [PDF - 4.31 MB]

Influenza Preparedness and Response

Provides guidance for businesses on preparing for worksite flu outbreaks and recommended action steps for the 2009-2010 flu season. [PDF - 101.78 MB]

Provides tools and information to prepare businesses for influenza pandemic and upcoming flu season.

Provides information and communication resources to help businesses and employers implement recommendations from CDC’s Guidance for Businesses and Employers to Plan and Respond to the 2009-2010 Influenza Season. [PDF - 2.08]

Healthy Eating

Toolkit with information on how to establish a garden market in a federal agency or other organization (based on CDC initiative).

Includes more specific information about the CDC Garden Market worksite healthy eating initiative.

Healthy Women Build Healthy Communities Toolkit (for physical activity and healthy eating).

Mental Health

Provides some ideas for workplace wellness programs targeted at minimizing mental health issues (such as depression) among workers.

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health website highlights knowledge about causes of stress in the workplace and outlines steps that can be taken to prevent job stress.

Physical Activity

Toolkit provides guidance on identifying and establishing a relationship with a nationwide discount fitness club network for employees of multi-site organizations.

Tips for encouraging workers to use the stairs instead of the elevator. Based on a CDC intervention that implemented physical changes to a stairwell, motivational signs and music over 3.5 years.

Includes link to "walkability audit" tool that can be used by worksites to assess the walkability of their specific workplace. Also provides suggestions for how to make worksites more conducive to walking.

President’s Council on Physical Health and Fitness toolkit provided as a resource to provide basic information to help start a worksite physical activity and fitness program.

Toolkit provides resources to complement what an organization is doing now to encourage people in the community to get the amount of physical activity they need, based on the Guidelines and their own goals.

American Heart Association Start! Worksite Wellness Walking Program website where companies can sign up to participate and receive free program resources.

Obesity

A free web-based resource that offers interactive tools and evidence-based resources to design effective worksite obesity prevention and control programs.

Summarizes what is known about the effectiveness, economic efficiency, and feasibility of interventions to promote community health and prevent disease.

List of resources to help in planning an obesity prevention and control program. Includes a powerpoint about the business case for obesity control that can be presented to senior management and updated with specific information about your wellness program.

CDC obesity cost calculator which estimates cost to businesses that are obesity related and to compare the costs and benefits of different interventions targeted at reducing obesity.

Tobacco

Provides guidance for implementing a tobacco-free campus initiative that includes both policy and comprehensive smoking cessation services employees. Information is based on the CDC’s experience creating the Tobacco Free Health and Human Services initiative.

A manual published by CDC that provides a "how to" guide for making a workplace smoke-free [PDF - 2.08 MB]. Also includes practical strategies for changing policy in a variety of work settings.

CDC Office on Smoking and Health resources for people interesting in quitting smoking.

A good resource from CDC for pregnant women who smoke

The National Business Group on Health website entitled "Tobacco: The Business of Quitting". Provides information about tobacco and helps employers establish quit policies and practices at the worksite.

A manual [PDF - 406.17 KB] developed by Professional Assisted Cessation Therapy to encourage professionals in all disciplinary areas to promote smoking cessation. Provides information about implementing policies, working with health insurance companies, and deciding on an overall approach to smoking cessation.