Members of the Healthier Workforce Center (HWC) from three Midwest states packed their bags in May 2018 and traveled to Bethesda, MD for the 2nd International Symposium to Advance Total Worker Health (TWH). This diverse team includes practitioners, researchers with a wide range of academic training,including safety and health, ergonomics, engineering, occupational medicine,anthropology, occupational therapy, communication, […]
Ergonomic Health Promotion Efficacy of a Combined Ergonomic Health Promotion Intervention on Employee Health The Healthier Workforce Center awarded Lucas Carr, professor of Health and Human Physiology, funding for an intervention to help sedentary office workers who are overweight be more active at work. Pedal machines were placed under desks, so workers could exercise while […]
How can we ensure that Total Worker Health research is appropriate and effective? In March 2017, the Healthier Workforce Center of the Midwest hosted a Total Worker Health (THW) Research Methodology Workshop which included national experts from NIOSH, TWH centers and affiliates. The meeting was held in response to recommendations from the Independent Panel of […]
While the majority of employers in the US consist of small businesses, they have received less attention from occupational safety and health and Total Worker Health® practitioners. Based on the Institute of Medicine’s Employee Total Health Management model, a foundational model for TWH, statewide surveys and focus groups of Iowa employers (Merchant et al., 2013; […]
Construction is among the most hazardous industries in the US, with high rates of fatal and non-fatal injuries. Safety in construction is complicated due to rapidly changing work environments, unique hazards of the industry, and the organizational issues of coordinating interactions between multiple contractors. In addition to high rates of work injury, construction workers are […]
Corrections officers face a number of safety and health challenges in both jail and prison settings. With pilot funding from the Healthier Workforce Center of the Midwest, Dr. Lisa Jaegers (Assistant Professor of Occupational Science & Occupational Therapy at St. Louis University) tracked newly hired corrections officers’ mental and physical health trends in order to […]
Reducing Hospital Worker Stress A comparative effectiveness study of Response, Resiliency & Resources (RRR) and Critical Incident Stress Debriefing: two programs designed to reduce occupational stress among hospital clinic workers We bring together a unique group of investigators from Chaplain Services at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, the College of Public Health, and […]
Work After Breast Cancer Work after breast cancer: a mixed-methods study of African American survivors Christine Ekenga, a faculty member at Washington University at St. Louis, looked at the employment experiences of women with early-stage breast cancer. She followed women with and without early-stage cancer for two years, comparing their employment experiences. At the end […]
Ergonomics in Nursing Inertial Measurement Units as a Tool for Simultaneous Worker Health Protection and Promotion Nursing is a physical job, and nurses report a high prevalence of occupational injury. In an effort to improve work conditions, hospitals have been moving away from a total patient care model, where a single nurse is assigned to […]
Mental Health of Corrections Officers Determining the Mental Health Needs of Corrections Officers in Missouri for the Development of a Total Worker Health Program Lisa Jaegers conducted a pilot study at one urban and two rural jails in Missouri to learn more about what corrections officers need to be safe and healthy on the job. […]