Natalie Schwatka, a PhD and MS holder and an assistant professor at the Centers for Health, Work & Environment (CHWE) at the ColoradoSPH, is at the forefront of a new five-year project. This project focuses on addressing the significant safety and mental health challenges prevalent in the construction field, which is notorious for high rates of injuries, fatalities, and psychosocial issues such as suicide and substance use.

The Collaborative Leadership for Safety and Health in Construction (CL-SHC) Project

The CL-SHC project is a collaborative endeavor between CHWE and the Center for Promotion of Health in the New England Workplace (CPH-NEW). Supported by the Center for Construction Research and Training (CPWR) through a Cooperative Agreement with the Centers for Disease Control and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), it integrates elements from the successful Foundations for Safety Leadership training and the Healthy Worker Participatory Program. This integration aims to implement sustainable health and safety practices specifically tailored to construction sites.“As this partnership between our two NIOSH Centers of Excellence for Total Worker Health® is truly exciting,” said Schwatka. “By combining our expertise and resources, we can make a far more substantial impact on worker safety and health in the construction industry than we could achieve individually.”Developing the Toolkit with Industry HelpThe team is dedicated to developing a toolkit that will empower construction managers, supervisors, and workers with collaborative problem-solving tools. This toolkit enables them to identify and address both safety and psychosocial health challenges within their companies. By emphasizing collaboration among different levels of the workforce, it fosters a comprehensive and sustainable culture of safety and health.“The construction industry confronts a multitude of challenges that affect individual well-being,” added Schwatka. “Although there are numerous strategies that construction companies can employ to address these challenges, they often fail to be adopted or implemented successfully because they are not developed by the participants who possess the knowledge and experience of how things work best.”Researchers are working closely with a diverse advisory board consisting of industry leaders, including representatives from academia, industry, labor unions, and safety professions. This collaborative approach ensures that the toolkit reflects a wide range of perspectives, enhancing its potential effectiveness and adaptability across different work environments.“The key aspect of our approach is the emphasis on both leadership commitment and workforce engagement,” said Schwatka. “This project is about creating a framework that gives both managers/supervisors and workers a more active role in the safety and well-being initiatives at their workplace.”“Our project aims to address this challenge by providing a toolkit that assists contractors in planning, designing, and implementing changes specific to their work and workforce. The advantage for workers is that this project gives them a voice throughout the process,” said Schwatka.Implementation, Evaluation and Next StepsThe team will evaluate the effectiveness and implementation of the toolkit with eight contractors. After the evaluation, the goal is to disseminate the toolkit, mainly through intermediary organizations such as unions, contractor associations, professional safety and health associations, workers’ compensation insurers, and most importantly, OSHA.“We are creating a resource that enables everyone on a construction site to actively participate in safety and health matters,” said Liliana Tenney, DrPH, MPH, a co-investigator on the project. “This toolkit is not only about resolving immediate issues; it is about building a culture where workers and management unite to jointly create long-lasting, positive change. By focusing on sustainability, we are equipping construction teams to support well-being even after the project ends.”By adopting this evidence-based and collaborative model, the researchers hope to bring about lasting changes in the construction industry’s approach to worker health, safety, and well-being, ultimately leading to a reduction in injury rates and an improvement in overall workforce health.About the Centers for Health, Work & EnvironmentThe Centers for Health, Work & Environment (CHWE) play a crucial role in educating and training future leaders. They conduct research and design and implement practical solutions to occupational safety and health challenges in collaboration with their partners. The Centers collaborate with faculty, students, and community partners to advance worker health, safety, and well-being. As part of the Colorado School of Public Health, it is home to one of 10 nationwide Centers of Excellence for Total Worker Health®, the Mountain & Plains Education and Research Center (MAP ERC) and the Climate Impacts on Worker Health & Safety (CIWHS) Center.The Centers’ main offices are situated at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora, Colorado.