Integrative Approaches to Safeguarding the Health and Safety of Workers

In many regions, larger employers oversee a wide array of programs and activities to help manage the health, safety and well-being of workers. Examples of these functions include occupational safety and health programs, disability and return-to-work programs, disease management programs, worker compensation programs, employee assistance and health promotion or wellness programs, and various human resource initiatives such as work-family programs. In a recent guidance statement, however, the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM) expressed strong concerns that these programs typically operate independently of one another, thus limiting their effectiveness from both a prevention and cost perspective 1) . This fragmentation is perhaps most apparent in the gulf that has existed historically between worksite health promotion or wellness programs that focus on personal lifestyle and behavioral risks, and health protection programs that deal with occupational exposures.