November 26, 2008—A guide for employers and employer-employee partnerships wishing to establish effective workplace programs that sustain and improve worker health is now available on the NIOSH Web site.
The guide, Essential Elements of Effective Workplace Programs and Policies for Improving Worker Health and Well-being, is a key part of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) WorkLife Initiative, which is intended to identify and support comprehensive approaches to reduce workplace hazards and promote worker health and well-being.
The Essential Elements document, developed with substantial input from experts and interested individuals, identifies twenty components of a comprehensive work-based health protection and health promotion program and includes both guiding principles and practical direction for organizations seeking to develop effective workplace programs.
The WorkLife Initiative is intended to identify and support comprehensive approaches to reduce workplace hazards and promote worker health and well being. The premise of this initiative, based on scientific research and practical experience in the field, is that comprehensive practices and policies that take into account the work environment-both physical and organizational while also addressing the personal health risks of individuals, are more effective in preventing disease and promoting health and safety than each approach taken separately, explains NIOSH.
