Assessing the health and safety issues of your workforce is a vital first step for meaningful intervention planning. You will first need to know what issues are important to your workforce before you can develop a focus for your program. Involve employees at all levels of the organization to ensure that all perspectives are represented.
There are several ways to gather information that is useful. When possible, begin by collecting existing data such as reports of medical and/or workers compensation claims, administrative data on absenteeism and lost time. Equally important to assess is employee perceptions about their health concerns, and ways in which their work impacts their health.
Measurement instruments are available through many sources, some in the public domain. Use some of these tools (or equivalent instruments from other sources) to generate new data where there are gaps. The Steering Committee should play an important role in overseeing the data collection process, and should be closely involved in interpreting results and establishing priorities with the Design Team.
Workforce Assessment Resources
- The CPH-NEW All Employee Survey is designed to provide organizations an overall assessment of employee attitudes related to health, safety and wellness.
- The CPH-NEW Focus Group Guide for Workplace Safety, Health and Well-being (pdf) is a script for running a focus group to gather information on organizational needs. For guidance on running a focus group, see our Tips for Facilitating Focus Groups (pdf)
- The CDC Worksite Health Initiative Needs Assessment Resources site provides links to various instruments to gather employee input and health risk factors.
- CDC National Healthy Worksite Program Employee Assessment Surveys and Employer Assessment Survey
- NIOSH has compiled a list of assessment tools and guidelines for integrated approaches.
Intervention Planning Resources
- CPH-NEW Resources for Intervention Planning (pdf) - a list of resources to assist with intervention planning and evaluation identified through the use of the Healthy Workplace All Employee Survey
- Job Stress Intervention Guide (pdf) - A guide for designing comprehensive, prevention-focused interventions to reduce workplace stress. To be used in tandem with IDEAS Step1 and Step 2.
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