**Preface to "Using Total Worker Health**-**<sup>R</sup> to Advance Worker Health and Safety"**

It is now recognized that workplace aspects (scheduling, shift work, physically demanding work, chemical exposure) not only increase the risk of injury and illness, but also impact health behaviors (smoking, physical activity) and health outcomes (sleep disorders and fatigue, obesity, musculoskeletal disorders). In turn, ill health and chronic conditions can affect performance at work, increasing risk for injury, absenteeism, and reduced productivity. In the past few decades, programs that expand the traditional focus of occupational safety and health to consider nontraditional work-related sources of health and well-being have been shown to be more effective than programs that separately address these issues. This Total Worker Health-<sup>R</sup> approach has been recognized by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) as a method for protecting the safety and health of workers, while also advancing the overall well-being of these workers by addressing work conditions.

This Special Issue is devoted to "Advancing Worker Health and Safety". It includes basic and applied research relevant to programs, policies, and practices that promote holistic approaches to worker well-being. The volume begins with an overview of the NIOSH Total Worker Health program, describing the history of the program and identifying new challenges with the rapidly changing nature of work. The international importance of this topic is demonstrated by research addressing working populations in the United States, Australia, Korea, Canada, and countries in the European Union who are employed in worksites as varied as manufacturing, retail, healthcare, accounting, construction, and mining.

Several articles address new workers to the workplace. These focus on providing training and encouraging young workers to communicate about health and safety, the importance of preventing injuries to reduce retention, and how supervisor support and clear work organization and policies can help reduce stress among junior employees. Other articles describe the evaluation of interventions among construction workers, young workers, and homecare workers. Required components for the successful development, implementation, and adoption of interventions promoting worker safety and well-being are identified (e.g., the elimination of hazards, leadership support, participatory approaches in the design and delivery of programs, and evaluation metrics). Not surprisingly, implementation differs across industries and by organization size.

This compendium presents work from an international collection of scholars exploring the relationship between workplace factors and worker safety, health, and well-being. It provides guidance for improving the organization and design of work environments, innovative strategies for promoting worker well-being, and novel methods for exposing underlying occupational causes of chronic disease.

We would like to thank all of the authors that took the time to contribute to this Special Issue, and the editors and reviewers for their assistance.

**Diane S. Rohlman, Kevin M. Kelly**

*Special Issue Editors*

International Journal of *Environmental Research and Public Health*
