The Total Worker Health® (TWH) approach: a systematic review of its application in different occupational settings

Abstract

Background: The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), in 2011, developed the "Total Worker Health®" (TWH) as a holistic approach to protect and promote the workers' safety, health, and well-being. After over ten years from the TWH development, the aim of the present systematic review is to provide a comprehensive overview of the worldwide TWH initiatives.

Methods: PubMed, Scopus and ISI Web of Science were searched for TWH studies published up to the 31^st of July 2023, and 43 investigations could be included. The review was registered on the International prospective register of systematic reviews PROSPERO with the reference number CRD42023416972.

Results: Issues that emerged as relevant for the TWH operationalization were the awareness about the TWH approach and fundamentals, the leadership commitment, and a participatory engagement of the workforce: these aspects all contributed to acceptable and effective setting oriented TWH plans, specifically tailored on the peculiarities of the workplace, including small enterprises and multiemployer worksites. Evaluation and continual improvement were reported as fundamental for the successful implementation of TWH initiatives. Limited resources for safety and health initiatives, in terms of time, people, and funds, together with difficulties in the identification of safety and health priorities and a poor participatory culture were recognized as obstacles to the TWH application. Training resulted the core component of the TWH leadership and workforce preparedness, with beneficial results in terms of safety culture and adoption of preventive measures.

Conclusions: Although interesting aspects emerged from our review, future longitudinal investigations should confirm the effectiveness, easy integration, and long-term sustainability of TWH models in different workplaces, in order to effectively support safe and health-enhancing works able to improve innovation and productivity.

Keywords: Health promotion; Hierarchy of controls; Integrated programs; Leadership commitment; Occupational health; Occupational risk management; Occupational safety and health; Participatory approach; Workers well-being; Workplace policies and programs.