The OHP Field
What is Occupational Health Psychology?
Occupational Health Psychology is a rapidly expanding interdisciplinary field that focuses on the science and practice of psychology in the promotion and development of workplace health- and safety-related initiatives. Occupational Health Psychology (OHP) researchers and practitioners draw from the domains of public health, preventive medicine, nursing, industrial engineering, law, epidemiology, and psychology (industrial-organizational, social/health, and clinical) to develop sound theory and practice for protecting and promoting the safety, health, and well-being of individuals in the workplace and improving the quality of work life. Research in Occupational Health Psychology focuses on the work environment, the individual, and work/life balance.
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health OHP Website
Milestones in the History of Occupational Health Psychology
OHP and Total Worker Health ®
Our program is closely connected to the Oregon Healthy Workforce Center, a NIOSH Total Worker Health (TWH) Center of Excellence:
For more information on TWH, check out the Huffington post article:
A Totally Cool New Way to Look at Worker Health
and the video below:
Simple Steps for Creating an Organization of Health
Recently, NIOSH and the CDC released a volume on TWH with PSU authors for academics, practitioners, and students.
Chapter 4: Effectiveness of TWH Interventions & 15: Reducing Work-Life Stress
Sources:
Barling, J., & Griffiths, A. (2011). A history of occupational health psychology. In J.C. Quick & L.E. Tetrick (Eds.), Handbook of occupational health psychology (2nd ed., pp. 21-34). Washington, D.C., American Psychological Association.
Cox, T., & Tisserand, M. (2006). Editorial: Work & Stress comes of age: Twenty years of occupational health psychology. Work & Stress, 20, 1-5.
Science Directorate of the American Psychological Association. (2002). Psychological Science Agenda, 15(1), 5.