NIOSH publishes overview of Healthy Work Design and Well-Being Program

Washington – NIOSH has released an overview of its Healthy Work Design and Well-Being Program, which seeks to improve the “organization of work.”

NIOSH defines organization of work as the manner in which jobs are designed and performed, as well as organizational practices – such as management, production methods and human resources policies – that affect work processes.

The one-page overview details the Healthy Work Design and Well-Being Program’s priorities and mechanics, NIOSH’s accomplishments, and forthcoming actions.

The program “works with partners in industry, labor, trade associations, professional organizations and academia” in the following areas:

• Reducing job stress and stress-related injuries and illnesses through a better understanding of the risks associated with the changing organization of work.
• Pinpointing economic factors that play a role in worker safety, health and well-being. The program also seeks to examine prevention measures with the best return on investment.
• Growing the number of work environments that adopt evidence-based Total Worker Health approaches.

Among the accomplishments listed are the development of a plan for researchers to track changes in the organization of work and understand the impact of the changes on worker well-being, and publication of the National Occupational Research Agenda to Advance Total Worker Health.