Total Worker Health: A Promising Approach to a Safer and Healthier Workforce
Authors: Robert K. McLellan
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2016)

Editorials16 August 2016Total Worker Health: A Promising Approach to a Safer and Healthier WorkforceRobert K. McLellan, MD, MPHRobert K. McLellan, MD, MPHFrom Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, New Hampshire.Author, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/M16-0965 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail More than 151 million people work in the United States. Their jobs are not merely an economic engine for our society—work serves as a key social determinant of health. With work comes income; social connection; and ideally, meaningful activity and benefits to pay for health care. However, since Hippocrates, observant physicians have also seen a plethora of adverse health effects associated with occupational hazards.The Occupational Safety and Health Administration mandates that, whenever feasible, employers use the most effective approaches to prevent harm from work. The preferred hierarchy of controlling hazards recognizes the primacy of engineering reductions in hazards, with ...References1. Sorensen G, Landsbergis P, Hammer L, Amick BC, Linnan L, Yancey A, et al; Workshop Working Group on Worksite Chronic Disease Prevention. Preventing chronic disease in the workplace: a workshop report and recommendations. Am J Public Health. 2011;101 Suppl 1:S196-207. [PMID: 21778485] doi:10.2105/AJPH.2010.300075 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar2. Loeppke R, Taitel M, Haufle V, Parry T, Kessler RC, Jinnett K. Health and productivity as a business strategy: a multiemployer study. J Occup Environ Med. 2009;51:411-28. [PMID: 19339899] doi:10.1097/JOM.0b013e3181a39180 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. Goetzel RZ, Henke RM, Tabrizi M, Pelletier KR, Loeppke R, Ballard DW, et al. Do workplace health promotion (wellness) programs work? J Occup Environ Med. 2014;56:927-34. [PMID: 25153303] doi:10.1097/JOM.0000000000000276 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. 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PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoIntegrated Interventions for Improving Total Worker Health: A Panel Report From the National Institutes of Health Pathways to Prevention Workshop: Total Worker Health—What's Work Got to Do With It? Cathy J. Bradley , David C. Grossman , Rebecca A. Hubbard , Alexander N. Ortega , and Susan J. Curry NIOSH Response to the NIH Pathways to Prevention Workshop Recommendations John Howard , Chia-Chia Chang , Anita L. Schill , and L. Casey Chosewood The Effectiveness of Total Worker Health Interventions: A Systematic Review for a National Institutes of Health Pathways to Prevention Workshop Cynthia Feltner , Kristina Peterson , Rachel Palmieri Weber , Laurie Cluff , Emmanuel Coker-Schwimmer , Meera Viswanathan , and Kathleen N. Lohr Metrics Cited byDiet, physical activity, and emotional health: what works, what doesn't, and why we need integrated solutions for total worker healthClearing the Smoke Screen: Smoking, Alcohol Consumption, and Stress Management Techniques among Canadian Long-Term Care WorkersAn Integrative Total Worker Health Framework for Keeping Workers Safe and Healthy During the COVID-19 PandemicHealth Risk CalculatorIntegrating worksite health protection and health promotion: A conceptual model for intervention and research 16 August 2016Volume 165, Issue 4Page: 294-295KeywordsBehaviorDisclosureHealth careHealth economicsHealth promotionMedical risk factorsPopulation statisticsPrevention, policy, and public healthSocial welfareSystematic reviews ePublished: 31 May 2016 Issue Published: 16 August 2016 PDF downloadLoading ...