How to cite: Lu Y, Karanikas N, Carroll JA. A Scoping Review of Integrating Occupational Health and Safety and Workplace Health
Promotion Interventions. J Hum Environ Health Promot. 2024; 10(4): 179-90.
A Scoping Review of Integrating Occupational Health and Safety and
Workplace Health Promotion Interventions
Yanming Lu
a *
| Nektarios Karanikas
a
| Julie-Anne Carroll
a
a. School of Public Health and Social Work, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology, Victoria Park Road, Kelvin Grove, Australia.
*Corresponding author: School of Public Health and Social Work, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology,
Victoria Park Road, Kelvin Grove, Australia. Postal Code: 4059. E-mail: yanming.lu@hdr.qut.edu.au
ARTICLE INFO
Article type:
Review article
Article history:
Received: 1 September 2024
Revised: 22 September 2024
Accepted: 6 October 2024
© The Author(s)
https://doi.org/10.61186/jhehp.10.4.179
Keywords:
Occupational health and safety
Health promotion
Integrated approach
Implementation
Workplace
ABSTRACT
Background: Growing evidence supports the integration of occupational health and
safety and workplace health promotion approaches. However, the triggers and the
methods for planning and implementing such approaches remain vastly unclear. This
scoping review aimed to address this gap in the literature.
Methods: This review searched 43 databases (e.g. PubMed, Web of Science Core
Collection, all EBSCOhost databases). Of the 7,142 results identified initially, systematic
screening protocols led to the inclusion of 13 articles meeting the objectives of this
review.
Results: Of the 13 articles included, five focused on physical activity interventions. Ten
articles first set specific work-related issues to be addressed. Five articles highlighted
the necessity of understanding the influence of pre-existing knowledge in the
interventions of integrated approaches and the heterogeneity of mental perceptions
among workers. Five articles acknowledged that tailoring and flexibility of integrated
approaches were key success factors, and nine articles reported the benefits of utilizing
online platforms to implement integrated approaches.
Conclusion: Future integrated interventions should consider not only tailoring,
flexibility, and delivery modality but also the appropriate level of outcome changes to
suit the actual needs of workers. Intervention researchers should consider more
consistently how to enhance intervention sustainability and scalability. Further
research is also required on work-related issues other than physical activity.
1. Introduction
In the context of advancing worker health, safety, and
wellbeing, occupational health and safety (OHS) and
workplace health promotion (WHP) serve different yet
complementary functions. Grounded in implementation
science, OHS seeks to prevent work-related diseases and
injuries by reducing ergonomic, psychosocial, and material
risks (e.g. physical, chemical, biological) of the work
environments (Baker et al., 1996; Crane et al., 2019).
Conversely, WHP primarily aims to provide health education
and/or modify individual lifestyle factors to promote health
behavior change and contribute to the mitigation of non-
communicable diseases (e.g. obesity, cardiovascular
diseases) in workers (Baker et al., 1996; Crane et al., 2019).
An integrated approach that includes both OHS and WHP has
been recommended by researchers and practitioners for the
past few decades (Biswas et al., 2022; Biswas et al., 2021;
Cooklin et al., 2017). Such an approach coordinates activities
in ways that core efforts of OHS and WHP coexist, each
influencing and informing one another (Biswas et al., 2021;
Cooklin et al., 2017). Notable benefits of workplace-
integrated approaches, compared to a single WHP or OHS
intervention, have been evidenced in the growing literature,
such as increasing intervention participation, successful
chronic disease prevention and management, reduction of
occupational injuries and disabilities, saving of healthcare
and social costs, and improved worker productivity and