Integrating health and safety in the workplace: how closely aligning health and safety strategies can yield measurable benefits.

OBJECTIVE:To better understand how integrating health and safety strategies in the workplace has evolved and establish a replicable, scalable framework for advancing the concept with a system of health and safety metrics, modeled after the Dow Jones Sustainability Index. METHODS:Seven leading national and international programs aimed at creating a culture of health and safety in the workplace were compared and contrasted. RESULTS:A list of forty variables was selected, making it clear there is a wide variety of approaches to integration of health and safety in the workplace. CONCLUSION:Depending on how well developed the culture of health and safety is within a company, there are unique routes to operationalize and institutionalize the integration of health and safety strategies to achieve measurable benefits to enhance the overall health and well-being of workers, their families, and the community.