by Brianna Crandall — June 8, 2015—As part of the association’s ongoing efforts to advance the safety, health, and well-being of employees both at the workplace and beyond, ISSA, the worldwide cleaning industry association, has just announced its affiliation with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health’s (NIOSH) Total Worker Health (TWH) program.
Traditionally, health-protection programs have focused squarely on safety and reducing worker exposure to risk factors arising in the work environment. And most workplace health promotion programs have focused exclusively on lifestyle factors off the job that place employees at risk. A growing body of science supports the effectiveness of combining these efforts through workplace interventions that integrate health-protection and health-promotion programs.
As part of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), NIOSH is responsible for conducting research and making recommendations for the prevention of work-related illnesses and injuries. The mission of the TWH affiliate program is to advance greater integration of worker health protection and promotion through collaborations with public and not-for-profit organizations, such as ISSA.
As an affiliate of this program, ISSA will work with NIOSH to:
- Increase the visibility and impact of TWH to advance the safety, health, and well-being of workers;
- Conduct joint research;
- Develop programs, interventions, and work products; and
- Collaborate on Webinars, seminars, publications, and educational events to help achieve the mission of the program.
ISSA’s participation in NIOSH’s TWH program will help promote the value of clean in regard to worker safety, health, and productivity, including cleaning for infection prevention and the prevention of slips, trips, and falls. According to ISSA, very few employers offer a comprehensive workplace health promotion program, and ISSA, as a NIOSH TWH affiliate, aims to increase awareness of the issues at hand and offer solutions to address them.
