Workplace absenteeism caused by injuries and/or illnesses creates notable threats to population health, national economies, and the sustainability of industries/workforces. Despite the progress that has been made in terms of workplace accident/illness prevention, the human and financial costs associated with a worker’s inability to resume their pre-injury/pre-illness duties remain staggering. As such, it is imperative that injured and ill workers receive well-matched and suitably timed services according to their risk for prolonged absenteeism (low, medium, high), their individual needs (e.g., physical, mental, interpersonal), and their responsivity to treatment efforts (e.g., motivation, capacity).
This Research Topic intends to present the reader with a broad review of existing theories of work including its origins, its evolution through history, and its impact on individual and population health. We will discuss the emergence of occupational health as a distinct specialty and its impact on worker wellbeing. Global, historical trends regarding the incidence and prevalence workplace illness and injury will be discussed including an examination of higher-risk industries such as agriculture, fisheries, mining, transportation, health care, and forestry/lumber. Trends regarding the type of illnesses/injuries by industry will also be explored as well as absenteeism rates over time. The impact of workplace absences will be examined from a qualitative and quantitative point of view. Drawing from research in other fields, we will propose a framework for return-to-work efforts and introduce a research instrument (the Worker Wellbeing Assessment Guide) to assist practitioners in their work with ill/injured workers.
Using an interdisciplinary lens, contributors to this project will share existing knowledge about this issue in a manner that is theoretically-driven on the one hand and pragmatically-oriented on the other. Inspired by other fields of research (e.g., the medical and social sciences), the project will offer a new conceptualization of post-injury/illness workplace reintegration, which we believe will create a more common language among practitioners and assist with return to work planning. Best practices will be shared and a new assessment instrument will be presented.
For this Research Topic, we welcome submissions related to, but not limited to, the following sub-themes:
- Theories of work and the evolution of occupational health
- Prevalence and incidence of workplace injury/illness including human and financial costs
- International perspectives and approaches to workplace reintegration after injury/illness
- Predicting health and social outcomes: identifying best practices
- The role of data and models in guiding interventions for injured/ill workers
- Toward a new conceptualization of return-to-work: Risk-Need-Responsivity
Workplace absenteeism caused by injuries and/or illnesses creates notable threats to population health, national economies, and the sustainability of industries/workforces. Despite the progress that has been made in terms of workplace accident/illness prevention, the human and financial costs associated with a worker’s inability to resume their pre-injury/pre-illness duties remain staggering. As such, it is imperative that injured and ill workers receive well-matched and suitably timed services according to their risk for prolonged absenteeism (low, medium, high), their individual needs (e.g., physical, mental, interpersonal), and their responsivity to treatment efforts (e.g., motivation, capacity).
This Research Topic intends to present the reader with a broad review of existing theories of work including its origins, its evolution through history, and its impact on individual and population health. We will discuss the emergence of occupational health as a distinct specialty and its impact on worker wellbeing. Global, historical trends regarding the incidence and prevalence workplace illness and injury will be discussed including an examination of higher-risk industries such as agriculture, fisheries, mining, transportation, health care, and forestry/lumber. Trends regarding the type of illnesses/injuries by industry will also be explored as well as absenteeism rates over time. The impact of workplace absences will be examined from a qualitative and quantitative point of view. Drawing from research in other fields, we will propose a framework for return-to-work efforts and introduce a research instrument (the Worker Wellbeing Assessment Guide) to assist practitioners in their work with ill/injured workers.
Using an interdisciplinary lens, contributors to this project will share existing knowledge about this issue in a manner that is theoretically-driven on the one hand and pragmatically-oriented on the other. Inspired by other fields of research (e.g., the medical and social sciences), the project will offer a new conceptualization of post-injury/illness workplace reintegration, which we believe will create a more common language among practitioners and assist with return to work planning. Best practices will be shared and a new assessment instrument will be presented.
For this Research Topic, we welcome submissions related to, but not limited to, the following sub-themes:
- Theories of work and the evolution of occupational health
- Prevalence and incidence of workplace injury/illness including human and financial costs
- International perspectives and approaches to workplace reintegration after injury/illness
- Predicting health and social outcomes: identifying best practices
- The role of data and models in guiding interventions for injured/ill workers
- Toward a new conceptualization of return-to-work: Risk-Need-Responsivity
