NIOSH and ISSA Collaborate to Advance Worker Health
Northbrook, Ill. ―As part of the association’s ongoing efforts to advance the safety, health, and well-being of employees both at the workplace and beyond, ISSA, the worldwide cleaning industry association, is pleased to announce its affiliation with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Total Worker Health™ (TWH) program.
Traditionally, health-protection programs have focused squarely on safety and reducing worker exposure to risk factors arising in the work environment. And most workplace health promotion programs have focused exclusively on lifestyle factors off the job that place employees at risk. A growing body of science supports the effectiveness of combining these efforts through workplace interventions that integrate health-protection and health-promotion programs.
As part of the U.S. Center for Disease Control NIOSH is responsible for conducting research and making recommendations for the prevention of work-related illnesses and injuries. The mission of the TWH affiliate program is to advance greater integration of worker health protection and promotion through collaborations with public and not-for-profit organizations, such as ISSA.
As an affiliate of this program, ISSA will work with NIOSH to:
- Increase the visibility and impact of TWH to advance the safety, health, and well-being of workers.
- Conduct joint research
- Develop programs, interventions, and work products
- Collaborate on webinars, seminars, publications, and educational events to help achieve the mission of the program.
“We are excited about this alliance with NIOSH because it helps to further ISSA’s goal of promoting the valuable role effective cleaning plays in protecting the health and safety of the public and employees alike,” said ISSA Director of Legislative and Environmental Services William C. “Bill” Balek. “We look forward to this collaborative relationship as the next step in changing the way the world views cleaning.”
ISSA’s participation in NIOSH’s TWH program will help promote the value of clean in regard to worker safety, health, and productivity including cleaning for infection prevention and the prevention of slips, trips, and falls. It’s a fact that very few employers offer a comprehensive workplace health promotion program, and ISSA, as a NIOSH TWH affiliate, aims to increase awareness of the issues at hand and offer solutions to address them.
About ISSA
With more than 7,000 members, including distributors, manufacturers, manufacturer representatives, building service contractors, in-house service providers, and associated service members, ISSA is the leading trade association for the cleaning industry worldwide. The association is committed to helping its members change the way the world views cleaning, providing its members with the business tools they need to promote cleaning as an investment in human health, the environment, and an improved bottom line. For more information on ISSA, visit www.issa.com or call 800-225-4772 (North America) or 847-982-0800.
About NIOSH
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is the U.S. federal agency that conducts research and makes recommendations to prevent worker injury and illness. NIOSH research is key to these efforts and provides practical solutions to identified problems. The Institute’s work in this area protects the safety and health of the nation's 155 million workers. NIOSH provides the only dedicated federal investment for research required to help prevent the societal cost of work-related fatalities, injuries, and illnesses in the United States, estimated in 2007 at US$250 billion in medical costs and productivity losses alone. For more information on NIOSH please visit www.cdc.gov/niosh/.