Oregon Healthy Workforce Center

Oregon Healthy Workforce Center

Center Accomplishments

Journal Articles (since start of OHWC in 2011)

  1. Marin-Farrona, M., Wipfli, B., Thosar, S.S., Colino, E., Garcia-Unanue, J., Gallardo, L., Felipe, J., & Lopez-Fernandez, J. (2023). Effectiveness of worksite wellness programs based on physical activity to improve workers’ health and productivity: a systematic review. Systematic Reviews, 12, 87. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13643-023-02258-6
  2. Olson, R., Hess, J. A., Turk, D., Marino, M., Greenspan, L., Alley, L., . . . Rice, S. P. M. (2023). COMMunity of Practice And Safety Support for Navigating Pain (COMPASS-NP): study protocol for a randomized controlled trial with home care workers. Trials, 24(1), 264. doi:10.1186/s13063-023-07149-8
  3. Hurtado DA, Greenspan SA, Valenzuela S, McGinnis W, Everson T, Lenhart A. Promise and perils of leader-employee check-ins in reducing emotional exhaustion in primary care clinics: quasi-experimental and qualitative evidence. Mayo Clinic Proceedings, DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mayocp.2022.12.012
  4. Olson, R., Cunningham, T.R., Nigam, J.A.S., Anger, W.K., Rameshbabu, A., & Donovan, C. (2022). Total Worker Health® and Organizational Behavior Management: Emerging Opportunities for Improving Worker Well-being. Journal of Organizational Behavior Management, DOI: 10.1080/01608061.2022.2146256
  5. Hammer, L. B., Allen, S. J., & Dimoff, J. K. (2022). The Missing Link: The Role of the Workplace in Mental Health. Workplace health & safety, 70(8), 384. https://doi.org/10.1177/21650799221105176
  6. Hammer, L.B. (2021). The Interplay of Workplace Redesign and Public Policy in the 21st Century. American Journal of Public Health, 11(10), 1784-1786, DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2021.306368
  7. Valley, M. A., & Stallones, L. (2021). Impact of a Mindfulness Intervention on Hospice Care Worker Safety and Well-Being. OBM Integrative and Complementary Medicine, 06(03), 1–1. https://doi.org/10.21926/obm.icm.2103029
  8. Wipfli, B., Wild, S., Richardson, D. M., & Hammer, L. (2021). Work as a Social Determinant of Health: A Necessary Foundation for Occupational Health and Safety. Journal of occupational and environmental medicine, 10.1097/JOM.0000000000002370. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1097/JOM.0000000000002370.
  9. Wipfli, B., Wild, S., Donovan, C., Hanson, G. C., & Thosar, S. S. (2021). Sedentary work and physiological markers of health. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(6), 3230. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18063230
  10. Hanson, G., Rameshbabu, A., Bodner, T., Hammer, L., Rohlman, D., Olson, R., Wipfli, B., Kuehl, K., Perrin, N., Alley, L., Schue, A., Thompson, S., Parish, M. (2021). A comparison of safety, health, and well-being risk factors across five occupational samples. Frontiers in Public Health, section Occupational Health and Safety, 9:614725. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2021.614725
  11. Wipfli, B., Wild, S., Hanson, G. C., Shea, S. A., Winters-Stone, K., & Thosar, S. S. (2021). The active workplace study: Protocol for a randomized controlled trial with sedentary workers. Contemporary Clinical Trials, 103, 106311. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cct.2021.106311
  12. Olson, R., Johnson, P., Shea, S., Marino, M., Rimby, J., Womack, K., Wang, F., Springer, R., Donovan, C., & Rice, S. (2020). Advancing the safety, health, and well-being of commercial driving teams who sleep in moving semi-trucks: The Tech4rest pilot study. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 62 (12), 1082-1096. doi: 10.1097/JOM.0000000000002063
  13. Perry, M. L., El-Askari, L. M., Hammer, L. B., & Brown, N. D. (2020). Securing your own mask before assisting others: Effects of a supervisor training intervention on supervisors and employees. Occupational Health Science, 4, 417-443, https://doi.org/10.1007/s41542-020-00075-0.
  14. Watkins, S., Shannon, S., Hurtado, A., Shea, S., Bowles, N. (2020). Interactions between home, work, and sleep among firefighters. American Journal of Industrial Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajim.23194 
  15. Greenspan, L. S., Alley, L., Rice, S. P., & Olson, R. (2020). Exploring biopsychosocial correlates of pain, pain management strategies, and risk for opioid misuse among home care workers in Washington State. Home Health Care Services Quarterly, 1-21. DOI: 10.1080/01621424.2020.1810191
  16. Womack, K.N.; Alvord, T.W.; Trullinger-Dwyer, C.F.; Rice, S.P.; Olson, R. (2020) Challenging Aggressive Behaviors Experienced by Personal Support Workers in Comparison to Home Care Workers: Relationships between Caregiver Experiences and Psychological Health. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health, 17, 5486. DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17155486.
  17. Newman, L., Scott, J., Childress, A., ....Hammer, L., .....Watkins, C. (2020).  Education and Training to Build Capacity in Total Worker Health(R): Proposed Competencies for an Emerging Field. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, e-pub ahead of print. doi: 10.1097/JOM.0000000000001906
  18. Wipfli, B. & Wild, S. (2019). Sedentary Work and Measuring Physical Activity in Applied Sedentary Behavior Research. Society for Occupational Health Psychology Newsletter, Volume 21, 11-12, http://sohp-online.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/2019-Spring.pdf.
  19. Aryal, A., Parish, M., Rohlman, D.S. (2019) Generalizability of the Total Worker Health® online training for young Workers. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16 (4). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16040577
  20. Hammer, L. B., Truxillo, D. M., Bodner, T. Pytlovany, A. C., & Richman, A. (2019).  Exploration of the impact of organizational context on a workplace safety and health intervention. Work and Stress, 33(2), 192-210. https://doi.org/10.1080/02678373.2018.1496159
  21. Brossoit, R. M., Crain, T. L., Leslie, J. J., Hammer, L. B., Truxillo, D. M., & Bodner, T. E. (2019). The effects of sleep on workplace cognitive failure and safety. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 24, 411-422. https://doi.org/10.1037/ocp0000139.
  22. Olson, R., Hess, J.A., Parker, K.N., Thompson, S.V., Rameshbabu, A., Luther Rhoten, K., & Marino, M. From Research-to-Practice: An Adaptation and Dissemination of the COMPASS Program for Home Care Workers (2018). International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 15, 2777. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph15122777
  23. Anger, W.K., Kyler-Yano, J., Vaughn, K., Wipfli, B., Olson, R., Blanco, M. (2018). Total Worker Health® intervention for construction workers alters safety, health, well-being measures. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 60 (8), 700-709. DOI: 10.1097/JOM.0000000000001290
  24. Yaldiz, L. M., Truxillo, D. M., Bodner, T., & Hammer, L. B. (2018). Do resources matter for employee stress? It depends on how old you are. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 107, 182-194. doi:10.1016/j.jvb.2018.04.005
  25. Postma, J., Tuell, E., James, L., Graves, J., Butterfield, P. (2017) Nursing Students' Perceptions of the Transition to Shift Work: A Total Worker Health Perspective. Workplace Health & Safety, 65 (11), 533-538. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F2165079917719713
  26. Nery-Hurwit, M., Kincl., L., Driver, S., Heller, B. (2017). Stakeholder evaluation of an online program to promote physical activity and workplace safety for individuals with disability. Evaluation and Program Planning, 63, 39-44. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.evalprogplan.2017.03.005
  27. Rineer, J. R., Truxillo, D.M., Bodner, T., Hammer, L.B., & Krainer, M. (2017). The Moderating Effects of Perceived Organizational Support on the Relationship between Organizational Justice and Objective Measures of Cardiovascular Health. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 26 (3), 399-410. https://doi.org/10.1080/1359432X.2016.1277207
  28. Olson, R., Thompson, S.V., Elliot, D.L., Hess, J.A., Rohten, K.L., Parker, K.L., et al. (2016). Safety and health support for home care workers: The COMPASS randomized controlled trial. American Journal of Public Health, 106, 1823-1832. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2016.303327
  29. Rohlman, D.S., Parish, M., Elliot D.L., Hanson, G., & Perrin, N. (2016). Addressing young workers' needs: the Promoting U through Safety and Health (PUSH) trial outcomes. Healthcare: Special Issue Occupational Health Issues in the New Millennium, 4(3), 55. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare4030055
  30. Zaniboni, S., Truxillo, D. M., Rineer, J. R., Bodner, T. E., Hammer, L. B., & Kraner, M. (2016). Relating age, decision authority, job satisfaction, and mental health: A study of construction workers. Work, Aging and Retirement, 1-8. https://doi.org/10.1093/workar/waw006
  31. Parish, M., Rohlman, D.S., Elliot, D.L., Lasarev, M. (2016). Factors associated with occupational injuries in seasonal young workers. Occupational Medicine, 66(2),166-167. DOI: 10.1093/occmed/kqv183
  32. Anger, K., Elliot, D., Bodner, T., Olson, R., Rohlman, D., Truxillo, D., Kuehl, K., Hammer, L., & Montgomery, D. (2015). Effectiveness of Total Worker Health interventions.  Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 20(2), 226-247. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/a0038340
  33. Hammer, L., Truxillo, D., Bodner, T., Rineer, J., Pytlovany, A., & Richman, A. (2015). Effects of a workplace intervention targeting psychosocial risk factors on safety and health outcomes: Psychosocial factors and workers health and safety. Biomed Research International, Article ID: 836967. https://doi.org/10.1155/2015/836967
  34. Olson, R., Wright, R., Elliot, D., Hess, J., Thompson, S., Buckmaster, A.M., Luther, K. & Wipfli, B. (2015). The COMPASS pilot study: A Total Worker HealthTM intervention for home care workers. Journal of Occupational & Environmental Medicine, 57(4), 406-416. DOI: 10.1097/JOM.0000000000000374
  35. Elliot, D., Rohlman, D., Parish, M. (2015). Focus groups move online: Feasibility of Tumblr use of e-health curriculum development. Journal of Medical Internet – Research Protocols, 4(1), 1-6. DOI: 10.2196/resprot.3432
  36. Bodner, T., Kraner, M., Bradford, B., Hammer, L., & Truxillo, D. (2014). Safety, health, and well-being of municipal utility and construction workers. Journal of Occupational & Environmental Medicine, 56(7), 771-778. DOI: 10.1097/JOM.0000000000000178
  37. Olson, R., Elliot, D., Hess, J., Thompson, S., Luther, K., Wipfli, B., Wright, R., & Buckmaster, A. (2014). The COMmunity of Practice And Safety Support (COMPASS) Total Worker Health™ study among home care workers: Study protocol for a randomized controlled trial. Trials, 15, 411. DOI: 10.1186/1745-6215-15-411
  38. Olson, R., Wipfli, B., Wright, R., Garrigues, L., Nguyen, T., & Lopez de Castro, B. (2014).  Reliability and validity of the home care STAT (Safety Task Assessment Tool). Applied Ergonomics. 45(4), 1157-66. DOI: 10.1016/j.apergo.2014.02.004
  39. Rohlman, D., Parish, M., Elliot, D., Montgomery, D., & Hanson, G. (2013). Characterizing the needs of a young working population: Making the case for total worker health in an emerging workforce. Journal of Occupational &Environmental Medicine, 55, S69-S72. DOI: 10.1097/JOM.0000000000000039
  40. Hammer, L. & Sauter, S. (2013). Total worker health and work–life stress. Journal of Occupational & Environmental Medicine, 55, S25-S29. DOI: 10.1097/JOM.0000000000000043
  41. Wipfli, B., Olson, R., Wright, R., Garrigues, L., & Lees, J. (2012). Characterizing hazards and injuries among home care workers. Home Healthcare Nurse, 30(7), 387-393. DOI: 10.1097/NHH.0b013e31825b10ee

Book Chapters

  1. Hammer, L.B. & Brady, J. M. (2021). The Evolution of Worker Well-Being and Work-Life Issues.  In L. Koppes Bryan (Ed.), Historical perspectives in industrial and organizational psychology (2nd ed., pp. xx).  Routledge/Taylor and Francis Group.  
  2. Anger, K., Rameshbabu, A., Parker, K., Wan, W., Hurtado, D., Olson, R., Rohlman, D., Wipfli, B., Bodner, T. (2019). Effectiveness of Total Worker Health Interventions: A Systematic Review. In Hudson, H.L., Nigam, J.A., Sauter, S.L., Chosewood, L.C., Schill, A.L. (Eds.). Total Worker Health. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
  3. Hammer, L.B. & Perry, M. (2019). Reducing Work-Life Stress: The Place for Integrated Interventions. In H. L. Hudson, J. A. S. Nigam, S. L. Sauter, L. C. Chosewood, A. L. Schill, & J. Howard (Eds.). Total Worker Health. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

For additional publications from OHWC’s affiliate projects, visit this page.

Annual Report

Articles

  1. Schuckers, Helen (2022). Seat technology to improve the safety and health of commercial drivers. Medium.
  2. Schuckers, Helen (2022). The future of work: The role of well-being. Medium.
  3. Schuckers, Helen (2021). Learning from different industries to improve safety, health, and well-being at work. Medium.
  4. Hammer, L and Alley, L. (2021). How managers can support employee well-being during a pandemic. Medium.
  5. Schuckers, H. and Rameshbabu, A. (2021). Looking for ways to support your employees? Start with work-life balance. Medium.
  6. Hammer, L and Alley, L. (2020). 4 Key Strategies to Support Employee Well-Being During COVID-19. Medium.
  7. Hammer, L and Alley, L. (2020). Lead with Empathy During the COVID-19 Crisis.  The Conversation. 
  8. Hammer, L. & Alley, L. (2020). Supporting Worker Sleep is Good for Business. The Conversation. 
  9. Schuckers, H. (2020). 10 Things to Know About Total Worker Health. Medium.com.
  10. Olson, R. & Hill, A. (2020). Sleep, Circadian Biology, and Health: Action in the Behavioral Interactions! Association of Behavior Analysis International Blog.  
  11. Montgomery, D., Hill, L., & Wood, M. (2019). Oregon Organizations Collaborate to Move the Needle Toward Total Worker Health. Professional Safety. 
  12. Alley, L. (2019). Breaking the Silo: Modern Research on Employee Well-being. Medium. 
  13. Hill, L., Montgomery, D., Bowers-Payne, R. (2019) The Journey to "Be Well: Implementing Total Worker Health in Eugene, Oregon. American Industrial Hygiene Association Synergist. 

Media Mentions

This is a graphic of the Oregon TWH Alliance

Building capacity for Total Worker Health in practice: Emerging from our landmark Oregon Total Worker Health® Alliance [OHWC’s home Institute, SAIF (Oregon workers’ compensation provider and NIOSH TWH Affiliate), and Oregon OSHA], our practitioner-focused trainings have continued to reach new audiences in our first year of the new cycle. We reached ~340 practitioners and held 14  sessions. Learn about the various TWH course offerings.

Testimonials from our course attendees:
WOW! THANK YOU! This training was on my Safety and Wellbeing bucket list! I was so thrilled to participate! I am going to hang this on my wall with pride!  I have truly believed in this approach for years because it makes so much sense!  I am so  looking forward to finding opportunities to share this with others! I know it will make positive impacts to help keep people safe and healthy!  I plan to recommend  this as a valuable tool when helping companies develop their Safety, Wellbeing, and Retention strategies.  I know it will be a win-win and now  just need to find these future partners! Linda S.

 Great stuff and as you stated, wonderful sharing and networking.  Looking forward to our next connection and the train the trainer in 2023. Jamal A.

This is a picture of our Summer Institute

Summer Institute: Total Worker Health® approaches in industry and academia: Key elements and implementation (July 19, 2022, 85 attendees). As research increasingly shows evidence for Total Worker Health® as an effective approach for worker well-being, we are faced with a growing need to educate and train students and industry professionals on TWH concepts and implementation. Our day-long 2022 Summer Institute highlighted current opportunities to learn and implement TWH concepts and strategies.  Welcoming attendees from academia and industry, the morning session included a workshop-style deep dive into the TWH approach by the Oregon Total Worker Health Alliance, and in the afternoon, a panel of industry professionals shared their experiences with implementing TWH strategies within their organization.  Watch recordings here.

Testimonials from our Summer Institute attendees:
This was a wonderful event. Everything that we learned can be applied to the workplace or at least the working knowledge of someone doing research.

New concepts that keep(s) resonating: WELL BEING HAZARDS. It truly captures all that needs to be prevented for TOTAL WORKER HEALTH.

This is a picture showing a group of people.

Expanding our industries and increasing our reach: OHWC’s research projects in 2021-2026 bring Total Worker Health to new worker populations as our research journey draws us toward unique issues and work experiences of firefighters, home care workers, healthcare workers, and utility and manufacturing workers. Through our Alliance-led trainings, we have reached practitioners across the United States and Europe. Dr. Emily Huang, who leads the Total Worker Health Climate Scale Study, shared her TWH Climate expertise with professionals in Malaysia and a construction site in Singapore. 

OHWC members have presented at a number of conferences thus far in our cycle. Some of these include the American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP)’s Safety 21 Conference, Health Enhancement Research Organization (HERO) Forum, HERO’s Healthy Workplaces Healthy Communities committee, HERO’s Workplace Mental Health and Well-Being Committee, Fall Think Tank 2022 HERO Forum, Work and Family Researchers Network 2022, Northwest Occupational Health Conference, APA Work, Stress, and Health 2021, European Academy of Occupational Health Psychology, Oregon Public Health Association, NIOSH Extramural Community of Practice quarterly meeting, NIOSH’s all-extramural centers meeting, Region X Voluntary Protection Program Conference in Boise, ID, Occupational Health and Safety Magazine virtual summit, Blue Mountain Occupational Safety and Health Conference in Pendleton, OR, and the 2022 American Industrial Hygiene Conference in Nashville, TN.

This is a picture spelling mental health

Responding to the mental health crisis in our workforce and well-being needs of first responders: Three of OHWC’s four research projects in our 2021-2026 cycle are supported through NIOSH’s funding from the American Rescue Plan, which is addressing mental health in health care workers and first responders. Kicking off in FY22, these projects will lead us to examine shift schedules and health among firefighters (led by Dr. Nicole Bowles), adapt an intervention for pain management among home care workers (led by Dr. Ryan Olson), and develop an intervention to address burnout in healthcare workers (led by Drs. David Hurtado and Abigail Lenhart). Aside from research, OHWC’s Co-Director, Dr. Leslie Hammer has been called on to provide expert guidance on workplace mental health, advising the US Surgeon General, consulting for the American Psychological Association, and presenting for NIOSH. She has also published The Missing Link: The Role of the Workplace in Mental Health.

This is a graphic of the Safe From Hate Alliance

Growing our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) focus: We continue to make concerted efforts to meaningfully adopt a DEI-informed approach in OHWC’s planning, evaluation, research, and outreach activities. This takes shape in a number of ways at OHWC and our home, the Oregon Institute of Occupational Health Sciences. For example, we dedicate time during meetings to check in with each other following unsettling events around us, and discuss how it impacts us in our pursuit of worker well-being. We plan DEI-focused outreach and education events and continue to engage in a state-wide coalition called the Safe From Hate Alliance, which is focused on preventing harassment and prejudice among people of color in trade occupations and improving retention and safety across industries. Further, we continue to commit a standing item in our monthly Internal Steering Committee meetings that focuses on integrating DEI-informed strategies into our work – in this past year, we have discussed demographic data in our research, consent forms, race identity within Hispanic communities, equity in publishing, Public Psychology, the White House Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool, and gender and sex in physiological measurements. We also presented with wellness and benefits professionals such as HERO on applying Total Worker Health approaches to develop inclusive workplace policies and practices with regard to gender identity and expression. 

This is a picture showing colorful baloons

Celebrating awards, new members, and other news!  OHWC Co-Director, Dr. Leslie Hammer, received a Distinguished Faculty Award from our home institution, OHSU. Leslie’s award is a recognition of her outstanding applied research in a largely medical and bench sciences-driven institution and reflects her extensive contributions to the field of worker well-being. Dr. Hammer also took on an additional role as Associate Director of Applied Research at the Oregon Institute of Occupational Health Sciences. This new role complements her role as OHWC’s Co-Director. Finally, the Institute also welcomes a new Outreach Director, Dr. Erin Flynn. Erin leads the outreach team’s continued and evolving efforts toward increasing the public health impact of our worker safety, health, and well-being research. Read more about Erin on our blog.

What's Work Got To Do With It: A workplace safety, health, and well being podcast

We turned four! Launched in 2018, our podcast, What’s Work Got To Do With It?   continues to showcase the public health relevance of workplace issues, and to offer a friendly, informal platform to share our research. During this past year, we released these episodes:

  • Brain Cleansing Technology: Better Sleep For A Better Tomorrow? (177 plays)
  • Inclusion And Worker Well-Being in The Trades Part 1 (229 plays)
  • Inclusion And Worker Well-Being in The Trades Part 2 (200 plays)
  • Flexible Work to Create a Just Economy for Black and Latinx Women (178 plays)
  • Supporting Low-Wage Essential Workers During COVID (452 plays)
  • Supporting Veterans Through Art and Dance (254 plays)
  • Firefighter Shift Schedules (239 plays)
  • 2021 Summer Interns (338 plays)

Metrics are updated in January and June of each year.

*Reporting period = 6 months 
# To date

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