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Fundamentals of Total Worker Health Approaches: Essential Elements for Advancing Worker Safety, Health, and Well-Being

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December 2016
DHHS (NIOSH) Publication Number 2017-112
Cover shot of publication 2017-112

The workbook, Fundamentals of Total Worker Health® Approaches: Essential Elements for Advancing Worker Safety, Health, and Well-being, prioritizes a hazard-free work environment for all workers and applies a modern prevention approach—consistent with traditional occupational safety and health prevention principles—that recognizes that job-related factors can have an important impact on the well-being of workers, their families, and their communities. The workbook focuses on five Defining Elements of TWH:

  • Defining Element of TWH 1: Demonstrate leadership commitment to worker safety and health at all levels of the organization.
  • Defining Element of TWH 2: Design work to eliminate or reduce safety and health hazards and promote worker well-being.
  • Defining Element of TWH 3: Promote and support worker engagement throughout program design and implementation.
  • Defining Element of TWH 4: Ensure confidentiality and privacy of workers.
  • Defining Element of TWH 5: Integrate relevant systems to advance worker well-being.

How can Fundamentals of TWH Approaches help improve the safety, health, and well-being of your workforce?

This workbook will help you develop new Total Worker Health initiatives or better align existing workplace interventions with the TWH approach. Because each workplace is unique and the experiences of the people who manage and work in them differ widely, this is not intended as a one-size-fits-all tool for program development. However, this workbook can be used to:

  • Provide a baseline “snapshot” of where your organization is on the path to TWH
  • Identify initial steps to improve workforce safety, health, and well-being, in line with the TWH approach
  • Help you to measure your organization’s progress.

This workbook and its accompanying web pages offer a user-friendly entry point into TWH.

Fundamentals of Total Worker Health Approaches: Essential Elements for Advancing Worker Safety, Health, and Well-Being [PDF – 2M]

Follow the steps below to begin implementing policies, programs, and practices aligned with the TWH approach in your organization.

  1. Review Fundamentals  Fundamentals of Total Worker Health Approaches: Essential Elements for Advancing Worker Safety, Health, and Well-Beingpdf icon workbook.
  2. Assess where your organization is on the TWH continuum using the organizational self-assessment (worksheets #1).
  3. Develop an action plan to start implementing TWH approaches using the Action Plan (worksheet #2).

Suggested Citation

NIOSH [2016]. Fundamentals of total worker health approaches: essential elements for advancing worker safety, health, and well-being. By Lee MP, Hudson H, Richards R, Chang CC, Chosewood LC, Schill AL, on behalf of the NIOSH Office for Total Worker Health. Cincinnati, OH: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.
DHHS (NIOSH) Publication No. 2017-112
December 2016