Work Organization and Stress – Work, Stress, and Health

Center for Health, Work & Environment: A Center of Excellence for Total Worker Health

November 13, 2021November 12, 2021

The purpose of the Center for Health, Work & Environment (CHWE) Center of Excellence in Total Worker Health (TWH) is to advance the overall safety, health, and well-being of workers through transdisciplinary research, effective interventions, outreach and communications, education/training, and rigorous evaluation that inform improvements in all of the above. CHWE addresses the need for research on Total Worker Health intervention strategies, focusing on the large number of workers and workplaces at highest risk of occupational fatality, injury, and illness. Specifically, CHWE research will build on the team?s experience in creating innovative TWH interventions and practical outreach tools for small businesses, the education industry, and other high-risk sectors such as agriculture.

Uncovering the sources and impacts of fatigue for onshore oil and gas extraction workers

November 13, 2021November 12, 2021

To better understand motor vehicle injuries and associated risk factors in the U.S. onshore oil and gas extraction (OGE) industry, NIOSH researchers set out to survey 500 OGE workers. Survey respondents reported extreme daily commutes, long work hours, and limited sleep all of which were significantly associated with risky driving behaviors and poor driving safety outcomes. The NIOSH researchers are initiating a new research study to identify and describe fatigue in this workforce. The goal of this project is to produce baseline estimates of fatigue for onshore OGE workers, develop initial guidance to employers about the types of work tasks, work schedules, and determine operational environments that should be targeted for fatigue-related interventions.

An Expanded Conceptual Model for Research on Work, Safety, Health, and Well-being

November 13, 2021November 12, 2021

The Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health Center for Work, Health, & Well-being is a NIOSH Total Worker Health? Center of Excellence. Its mission is to protect and promote the safety, health, and well-being of workers through integrated workplace policies, programs, and practices that foster safe and healthy conditions of work. Building on its systems-level conceptual model centered on the conditions of work, the Center has expanded this model to include employment & labor patterns and the social/political/economic environment. The Center?s three unifying themes, informed by our conceptual model, provide a framework for setting priorities to ensure that our research and dissemination efforts make a difference in improving the conditions of work.

New venture launch: The impacts of relationship quality and spousal commitment

November 13, 2021November 12, 2021

The study purpose is to examine individual and relational contributions to an entrepreneur?s perception of their spouse?s commitment to a new business venture one year after its creation. Hobfoll?s Conservation of Resources theory of stress was the theoretical grounding for the study of 73 entrepreneurs and their spouses. Whether a spouse was involved in the new venture prior to its launching, whether the spouse perceived the new venture to be a positive influence on their couple relationship, and an entrepreneur?s positive global affect one year after the launch predicted the entrepreneur?s perception of spousal commitment to the new venture one year after its launch. Spousal involvement had the strongest influence on entrepreneur?s perception of spousal commitment followed by spousal expectation of the business on their couple relationship and entrepreneur?s global affect.

Work, Stress, and Construction Industry’s Health: Pandemic squeeze on already fragile workforce

November 13, 2021November 12, 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic has worsened the nation?s drug overdose epidemic with both forces significantly impacting the safety, health, and well-being of the construction workforce. Our program is engaged in developing strategies to stem the tide of overdose deaths and help the rising numbers of construction workers suffering from opioid misuse disorder and poor mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our findings informed a suite of communication and training interventions, communicating the big picture and systemic issues to construction decision-makers who can change conditions for the workforce. We are also reaching out to the people most affected, those who are struggling with mental health and substance misuse disorder.

Oregon Healthy Workforce Center, a NIOSH Total Worker Health Center of Excellence

November 13, 2021November 12, 2021

The poster abstract is a description of the Oregon Healthy Workforce Center, a NIOSH Total Worker Health Center of Excellence.

NIOSH Healthy Work Design and Well-Being Program

November 13, 2021November 12, 2021

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Healthy Work Design and Well-Being (HWD) National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA) Program seeks to improve the design of work, work environments, management practices, and organizational policies in order to advance worker safety, health, and well-being. The HWD Program partners with industry, labor, trade associations, professional organizations, and academia to address HWD needs. This poster describes how the program and its partners address outcomes of interest under the umbrella of safety, health, and well-being including but not limited to traditional injury and illness; depression, anxiety, suicide, PTSD; substance abuse, and cognitive impairment; metabolic disorders, and sleep disorders; and well-being (quality of life, hedonic, and evaluative well-being).

Improving the Safety, Health, and Well-Being of Workers with Non-Standard Work Arrangements: A Research Roadmap for Healthy Work Design and Well-being

November 13, 2021November 12, 2021

Gaps remain in our understanding of the determinants and consequences of work design overall and non-standard work arrangements (NSWAs) specifically on worker safety, health, and well-being. This poster presents efforts by the Healthy Work Design and Well-being (HWD) Cross-Sector council to identify and address these gaps and advance the HWD National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA). The poster aims to improve awareness of the research gaps identified in the HWD NORA and to expand partnerships that will further advance worker well-being.

The Healthy Work Survey: Tools and resources designed for use by labor unions and worker advocates in assessing work organization, and evaluating workplace improvements.

November 12, 2021November 12, 2021

Labor unions, worker health & safety advocacy group are in a unique position to address the risks of psychosocial work hazards and to implement enforceable work organization improvements. However, many of these efforts go without evaluation by occupational health researchers. We will show how the tools and resources developed by the Healthy Work Campaign, including the online Healthy Work Survey, can be used by labor organizations to better assess harmful work organization/stressors and evaluate improvements they make.