Washington, DC - The National Institutes of Health will convene a Pathways to Prevention workshop to assess the available scientific evidence on the benefits of implementing a Total Worker Health (TWH) approach. TWH promotes bringing together the diversity of relevant programs, including occupational safety and health, worksite health, disability management, workers’ compensation, and human resource benefits. An impartial, independent panel will identify research gaps and future research priorities. The workshop will seek to clarify:
- What studies exist assessing integrated interventions?
- What are the known benefits and harms of integrated interventions?
- What are the characteristics of effective integrated/combined interventions and programs?
- What factors influence the effectiveness of integrated interventions?
- What are the key evidence gaps?
The workshop is co-sponsored by the Office of Disease Prevention (ODP) and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute at the NIH and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
This workshop is free and open to the public. To register, and for additional information, visit the ODP website at http://www.prevention.nih.gov.
Wednesday, December 9 from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. EST, and Thursday, December 10 from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. EST at the Masur Auditorium (Building 10) on the NIH main campus, Bethesda, MD.
A Total Worker Health approach is defined as policies, programs, and practices that integrate protection from work-related safety and health hazards with promotion of injury and illness prevention efforts to advance worker well-being.
In 2007, according to the latest estimate available, more than 53,000 deaths could be attributed to work-related illness, and the estimated total cost of occupational injuries, illnesses, and fatalities was $250 billion. In 2013, more than 4,500 U.S. workers died from work-related injuries, and more than 3 million workers had a nonfatal occupational injury or illness. Visit the workshop website for more background information on this topic.
The Office of the Director, the central office at NIH, is responsible for setting policy for the NIH, which includes 27 Institutes and Centers. This involves planning, managing, and coordinating the programs and activities of all NIH components. The Office of the Director also includes program offices that are responsible for stimulating specific areas of research throughout the NIH. Additional information is available at http://www.nih.gov/icd/od.
