The goal of the Harvard Center for Excellence to Promote a Healthier Workforce is to establish a sustainable trans-disciplinary program devoted to research, education, and dissemination that will facilitate the integration of occupational safety and health and workplace. The center will foster and expand collaborations with diverse employers, labor unions, and intermediary organizations to help shape the center's directions and to influence the dialogue among these constituencies regarding the application of integrated approaches to worker health. The leadership of this research team conducted the first research demonstrating the worker health benefits to be derived from integration of worksite health protection and health promotion. Building on solid institutional support, they have assembled an accomplished trans-disciplinary team with a track record of collaborative research, representing the diverse disciplines of occupational health and safety, social and behavioral sciences, social epidemiology, health education, medicine, economics, engineering, health communications, organizational behavior, nursing, law, and biostatistics. The center will initiate research in two high-priority employment sectors, construction and health care, aimed at addressing priority research questions across the full span of research phases. Integrated worker health research is a new to the health care sector, and accordingly, this study focuses on the early phases of research using social epidemiological methods, methods development, and preliminary intervention testing. Prior research in construction provides a firm foundation for full-scale testing in a randomized trial of an integrated respiratory health intervention aimed at silica exposure reduction and tobacco use cessation. A third project will train future and practicing professionals with a stake in worker health on skills and methods for integrating occupational health and safety and workplace health promotion, and will disseminate best practices and programs to key stakeholders and health professionals. In addition, strategically planned pilot projects will help to cultivate future research initiatives. This center application is aimed actualizing a vision for the integration of occupational health and safety and worksite health promotion that goes beyond the simple sum of the parts, to envision a new trans-disciplinary culture, science, and practice, operational in our work and providing a national model for future research, education and dissemination in support of worker health.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
Type
Research Program--Cooperative Agreements (U19)
Project #
5U19OH008861-04
Application #
7921377
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZOH1-PXJ (52))
Program Officer
Sanderson, Lee M
Project Start
2007-09-01
Project End
2011-08-31
Budget Start
2010-09-01
Budget End
2011-08-31
Support Year
4
Fiscal Year
2010
Total Cost
$1,233,933
Indirect Cost
Name
Harvard University
Department
Social Sciences
Type
Schools of Public Health
DUNS #
149617367
City
Boston
State
MA
Country
United States
Zip Code
02115
Sabbath, Erika L; Williams, Jessica A R; Boden, Leslie I et al. (2018) Mental Health Expenditures: Association With Workplace Incivility and Bullying Among Hospital Patient Care Workers. J Occup Environ Med 60:737-742
Sparer, Emily H; Boden, Leslie I; Sorensen, Glorian et al. (2018) The relationship between organizational policies and practices and work limitations among hospital patient care workers. Am J Ind Med :
Grant, Michael P; Okechukwu, Cassandra A; Hopcia, Karen et al. (2018) An Inspection Tool and Process to Identify Modifiable Aspects of Acute Care Hospital Patient Care Units to Prevent Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders. Workplace Health Saf 66:144-158
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Sorensen, Glorian; Sparer, Emily; Williams, Jessica A R et al. (2018) Measuring Best Practices for Workplace Safety, Health, and Well-Being: The Workplace Integrated Safety and Health Assessment. J Occup Environ Med 60:430-439
Sabbath, Erika L; Sparer, Emily H; Boden, Leslie I et al. (2018) Preventive care utilization: Association with individual- and workgroup-level policy and practice perceptions. Prev Med 111:235-240
Manjourides, Justin; Sparer, Emily H; Okechukwu, Cassandra A et al. (2018) The Effect of Workforce Mobility on Intervention Effectiveness Estimates. Ann Work Expo Health 62:259-268
Hurtado, David A; Kim, Seung-Sup; Subramanian, S V et al. (2017) Nurses' but not supervisors' safety practices are linked with job satisfaction. J Nurs Manag 25:491-497
Sabbath, Erika L; Boden, Leslie I; Williams, Jessica Ar et al. (2017) Obscured by administrative data? Racial disparities in occupational injury. Scand J Work Environ Health 43:155-162
Williams, Jessica A R; Sorensen, Glorian; Hashimoto, Dean et al. (2017) Impact of Occupational Injuries on Nonworkers' Compensation Medical Costs of Patient-Care Workers. J Occup Environ Med 59:e119-e124

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