Congratulations to Aaron Leftwich – our first student to complete the Total Worker Health© Certificate Program!
Aaron has over thirty years of experience as a health and safety professional and is currently the Safety Program Manager for the Road Services Division of 
King County Department of Local Services. He has served as a Safety Specialist in US Department of Defense and the National Office of federal OSHA in the Federal Agency Programs Division, and as an EHS Director in academia and industrial ergonomist for Boeing. He considers the Total Worker Health Certificate Program a valuable professional development experience.
Aaron's Perspective on the Evolving Safety Landscape
As Aaron explains, “Over recent years, the safety and health landscape has changed across a wide spectrum of employment sectors. Occupational safety and health practices have evolved into evaluating many aspects of employees’ interactions with the work environment to assure unintended gaps are not infused into the occupational setting. As the workforce and work settings continue to evolve, occupational health and safety will become yet more complex in years to come.” Aaron plans to apply the principles of TWH in his current position on all matters related to occupational safety, health, and risk management for the 400+ employees working across traditional and transitional work settings.
Understanding the Total Worker Health© Program
“The Total Worker Health© program evaluates work settings and stimuli that are impacted through nontraditional means yet have an impact on the well-being of employees in the workforce. Moreover, this has been forecasted and discussed in professional arenas such as AIHA and ASSP. Part of my role involves risk management; to be effective in this endeavor, at least a reasonable amount of focus must be given to trends in the work environment. TWH© takes a deep dive into the particulars of this trending and provides solutions on how to best serve members of the occupational environment while presenting best efforts to avoid contributing to trends away from desired and successful targets.”
Program Benefits and Curriculum Highlights
Completing the TWH Certificate program, Aaron is equipping himself and the organization with the necessary tools and skills to recognize new solutions that contribute to a sound workplace for the employees. Aaron highlights the benefits of the program. “The curriculum was well defined, no doubt. But what resonated with me the most was the apparent insight given to designing a program that would best service the practitioner in the field upon completion. I feel this aspect was not only met but exceeded. I feel the most significant aspects of the curriculum in seeking to adopt a TWH mindset (to me) were Fostering Positive Psychological Capital (Dr. Breysse) and Total Worker Health (Dr. Costa-Black). Professionally, I feel their certificate will yield diversity in my skill set as far as the ability to analyze potential issues and implement lasting change for my organization that I am pleased to serve.”
Aaron's Career Overview
Pretty much the entirety of my 30+ year career has been in safety and health. I worked for 3 years as a Correctional Officer following two enlistments in the Marine Corps as a combat engineer. I started as a Safety Trainee and progressed to a Safety Manager in both public administration and health care. I worked as a Safety Specialist for both DOD and the National Office of federal OSHA in the Federal Agency Programs Division. I spent 6 ½ years as an EHS Director in academia prior to serving as an industrial ergonomist for Boeing.
Over the last 5 ½ years, I have served as the Safety Program Manager for the Road Services Division of King County Department of Local Services. In this role, (via reporting to the County Engineer) I serve as the technical advisor to the Division Director on all matters related to occupational safety, health, and risk management. I also serve as the liaison and representative for the 400+ employees across our three sections for routine and intermittent matters that impact providing a safe and healthful work environment across both traditional and transitional work settings.
1. The Evolving Safety Landscape
Over recent years, the safety and health landscape has changed across a wide spectrum of employment sectors. What was once managed through mere occupational safety and health practices has now evolved into evaluating many aspects of employees’ interactions with the work environment to assure unintended gaps are not infused into the occupational setting. As the workforce and work settings continue to evolve, this situation will become yet more complex in years to come.
2. TWH's Impact on Safety and Health
Total Worker Health© evaluates both work settings as well as stimuli that are impacted through nontraditional means but yet have an impact on the well-being of employees in the workforce. Moreover, this has been forecasted and discussed in professional arenas such as AIHA and ASSP. While there is not a “perfect” forecast for safety and health, matters directed to or associated with work or health continue to trend in the sphere of influence for safety and health professionals.
3. Aaron’s Approach to Risk Management
Part of my role involves risk management; to be effective in this endeavor, at least a reasonable amount of focus must be given to trends in the work environment. TWH© takes a deep dive into the particulars of this trending and provides solutions on how to best serve members of the occupational environment while presenting best efforts to avoid contributing to trends away from desired and successful targets.
4. Goals with TWH Certification
My goal with TWH was to equip myself (and thus my organization) with the necessary tools and skills to recognize such trending and implement solutions that contribute to a sound workplace for our employees. By employing these principles, I feel I am in the best position to advise senior leadership on matters related to TWH and how we can best serve our workforce both now and in the future.
5. The Curriculum’s Lasting Impact
My confidence in potential successes is firmly based on the contents of the TWH certificate program. The curriculum was well defined, no doubt. But what resonated with me the most was the apparent insight given to designing a program that would best serve the practitioner in the field upon completion. I feel this aspect was not only met but exceeded.
To this end, I feel the most significant aspects of the curriculum in seeking to adopt a TWH mindset (to me) were Fostering Positive Psychological Capital (Dr. Breysse) and Total Worker Health (Dr. Costa-Black). Professionally, I feel their certificate will yield diversity in my skill set as far as the ability to analyze potential issues and implement lasting change for my organization that I am pleased to serve.
Check out our Total Worker Health Certificate Program Now!
