Dede Montgomery, a professional member of our Columbia-Willamette Chapter and a member of the Society’s Women in Safety Excellence Common Interest Group, was recently interviewed for an Oregon Institute of Occupational Health Sciences podcast. On “What’s Work Got To Do With It?” Montgomery discussed the importance of total worker health. Montgomery is involved in ASSP’s Total Worker Health Task Force and presented on the topic at Safety 2018.
“Total worker health helps us really better integrate the way organizations can support safety, health and well being of all of us at work by facilitating the integration of our own resources and programs, it helps us design ways to do things better,” she said.
Montgomery also discussed what she finds most rewarding about being an OSH professional. “As a safety and health professional and an industrial hygienist, I really appreciate how my profession has evolved over the last couple decades to recognize more holistically the many different factors that impact worker safety and health. A big part of this is really the challenge and satisfaction of working together with those from different disciplines. The most rewarding part of my job today, just as it probably was 30 years ago, is the opportunity to interact with so many different people from many different industries who really are all trying to make a positive difference to people’s lives. I feel lucky to be able to work in my profession.”
Listen to the podcast and learn more about ASSP’s Total Worker Health Task Force.