TOTAL WORKER HEALTH ® TOOLKIT
Promoting U Through Safety & Health (PUSH)
TOOLS FOR YOUNG WORKERS AND EMPLOYEES
Young workers between the ages of 14 and 24 are at an increased risk for occupational injuries due to a lack of job experience, an inability to recognize hazards, the ongoing cognitive and physical development of youth, and a reluctance to speak up.
Young workers are more likely to be injured on the job and less likely to advocate for their rights. Promoting U through Safety & Health (PUSH) is a toolkit designed for organizations to reduce workplace injuries, increase healthy habits, and build communication skills. In turn, these outcomes will result in a healthy and productive young workforce.
Download the PUSH one pager overview to share with your organization. Learn more on how your organization can participate in YourWorkpath Program to access the training program at no cost for up to 200 employees.
*Our toolkits are continually going through improvements and changes to provide your organization with updated and relevant content. Our toolkits were last reviewed and updated on January, 2020.
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Online training for young workers
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Start the Conversation Activities
Social Media Prompts
"The content in the PUSH training helps us ensure that our staff is prepared to work safely and provides information about their rights as workers and encourages them to speak up when they have questions. We also value the health promotion focus of the training, because we are aware that on the job, healthy workers are safe workers."
Larissa Doty, Aquatics Coordinator, Portland Parks and Recreation
"Based on the results from the study conducted during the summer of 2013, we believe that using PUSH as a standard training for new hires is a wise investment in our employees. Not only does it enhance the training that we require for all workers, but the online format allows us to save time and money that we would otherwise need to spend on in-person training."
Barbara Aguon, Safety Manager, Portland Parks and Recreation
PUSH video evaluation focus group participants, real young workers
"The video was short but gave an empowering feeling to its audience. I believe every worker, young and old, should see this video"
"The video was memorable due to the use of humor in many of the sections…"
"I thought this video was actually pretty entertaining for being a training video…"
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73% of young workers that took the PUSH training agreed that they would recommend the training to a coworker
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68% really enjoyed taking the PUSH training
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69% said the PUSH training was useful in improving health and safety on the worksite
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63% reported changing one or more behaviors because of the PUSH training (at 10-week follow up)
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1. GET STARTEDThe Start Guide is available to help introduce SHIP to your organization. This guide provides an overview of the toolkit along with step-by-step instructions on how-to implement. The Start Guide includes: SHIP One pager to learn more abou the toolkit SHIP Briefing Slides help inform leadership and managers about the benefits of the program and the SHIP process SHIP Implementation Checklist was developed to help workplaces get started in SHIP and identify roles that can help your workplace successfully implement the toolkit.
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2. ONLINE SUPERVISOR TRAININGThe Online Supervisor Training is an essential aspect of Safety, Health and Improvement Program and outlines the importance of supervisor support in improving employee health and safety. SHIP supervisor training topics cover: Improving work-like balance and safety Family Supportive Supervisor Behaviors (FSSB) Safety Supportive Supervisor Behaviors (SSSB) Tracking your Supportive supervisor Behaviors Follow-up and check-ins with your team The training consists of these objectives: Showing you how leadership can improve the organizational climate on work-life balance and safety and health of their employees Providing insight on how to be supportive of employee work-life balance Highlights how to provide supervisor support for workplace safety Detailing the importance of team building and goal setting, as well as reducing inefficiencies for work processes There are 3 options to get access to the SHIP online training. Access to the online training is free to any organization wanting access. 1. The components of the SHIP toolkit are free and accessible at the following links below. If your organization is interested in using any SHIP training content/materials or access to Learning Managment System (LMS) training files, a licensing agreement must be in place. Please contact us to learn more and obtain a license or more information to the online training. The SHIP toolkit is protected under OHSU copyright. ACCESS THE SHIP ONLINE TRAINING (60 minute training) *Updated April 2021 2. Participate in YourWorkpath Program to gain access to the entire toolkit including additional incentives for your organization. Contribute to occupational health sciences research. 3. Customization, branding, and licensing of online training content for your organization's Learning Management System (LMS) is available. Contact us at Helen Schuckers, schucker@ohsu.edu.
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3. SUPERVISOR BEHAVIOR TRACKINGThe Behavior Tracking activity is designed to improve the transfer of trained behaviors following the Online Supervisor Training. This activity involves your choice of using a: notecard, log, journal or phone app to set goals and track supportive behaviors. Choose a method that works best for your organization/team. Behavior tracking will take between 3 to 5 minutes per day over a two-week period. This activitly will help supervisors and managers reinforce what is learned in the online training, as well as track supportive supervisor patterns towards their employees. Download SHIP Behavior Tracking The SHIP Start-Guide includes a “how-to guide” to faciliate behavior tracking. The tracking activity has the following elements: Daily Tracking Card 3x5 index card option Lanyard card option There are also smart phone behavior tracking apps available to download from the Apple Store or Google Play. We recommend the below apps: Upkeep Momentum Habit-Bull *OHWC does not endorse or maintain the smart phone apps listed. They are additional options to track behaviors that are not paper-based.
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4. FOLLOW-UPFollow-up includes group discussion in which supervisors and their teams meet to brainstorm solutions to improve work practices, communication, and the work environment. Follow-up and check-ins for supervisors/managers and their employees are an essential aspect of SHIP that help ensure what is learned during the SHIP toolkit becomes embedded into everyday work practices. Included in the SHIP User Guide are components to ensure the success of the SHIP trainings. Follow-up guide with check-in and quick tools provide additional resources to promote supportive supervisor behaviors and work life support The Follow-up Guide were developed by our partners, WFD Consulting, and consists of work practice assessments and templates.
Why Adopt PUSH?
Training has been shown to effectively reduce the number of workplace injuries. The overall goal of PUSH is to reduce the incidence of workplace injury among young workers by way of training tools specifically designed to address the distinctive needs of this population.
PUSH builds useful skills in young workers by addressing the long-term goals of reducing injuries and improving health with the added benefit of creating a more productive workforce.
The PUSH toolkit was developed by Dr. Diane Rohlman, PhD. The PUSH Toolkit is disseminated in partnership with University of Iowa's Healthier Workforce Center of the Midwest, one of then Total Worker Health Centers of Excellence funded by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Learn more about Diane and her research here.
The Science Behind PUSH
Evaluated with park and recreation workers, PUSH showed significant improvements in safety and health knowledge and was well liked by the young workers. The training was adopted by the City of Portland for their seasonal young workers.
Evidence base: In a randomized trial, 141 young (mean 18 years of age) parks and recreation workers hired for the summer were given PUSH training. The PUSH training produced significant improvements in safety and health knowledge (small effect size [d] = 0.4*), though attitudes toward health and safety did not improve. The training was well liked by the young workers. Results are published in a peer-reviewed publication.
Funding for PUSH was provided by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH; grant: U19OH010154)
Scientific Publications
Aryal, A., Parish, M., Rohlman, D.S. (2019). Generalizability of the Total Worker Health® online training for young Workers. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16 (4).
Rohlman, D.S., Parish, M., Elliot, D.L., Hanson, G., Perrin, N. (2016). Addressing young workers' needs: the Promoting U through Safety and Health (PUSH) trial outcomes. Healthcare: Special Issue Occupational Health Issues in the New Millennium. 4(3), 55.
Parish, M., Rohlman, D.S., Elliot, D.L., Lasarev, M. (2016). Factors associated with occupational injuries in seasonal young workers. Occupational Medicine. 66(2),166-167.
Elliot, D., Rohlman, D., Parish, M. (2015). Focus groups move online: Feasibility of Tumblr use of e-health curriculum development. Journal of Medical Internet –Research Protocols, 4(1), 1-6.
Rohlman, D., Parish, M., Elliot, D., Montgomery, D., & Hanson, G. (2013). Characterizing the needs of a young working population: Making the case for total worker health in an emerging workforce. Journal of Occupational & Environmental Medicine, 55, S69-S72.