Proposed Framework for Developing and Evaluating Total Worker Health ® Education and Training Programs

Area of Science:

• Occupational Health
• Workplace Safety Education
• Public Health Training

Background:

• Total Worker Health (TWH) integrates occupational safety and health with broader well-being.
• Existing TWH education and training lack standardized development and evaluation frameworks.
• Implementing institutions require structured approaches for TWH educational initiatives.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a comprehensive framework for developing and evaluating TWH education and training programs.
• To identify essential knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) for TWH competencies.
• To guide institutions in creating and assessing TWH educational efforts.

Main Methods:

• A review of TWH-related information from symposia, workshops, academic offerings, and publications.
• An examination of education and training development and evaluation resources across disciplines.
• Synthesis of findings to create a competency-based framework.

Main Results:

• Identification of core competencies for TWH education.
• Provision of example KSAs aligned with each TWH core competency.
• Development of a structured framework for creating and evaluating TWH competency-based programs.

Conclusions:

• The proposed KSAs and framework can guide pilot testing and standardization of TWH education.
• Further input from diverse stakeholders is encouraged for framework refinement and adoption.
• This initiative aims to advance TWH education and practice across sectors.