Total Worker Health®
Affiliate Program
Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, USA
Occupational Health
Total Worker Well-being
Health Long-term Vision
What is
Total Worker Health®?
Total Worker Health® (TWH), developed by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), part of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, USA, represents a milestone in the integrated approach to the health and well-being of workers in the workplace and is globally recognized as such.
This approach integrates two fundamental aspects:
Occupational Health and Safety: TWH places a strong emphasis on creating safe and healthy work environments. This involves preventing workplace injuries, reducing health risks, and promoting good health and safety practices.
Worker Well-being: In addition to physical health, TWH takes into account the psychological and social well-being of employees. This entails addressing workplace stress, promoting a healthy corporate culture, and providing support for workers’ personal challenges.
Total Worker Health® is defined as policies, programs, and practices that integrate protection from work-related safety and health hazards with promotion of injury and illness-prevention efforts to advance worker well-being. The Total Worker Health® approach seamlessly integrates all aspects of work, addressing collectively the safety, health, and well-being of workers, considering physical, mental, and emotional aspects and their impact on corporate productivity.
Unlike traditional occupational health and safety programs that have primarily focused on workplace safety and protection from harm resulting from work activities, TWH adopts a broader approach, recognizing work as a Social Determinant of Health. Employment-related factors such as the work environment, job stress, working hours, workload, interactions with colleagues and supervisors, occupational safety, work flexibility, contractual and employment conditions, significantly impact the well-being of workers, their families, and their communities. The long-term vision of the TWH program aims to ensure the safety and health of workers while simultaneously promoting their well-being through the creation of healthier work environments.
Our Commitment
As a reference point for Total Worker Health® in Italy and Europe, we are committed to providing companies and organizations with the essential scientific foundations for the implementation of such an innovative approach to worker well-being. The Giovanni Lorenzini Medical Foundation aims to be a reliable partner, offering scientific support, specialized consultancy, and educational resources to successfully integrate TWH into existing safety and corporate training programs.
Affiliation
The Giovanni Lorenzini Medical Foundation in New York is affiliated with the NIOSH Total Worker Health® (TWH) program (Affiliate List | NIOSH | CDC) and is authorized to implement the Total Worker Health® (TWH) program in corporate settings. In collaboration with its partner, the Giovanni Lorenzini Foundation in Milan is the sole affiliate of TWH in the Italian and European contexts.
This gives the program a distinctive character, providing a cutting-edge approach in the Italian and European landscape of Corporate Wellness and underscores the commitment and longstanding relevance of the Giovanni Lorenzini Medical Foundation in the development and implementation of health prevention and promotion programs.
As the only Italian and European affiliate of TWH, the Giovanni Lorenzini Medical Foundation collaborates not only with companies interested in implementing TWH but also with all businesses and firms specializing in safety, training, and corporate consulting to integrate TWH into safety programs.
Certification
As affiliates of Total Worker Health®, we are able to provide an official certification to companies that successfully complete the implementation of the TWH program. This certification signifies the commitment of companies to promoting a healthy and safe work environment, aligned with the international standards of TWH.
What We Offer
High Scientific Profile
We believe that scientific excellence is fundamental in every initiative. Our projects stand out for their research-based approach and commitment to providing solutions based on the best scientific practices. The Giovanni Lorenzini Medical Foundation is renowned for its high scientific profile, contributing to ensuring the validity and effectiveness of Corporate Wellness initiatives.
Specialized Consultancy
Our prestigious scientific committee is available to provide theoretical and practical foundations to ensure the success of Total Worker Health® (TWH) in organizations. We offer personalized consultancy, adapting healthcare knowledge and experience to the needs of each individual company and organization. Through a guided approach, we assist companies through the process of integrating TWH into existing programs. We provide consultancy related to preventive health, health education in the areas of physical and mental well-being, nutrition, physical activity, and stress management, ensuring high scientific rigor.
Certification Opportunities
As affiliates of Total Worker Health® (TWH), we can provide an official certification to companies that successfully complete the implementation of the NIOSH TWH program. This certification attests to the commitment of companies to promoting a healthy and safe work environment, aligned with international TWH standards.
Collaboration with Companies and Corporate Safety and Training Firms
Recognizing the importance of corporate safety and training and their role within the Total Worker Health® (TWH) program, we offer our collaboration to all companies and firms active in these areas. Our mission is to integrate TWH into safety programs, contributing to creating safer, healthier, and worker-centered work environments.
Comprehensive Collaboration
We are committed to offering comprehensive collaboration, combining our scientific knowledge with each company’s vision to build tailor-made, sustainable, and cutting-edge wellness programs.
How to Collaborate
To initiate a collaboration and benefit from our scientific resources, including the opportunity to obtain certification, we invite you to contact us for an initial consultation. We are ready to tailor our support to your specific needs and work together to promote a healthier, safer, and worker-centered work environment.
For further information and collaboration inquiries, please contact the following address: info@totalworkerhealth.it
- Demonstrate leadership commitment to employee safety and health at all levels of the organization.
- Eliminate or reduce safety and health risks and promote worker well-being.
- Promote and support worker involvement in the design and implementation of the program.
- Ensure the confidentiality and privacy of workers.
- Integrate the most relevant systems to enhance worker well-being.
- Improves productivity: Employees in good physical and mental health tend to be more productive. Reducing absenteeism and increasing efficiency can directly contribute to business growth.
- Reduces costs: Investing in disease and injury prevention can decrease costs associated with absenteeism, medical care, and disability benefits. It’s more cost-effective to prevent than to cure.
- Attracts and retains talent: Companies that emphasize the health and well-being of their employees are more appealing to talents in the job market and tend to maintain a high retention rate.
- Enhances corporate image: Demonstrating a commitment to employee health can improve the company’s public image and contribute positively to its reputation.
- Regulatory compliance: Adopting the TWH approach can help companies remain compliant with occupational health and safety regulations, avoiding fines and legal disputes.
- Increases employee satisfaction: Workers who feel supported by their company in terms of health and well-being tend to be more satisfied and engaged.
- Improves business resilience: Addressing challenges related to worker health can help companies be more resilient and adaptable in difficult situations.
In summary, implementing the Total Worker Health® program is a strategic investment for companies aiming to create safe, healthy, and sustainable work environments. It is not only a duty towards employees but also a strategy that can lead to significant benefits for the company, both economically and culturally.
Holistic Approach to Wellness: Integration with Safety and Health:
Traditional programs primarily focus on physical safety in the workplace, addressing specific risks related to work activities. “Wellness” programs may place greater emphasis on specific aspects such as physical activity or stress management without necessarily addressing challenges related to the work itself.
Total Worker Health® (TWH) adopts a broader approach, recognizing work as a Social Determinant of Health. Employment-related factors such as the work environment, job stress, working hours, workload, interactions with colleagues and supervisors, occupational safety, work flexibility, contractual and employment conditions, significantly impact the well-being of workers, their families, and their communities.
Organizational Engagement at All Levels:
Traditional safety programs often focus on organizational-level actions. “Wellness” programs might limit engagement to frontline employees without actively involving leaders and executives.
Total Worker Health® (TWH) promotes the engagement and participation of all organizational levels, including executives, supervisors, and employees. It embraces actions at both the organizational and individual levels, ensuring that well-being is considered at all levels of the organization.
Consideration of Work-Life Interconnections:
Traditional programs focus on conditions and risks directly in the workplace and may overlook influences external to the work context as they concentrate on internal workplace dynamics.
The Total Worker Health® (TWH) program is broader and comprehensively addresses worker health, recognizing influences that stem from factors outside the workplace and the complex interactions between work-related and non-work-related needs and circumstances. Total Worker Health® (TWH) acknowledges the intricate interconnections between work, lifestyle, and health, taking into account influences beyond the workplace as well.
Analysis of Working Conditions and Intervention Domains:
Traditional “wellness” programs may lack a comprehensive analysis of working conditions, focusing primarily on individual well-being initiatives.
The Total Worker Health® (TWH) program uses the five intervention domains (work experience assessment, work policy and culture, workplace environment and safety, health and well-being status, home-community-society) to conduct a comprehensive analysis of working conditions. The five intervention domains of the Total Worker Health® approach are:
- Work Evaluation and Experience
- Workplace Policies and Culture
- Workplace Physical Environment and Safety Climate
- Health Status
- Home, Community, and Society
Scientific Evidence-Based Approach:
Traditional “Wellness” programs may lack a robust scientific foundation, adopting more generic approaches.
Total Worker Health® (TWH) relies on solid scientific evidence to guide initiatives, integrating the latest research in the fields of occupational health and well-being.
Expanded Hierarchy of Controls:
Traditional programs and “Wellness” programs follow the hierarchy of controls primarily focused on managing physical risks directly connected to the workplace.
The Total Worker Health® (TWH) program uses an expanded hierarchy of controls, as proposed by NIOSH, that goes beyond traditional safety. It includes Elimination, Substitution, Redesign, Education, and Encouraging Personal Change, offering approaches from the organizational level to the individual level to enhance well-being.
Hierarchy of Controls Applied to NIOSH Total Worker Health®
Corporate programs that follow the Total Worker Health® (TWH) approach emphasize the need to eliminate or control risks and other factors contributing to compromising safety, health, and well-being. This emphasis on addressing environmental determinants of health is a fundamental concept for TWH programs.
