Total Worker Health


U.S. employers are increasingly interested in health promotion for their workers, NIOSH says.

NIOSH WorkLife Becomes Total Worker Health

The agency said its WorkLife Program is evolving this month "to address a wider range of factors that influence workers' total health."

Fire department needs have declined the most in the areas of PPE and firefighting equipment, according to the third NFPA assessment.

Fire Service Grants' Impact Measured

NFPA's latest needs assessment found equipment and training shortages remain, but in fewer departments, because of the Assistance to Firefighters Grant programs.

Brief Daily Resistance Training Eases Headaches

A paper published in the Scandinavian Journal of Work Environment and Health states that two minutes of exercise daily for 10 weeks caused office workers with neck and shoulder pain to experience fewer headaches.

Leaders of the two-year effort say its recommendations can chart a new course for U.S. policy on chemicals.

National Conversation's Agenda: Shift Chemicals Policy to Prevention

Two years in the making, the action agenda lists 48 recommendations in seven broad areas. The theme is to redirect U.S. chemicals policy to prevent exposures and to use inherently safer chemicals.

The ASCO meeting was the showcase for major announcements of clinical trial successes and analyses of the progress made against cancer worldwide.

Paris Oncology Expert Receives Achievement Award

At the American Society of Clinical Oncology's conference in Chicago, Dr. David Khayat, MD, Ph.D., of Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital received the 2011 Distinguished Achievement Award for promoting oncology care in France.

Study Backs Usefulness of First Aid Cabinets

"The increasing number of absences due to employee illness further makes the case for on-site first aid kits or cabinets in the workplace," said John Amann, Cintas Corporation's senior director of operations.

The incidence rate among agricultural workers in 11 states who were exposed to pesticide drift was much higher than that of non-workers, according to the study.

NIOSH Study Confirms Pesticide Drift Dangers

The authors found that 53 percent of the 2,945 pesticide poisoning cases associated with drift in 11 states during 1996-2008 involved non-occupational exposures, however.

Heart Association CEO Praises New Food Guide

Nancy Brown says the new plate symbol is more consumer friendly and aligns with AHA's diet and lifestyle recommendations.



As summer heats up, mosquitoes begin to breed.

Experts Predict 'Mosquito Summer from Hell'

Homeowners are advised to be vigilant in eliminating places where water can collect and stand in their yards and gardens.

The U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.

Climbing the Hill

Nothing has moved fast in the 112th Congress. Getting a tax credit for wellness incentives passed requires a long-term view and a great deal of patience.

Making Wellness Programs Work Well

Ensuring employees are feeling well is rapidly becoming a strategic corporate imperative.

The Kloof Gold Mine, located 60 kilometers west of Johannesburg, has produced more than 70 million ounces of gold, according to Gold Fields.

Silicosis Fight Brewing in South African Mines

A lawsuit by 18 former employees of Anglo American South Africa may go to trial next year. Mining executives dispute an estimate that it may cost them $100 billion to settle all potential silicosis claims.

Smoking, Being Overweight Increase Risk of Work Disability: Study

Low-back disorders are a major public health problem and a leading cause of lost productivity and work disability, noted ACOEM. The new study helps to clarify the factors that may increase the risk of back-related disability.

WHO: Many Countries Hit by Health Threats from Infectious, Chronic Diseases

Noncommunicable diseases such heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and cancer now make up two-thirds of all deaths globally, due to the population aging and the spread of risk factors associated with globalization and urbanization.

EOBRs, Wellness on Tank Truckers' Agenda

The 63rd Annual Conference & Exhibits of the National Tank Truck Carriers Inc. will take place May 22-24 in Baltimore, with FMCSA Administrator Anne Ferro speaking at the annual safety awards luncheon.

$26 Billion Cost to Treat Atrial Fibrillation: AHA

The study published in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, estimated what the lead author calls "a huge economic burden" for the nation.

Frequent Business Travel Linked to Increased Health Risks: ACOEM

According to the study, rates of less-than-good health increased along with nights of travel. Extensive travelers were 260 percent more likely to rate their health as fair to poor, compared to light travelers.

CDC: All U.S. Workplaces Could be Smoke-Free by 2020

The projection is based on the rate at which states have been adopting comprehensive smoke-free laws. In the past 10 years, 25 states and the District of Columbia have enacted these laws, the CDC report said.

Port of Long Beach Awards $5 Million in Health Grants

The grants will fund 10 projects to improve cardiovascular and lung health of people living near the second-busiest U.S. port.

WHO Director-General Dr. Margaret Chan called the agreement "a very significant victory for public health."

WHO Members Agree to Share Flu Virus Samples

Director-General Dr. Margaret Chan hailed the agreement reached last weekend as paving the way for effective response during future influenza pandemics.

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