If you happen to join us for a presentation or discussion about Total Worker Health, you’ll most likely hear us mention the Hierarchy of Controls. Safety and Health Professionals are well-versed on this concept, as controlling exposures to occupational hazards is the fundamental method to protect workers. While traditionally, the Hierarchy of Controls has been used as a means to help determine how to implement effective and feasible control solutions, the concept has been refined and updated to better address all hazards recognized within the Total Worker Health Framework. The document, Fundamentals of Total Worker Health Approaches – Essential Elements for Advancing Worker Safety, Health, and Well-Being by the National Institute of Occupational Health Sciences (NIOSH) illustrates both the traditional concept of Hierarchy of Controls, and an updated version that assists us in addressing non-traditional, but very real occupational hazards, such as stress or sleep deficiency.

We are pleased to share the recent webinar Oregon Healthy Workforce Center Director Kent Anger, Ph.D., presented  for the WWDPI – Work Wellness and Disability Prevention Institute on “Total Worker Health® Intervention Research Employs the Hierarchy of Controls.”. We appreciate the WWDPI for making this webinar available. Access the webinar, handouts and background information on the WWDPI website, or watch the webinar video as embedded below.

Additional Resources:
Oregon Healthy Workforce Center
OHWC Toolkits and Tools
OccHealthSci Resource Directory Total Worker Health Topic Page