Seminars: Healthy Work Design and Well-Being

2019

Analysis of work tasks from a cognitive ergonomics perspective: concepts, models, and methods
Katia M Costa-Black, PhD
Cognitive ergonomics is a subfield of cognitive science especially concerned with the human task-oriented activity in terms of the perceptual, information-processing and psychomotor aspects of work. General models of cognitive task-oriented activity have been developed to account for the complexity of human behaviors produced in work situations, to explain erroneous action, and to conceptualize human-computer interaction. This webinar will present and discuss some of these models and how they have helped in improving the design of technologies, organizational environment and learning environments, as well as in decreasing human error. In addition to the major models and concepts utilized in the field of cognitive ergonomics, several methods based on user-centered design research will be described. These methods aim to collect and integrate data about the user needs and the requirements in the design of systems and organizations for a more successful transformation of the workplace and use of human-sensitive technology. They are very useful, especially today with the rapid growth of complex technological environments and the widespread introduction of information technologies to automate work processes.

2019

From Practice to Policy: California’s new standard to reduce MSDs among Hotel Room Cleaners
Carisa Harris, PhD, PT, CPE
Hotel room cleaners comprise of only 23.5% of the employees in their industry, yet have the greatest risk for developing musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) based on psychosocial and physical risk factors. The overall injury rate for this segment of workers is 1.5 times greater than that of all hotel workers studied. During this webinar, learners will explore the research behind the first ergonomic standard specific to hotel room cleaners, the Hotel Housekeeping Musculoskeletal Injury Prevention Standard (Title 8 Section 3345), which was enacted by the Cal/OSHA Standards Board on July 1, 2018.

2018

Treatment Gaps and Policies influencing Mental Health and Employment
Kara Zivin, PhD, Professor, Health Management and Policy, University of Michigan
Depression is a leading cause of disability worldwide, which costs US employers over $100 billion annually. Yet US employers do not rank mental health as one of its top priorities. Dr. Zivin, a mental health services and policy researcher, will give a presentation on the following four areas: 1) mental health and employment among Veterans, 2) employment and disability policies influencing individuals with mental disorders, 3) employment and disability demonstrations, and 4) provider mental health and burnout. The discussion will address existing gaps and challenges in the field.

2018
Making Safety Personal
Warren Hubler, CSP, Vice President of Health, Safety, & Environment, Helmerich and Payne International Drilling Co.
The achievement of safety excellence within any industry requires multiple strategies. One of the critical strategies is MAKING SAFETY PERSONAL for every man, woman, and child in our workplace family. The presentation will describe and illustrate four ways of making safety personal to include: (1) Tailor the safety message to your audience, (2) Focus on the critical issues, (3) Engage minds with relevant data, and (4) Engage hearts with impactful video clips and stories. The presentation has been used to kick-off the creation of numerous Oil and Gas safety networks across the United States in areas of oil and gas exploration activities.

2017
Efforts to Address the Challenges of Integrating Occupational Risk Analysis and Cumulative Risk Assessment
Scott Dotson, PhD, CIH, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
People are exposed throughout their lifetime to stressors that may adversely affect their health and well-being. These stressors may originate from different sources, such as the workplace, and interact with each to further modulate the health consequences. Characterizing the cumulative risk associated has resulted in the development of cumulative risk assessment (CRA) approaches. This presentation will discuss on-going research efforts underway at NIOSH to incorporate CRA procedures into occupational health.

2017
Precarious Employment – the New Norm? Changing Unhealthy Work to Healthy Work
Chia-Chia Chang, MPH, MBA, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) & Lisa Brosseau, ScD, University of Illinois at Chicago
With an increasing number of people employed in precarious jobs it is important that they are safe and healthy. This presentation will provide an overview of the NIOSH Total Worker Health® program. Dr. Brosseau will describe the mission and research activities of the new UIC Center for Healthy Work.

2017
Work Organization: A Preventable Source of Risk Factors for Chronic Disease
Laura Punnett, ScD, University of Massachusetts Lowell
Poor work organization is a source of psychosocial strain, or “job stress.” Psychosocial job stressors, especially low decision-making autonomy, have been linked to multiple chronic health conditions including cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Job strain is also linked to adverse health behaviors such as smoking, lack of leisure-time exercise, and higher alcohol consumption. The Total Worker Health® program seeks to promote integrated strategies for disease prevention.

2016
Every 15 Seconds: The Global Dimensions of Occupational Disease
Marianne Levitsky, BA, MES, CIH, ROH, FAIHA, Workplace Health Without Borders
Marianne Levitsky is the president of workplace health without borders. Nearly 2/3 of workers in the world work in unhealthy and unsafe conditions. This presentation will encase how to address hazards and industries with shared problems across the world, as well as what needs to be done to improve overall workplace health around the world.

2016
Hotel Houskeepers: A Low Wage Worker Group at Risk for Poor Health Outcomes
Marie-Anne S. Rosemberg, PhD, RN, University of Michigan
Hotel housekeepers are a group of low-wagers who often work in substandard conditions and are exposed to physical, chemical, biological, and psychological hazards. They experience multiple work and non-work related stressors of undefined magnitude that put them at risk for poor health outcomes. This talk provides an overview of this worker group, and resituates the urgency of their welfare as a public concern and a priority of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).

2016
NIEHS Support for Transformative Research for the Integration of Exposure and Response
David Balshaw, PhD, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
This presentation will discuss major programs and projects supported by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and some remaining challenges and potentially transformative directions for the next twenty years.

2016
Occupational & Environmental Health: Version 2.0
David Dyjack, DrPH, CIH, National Environmental Health Association
Meaningful improvements in environmental and occupational health will largely be made at the intersection of professional disciplines. Society and influencers are increasingly making decisions based on their values and beliefs, and are less anchored in evidence. Occupational and Environmental health V 2.0 will require our profession to embrace the new normal, in order to survive and thrive.

2016
The Effects of Systems and Design on Employee Health and Safety from the Office to the Construction Site: Identifying Causal Pathways Through Modern Ergonomics and Human Factors
Jack Dennerlein, PhD, Northeastern University
This research has utilized a systems approach that spans a wide range of business sectors. For long haul truck drivers we see reductions in low back pain and disability when we reduce their exposure to whole body vibration through the use of electro‐mechanic seat suspension systems. For commercial construction workers we see improved safety climate on sites with safety incentive programs. These projects demonstrate the many opportunities to improve employee health and safety.

2016
The Exposome: Implications for Occupational Health
Gayle DeBord, PhD, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
The exposome has been defined as the measure of all the exposures of an individual in a lifetime and how those exposures relate to disease causation. The exposome provides an opportunity for occupational health researchers to expand exposure assessment to identify underlying causes of work-related diseases. It also helps us understand occupational diseases and how to prevent them and is likely to prove more valuable than the genome alone for understanding occupational health.

2016
The Health Hazard Evaluation (HHE) Program at NIOSH – Solving Problems in the Workplace
Christine West, PhD, RN, MSN/MPH, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
Christine West is a Nurse Epidemiologist at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. She provides an overview of the Health Hazard Evaluation (HHE) program and highlights recent evaluations with discussion of methods, findings, and recommendations. Implications for occupational clinical practice, regulations, research, worker and employer education and public health will be explored.

2016
The Role of Unions in Occupational Safety and Health
Scott Schneider, MS, CIH, FAIHA, Laborers’ Health and Safety Fund of North America
Unions have played an important role in occupational safety and health. Starting with the mine workers 100 years ago pushing for mine safety laws and in the 1960s unions lobbying for passage of the OSHA Act. Every major rule that OSHA has published has seen critical involvement from unions. This presentation will provide an overview of the role unions have played and how important they are to ensuring every worker a safe workplace.

2015
Biological Monitoring as a Exposure Assessment Tool – My Biological Monitoring Research
Shane Que Hee, PhD, UCLA
Professor of Environmental Health Sciences (EHS) and a faculty member of the UCLA Center for Occupational and Environmental Health (COEH). In this presentation, he presents on his own biological monitoring research. Biological monitoring is the sampling and measurement of chemical markers in body fluids-urine, blood, and breath.

2015
How the System that Tracks Occupational Injuries Misses 50-70% of the Injuries
Kenneth D. Rosenman, MD, FACPM, FACE, Michigan State University
Goals of surveillance are to assess the magnitude of the problem for numbers, rates or trends. Determine the relative importance vs. other health issues, identify high risk, prioritize interventions, evaluate interventions, generate hypotheses for research, identify emerging problems, and identify workplaces for intervention.

2015
Making the Business Case for Health Promotion – Total Worker Health
Michael P. O’Donnell, MBA, MPH, PhD, University of Michigan
Dr. O’Donnell has developed and managed workplace health promotion programs for more than 50 employers over the span of three decades. His work has included developing strategic and operational plans, refining and implementing corporate policy, developing incentive systems, writing program materials, and refocusing programs, and creating and implementing evaluation efforts.

2014
100 Grand In Your Pocket: Reducing Liability and Increasing Profitability
Kevin Roehling – Berends, Hendricks, Stuit Insurance
The climate in workers compensation has changed immensely over the past years. There is now an increased cost of medical treatment, regulatory changes, and increased litigation. In this presentation Kevin Roehling talks of many points including controlling costs and understanding the benefits afforded under workers compensation.

2014
Complex Urban Exposure and Health – Strategies to Study the Interaction Between Chemical and Psychosocial Factors and Health
Bengt Arnetz, MD, PhD, MPH, Wayne State University
In this presentation Dr. Arnetz analyzes environmental stress factors as well as predictors of perceived stress. These factors include society, community, and family, individual, physiological, and cellular. Predictors of perceived stress include demographics, socioeconomics, physical health, mental health and local social context.

2014
Program of Research in Stress and Depression
Bonnie Hagerty, PhD, RN; Reg Williams, PhD, RN, BC, FAAN, CAPT, NC, USNP, University of Michigan
Bonnie Hagerty, Associate Dean at the Office of Undergraduate Studies, presents on psychiatric-mental health nursing research. Specifically one of the studies she speaks about is her research on military nurses and combat-wounded patients which was done in order to explore the lived experience of combat-wounded patients and the military nurses who care for them.

2013
Managing EHA Services in a Highly Decentralized Research University
Terrance Alexander, PE, CIH, University of Michigan
As head of Environment, Health & Safety, Terrance Alexander is responsible for health, safety, and environmental issues facing both the academic and business operations of the university. In this talk, he explains the magnitude of the UM challenge.

2013
Transactional vs. Transformational Leadership in EHS
Paul Moss, CIH, ROH, Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics
Paul Moss is Vice President of Global EHS and Travel for Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics. This talk will focus on two different types of leader in the world of EHS and the advantages and disadvantages of each. It will also introduce effective concepts for communication and engagement of the workforce that the SPH graduate students can take to the bank for a successful future in their EHS career.

2012
Population Health and Worksite Wellness in the 21st Century
Dee Edington, PhD, University of Michigan
Dr. Edington, Founder and Professor of the University of Michigan Health Management Research Center, presents on health strategies in the 21st century.

2011
Exposure History: the Art, Science, and Rationale of Obtaining a Comprehensive and Relevant Exposure History
Grace K. Paranzino, EdD, RN, CHES, FAAOHN, Kelly Services
Grace K. Paranzino, Corporate Chief Clinical Officer for Kelly Services, presents on the art, science and rationale of obtaining a comprehensive and relevant exposure history because it is extremely useful in identifying and establishing the relationship. Elements of the history include health effects, control measures, prior jobs, specifics of current job, and hazardous exposures.

2011
Occupational and Environmental Health: A Senior Executive Perspective
Lawrence D. Burns, PHD, University of Michigan
In this presentation Lawrence D. Burns shares what lessons he has learned on occupation and environmental health as a senior executive at General Motors.

2010
What’s new in MIOSHA for 2010
Doug Kalinowski
Director of MIOSHA, Doug Kalinowski presents on improving MIOSHA, including mandating standards and educating employees. Also protecting workers and well-being of the company, and helping to build respectful cooperation between MIOSHA and the industry.