National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Cincinnati, OH 45226, USA.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Oct 2;18(19):10398. doi: 10.3390/ijerph181910398.
The future of work will include not only more small business employment, but also a need for greater consideration of more holistic approaches to addressing worker well-being. Previous research has suggested smaller firms need external assistance to add new or improve existing workplace health and safety activities. A Total Worker Health (TWH) approach is potentially appealing to small employers as it is intended to identify and support comprehensive practices and policies that take into account the work environment (both physical and organizational) while also addressing the personal health risks of individuals, thus being more effective in preventing disease and promoting health and safety than each approach taken separately. NIOSH researchers applied the NIOSH Small Business Intervention Diffusion Model to conduct parallel community-based TWH activities in two geographically distinct communities in a large metropolitan area. Data were collected from intermediary organizations that work with or serve small businesses about their perceptions of the TWH approach as a potential service for them to offer small firms. Intermediary organizations engaged in implementation of TWH approaches with small businesses in the respective geographic areas for approximately one year. Results indicated intermediary organizations find value in providing TWH assistance to small employers, but several challenges for intermediaries implementing TWH among small employers remain.
工作的未来不仅将包括更多的小企业就业，还需要更多地考虑更全面的方法来解决工人的福利问题。先前的研究表明，较小的公司需要外部援助来增加新的或改进现有的工作场所健康和安全活动。全面员工健康（TWH）方法对小雇主具有吸引力，因为它旨在确定和支持综合的实践和政策，这些实践和政策考虑到工作环境（包括物理和组织），同时解决个人的健康风险，因此比单独采取每种方法更有效地预防疾病和促进健康和安全。NIOSH 研究人员应用 NIOSH 小企业干预扩散模型，在一个大都市区的两个地理位置不同的社区中开展并行的基于社区的 TWH 活动。从中介组织收集有关 TWH 方法的看法的数据，这些组织与小企业合作或为小企业服务，以了解他们认为 TWH 方法是否有可能成为他们向小企业提供的一项服务。中介组织在各自的地理区域内大约一年的时间里与小企业一起实施 TWH 方法。结果表明，中介组织发现向小企业雇主提供 TWH 援助具有价值，但中介机构在小雇主中实施 TWH 仍面临一些挑战。
