[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 209 (Thursday, October 29, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 66547-66548]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-27627]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

National Institutes of Health


NIH Pathways to Prevention Workshop: Total Worker 
Health[supreg]--What's Work Got To Do With It?

SUMMARY: The National Institutes of Health (NIH) will host a workshop 
about Total Worker Health[supreg] on December 9-10, 2015. The workshop 
is free and open to the public.

DATES: December 9, 2015, from 8:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. and December 10, 
2015, from 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.

ADDRESSES: The workshop will be held at the NIH, Masur Auditorium, 
Building 10 (Clinical Center), 9000 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, Maryland 
20892. Registration and workshop information are available on the NIH 
Office of Disease Prevention (ODP) Web site at https://prevention.nih.gov/twh.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information concerning 
this workshop, contact the ODP at [email protected], 6100 
Executive Blvd., Room 2B03, MSC 7523, Bethesda, MD 20892-7523; 
Telephone: 301-496-1508; FAX: 301-480-7660.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: A Total Worker Health (TWH) approach is 
defined as policies, programs, and practices that integrate protection 
from work-related safety and health hazards with promotion of injury 
and illness prevention efforts to advance worker well-being. National 
Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) launched the Total 
Worker Health program to improve worker health and workplace safety.
    One hundred forty-five million Americans are workers, and most 
spend at least 50% of their active time at the workplace. Despite 
improvements in occupational safety and health over the last several 
decades, workers continue to suffer work-related illnesses, injuries, 
and deaths. In 2007, it is estimated that there were over 53,000 deaths 
caused by work-related illnesses, and the estimated total cost of 
occupational injuries, illnesses, and fatalities was $250 billion. 
Furthermore, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2013, more 
than 4,500 U.S. workers died from work-related injuries, and more than 
3 million workers had a nonfatal occupational injury or illness. Also 
in 2013, according to the NIOSH, 2.8 million workers were treated in 
emergency departments for occupational injuries and illnesses, and 
approximately 140,000 workers were hospitalized.
    TWH builds upon a foundation of protecting workers from work-
related exposures and hazards by championing a holistic understanding 
of the myriad of factors that influence safety, health, and well-being. 
An integrated approach recognizes that risk factors in the workplace 
can contribute to many health problems previously considered unrelated 
to work, including cardiovascular disease, obesity, depression, and 
sleep disorders. With wide variation in the landscape of the workplace 
(e.g., workplace culture, organization of work, working conditions, 
size of the employer) and the workforce (e.g., age, gender, access to 
preventive health care), this often translates to diversity in the 
safety and health risks for each industry sector and the need for 
tailored, comprehensive interventions.
    Traditionally, workplace systems addressing worker safety, health, 
and well-being have operated separately. An integrated approach would 
address the overall influences that the nature and conditions of the 
work itself (e.g., stress levels, work schedules, trip or fall hazards) 
have on worker health. TWH promotes the integration of diverse relevant 
programs, including occupational safety and health, worksite health, 
disability management, workers' compensation, and human resource 
benefits. There is evidence that combining efforts through integrated 
workplace interventions helps safeguard the well-being of workers.
    Although the benefits and synergistic possibilities of an 
integrated approach may seem obvious, integrated programs have not been 
sufficiently validated by the current research. To better understand 
the benefits of an integrated approach, the NIH will engage in a 
rigorous assessment of the available scientific evidence. The NIOSH, 
the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, and the NIH Office of 
Disease Prevention (ODP) are sponsoring the December 9-10, 2015, 
Pathways to Prevention Workshop: Total Worker Health[supreg]--What's 
Work Got to Do With It? The workshop will evaluate the current state of 
knowledge on integrated approaches to worker safety, health, and well-
being and will plot the direction for future research. Specifically, 
the workshop will seek to clarify the following questions:
     What studies exist assessing integrated interventions?
     What are the known benefits and harms of integrated 
interventions?
     What are the characteristics of effective integrated/
combined interventions and programs?
     What factors influence the effectiveness of integrated 
interventions?
     What are the key evidence gaps?
    Initial planning for each Pathways to Prevention workshop, 
regardless of the topic, is coordinated by a Content-Area Expert Group 
that nominates panelists and speakers and develops and finalizes 
questions that frame the workshop. After the questions are finalized, 
an evidence report is prepared by an Evidence-based Practice Center, 
through a contract with the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. 
During the 1\1/2\-day workshop, invited experts discuss the body of 
evidence, and attendees provide comments during open discussion 
periods. After weighing evidence from the evidence report, expert 
presentations, and public comments, an unbiased, independent panel 
prepares a draft report that identifies research gaps and future 
research priorities. The draft report is posted on the ODP Web site for 
public comment. After reviewing the public comments, the panel prepares 
a final report, which is also posted on the ODP Web site. Approximately 
6-8 months after the workshop, the ODP convenes a Federal Partners 
Meeting to review the panel report and identify possible opportunities 
for collaboration.

    Please Note:  As part of measures to ensure the safety of the 
NIH employees and property, all visitors must be prepared to show a 
photo ID upon request. Visitors may be required to pass through a 
metal detector and have bags, backpacks, or purses

[[Page 66548]]

inspected or x-rayed as they enter the NIH campus. For more 
information about the security measures at NIH, please visit http://www.nih.gov/about/visitorsecurity.htm.


     Dated: October 22, 2015.
Lawrence A. Tabak,
Deputy Director, National Institutes of Health.
[FR Doc. 2015-27627 Filed 10-28-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4140-01-P