This page shows how to use specific Healthy Workplace Participatory Program (HWPP) tools and procedures to enhance the Lean process by involving front-line workers and developing Total Worker Health® interventions. CPH-NEW has developed the following resources and new tools for organizations that already using the Lean process, and want to further support employee health and safety. If you are interested in learning how the HWPP can support employee health and safety during the Lean process, you may want to read the HWPP tool descriptions or download the new CPH-NEW case study summarizing how the HWPP was used in a hospital-based Lean initiative to improve safe patient handling equipment.

What is Lean?

Lean is a holistic continuous improvement approach for maximizing value for customers and eliminating waste. Many healthcare organizations have adopted Lean to improve efficiency and patient care. We invite you to learn more about Lean Thinking and Practice.

How does the HWPP fit with Lean?

The HWPP Toolkit provides step-by-step procedures to implement the Lean “Plan-Do-Study-Act” cycle. The HWPP Forming Program Teams guide helps you engage front-line employees while the IDEAS process helps you develop integrated Total Worker Health (TWH) interventions. The graphic below connects HWPP tools and procedures with the Lean process.

Tools to Embed the HWPP in Your Lean Process

Click on the plus icon to view the HWPP tool description and download the tool.

networking graphic showing the multiple connections between 3 people

Use the Mapping Connections Between HWPP and Lean Efforts Diagram to identify which HWPP tools and procedures are appropriate to use within Lean activities. You can show the diagram to your Lean project team when explaining the HWPP. We recommend reviewing the informational videos on the IDEAS Generate Solutions webpage.

graphic of a book with thought bubbles pointing at the pages containing lightbulbs and bar graphs


Use the Terms of Reference for explaining the participatory team structure and for recruiting prospective team members. You can learn more about the benefits of participatory teams and how you can get started on the HWPP Form Program Teams webpage.

Graphic of 4 people at a table working together

Review and discuss the Team Formation Models graphical illustration when choosing a team structure model that will work for your organization. Consider the model that will best support the scope of your project (e.g., organizational vs unit-based improvement initiatives).

Blue-Green IDEAS Wheel - Step 1: Identify Problems and Contributing Factors, Step 2: Develop Objectives and Activities, Step 3: Set Selection Criteria, Step 4: Apply Selection Criteria, Step 5: Rate/Select Intervention Alternatives, Step 6: Plan and Implement Interventions, Step 7: Monitor and Evaluate Intervention

The HWPP-Lean Worksheets have been customized to reflect Lean terminology and methods. The worksheets are intended to capture Design Team planning and can be used as support materials when pitching a proposal for improvements to a Steering Committee.

Graphic of 1 person standing in front of an audience of 3 other people giving a presentation. The presenter is pointing toward the line graph being displayed in their presentation.

The Countermeasures Presentation Template is an HWPP PowerPoint slide set that has been customized to reflect Lean terminology and methods. The presentation template provides a compelling business case argument and can be customized to your situation.

HWPP Tools for Lean Case Study

A tertiary-care hospital system in Massachusetts used the HWPP tools for the Lean process as part of a Lean initiative to reduce patient handling injuries among caregivers. Project Leaders used all the HWPP-Lean tools on this page to improve front-line staff engagement in the “Plan-Do-Study-Act” (PDSA) cycle. You can learn more about how the HWPP tools were disseminated and implemented using the adapted Lean process by reading the HWPP Tools for Lean Case Study.