Statewide Employer Survey

online-surveys

What have Iowa employers implemented to protect workers’ health and safety?
Employers have lots of areas of need in order to effectively address employee total health management. The Institute of Medicine identified 12 key areas of total health management, such as wellness programs, absence management, disease and case management, health plan design, behavioral health, and occupational and environmental health. A study by the Healthier Workforce Center at the University of Iowa, funded by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, examined the degree with which Iowa employers have implemented each of the 12 areas. Results published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health in December 2014 suggest that employers are implementing less than 30% of each of 10 of the 12 components. The exception is that approximately half have implemented occupational safety and health, and nearly 90% have workers’ compensation insurance coverage.

  Results & Dissemination

Merchant JA, Lind DP, Kelly KM, & Hall JL (2013). An employee total health management-based survey of Iowa employers. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. 55(Suppl. 12S):S73-S77.