Safety · health · wellbeing
Total WSH @ NUS brings workplace safety and health promotion together to support a safe and healthy working environment for staff and students.
“Under Total WSH, we will achieve better integration of safety, health and well-being in the workplace.”
Professor Tan Eng Chye, NUS President
A joined-up view of work
Total WSH is a holistic, integrated and proactive approach to managing work, safety and health together. It considers the work environment and processes, how work is organised, and individual health factors.
NUS is committed to providing a safe and healthy working environment for all staff and students. The University is progressively implementing Total WSH across departments, with the support of senior management.
Integrated assessment helps identify workplace risks and health needs together. Departments can then consider suitable health promotion and intervention programmes alongside improvements to work and working conditions.
If the video does not load, watch the NUS President’s address on YouTube.
The Total WSH model
Look at the whole work system: the environment and tasks, the way work is arranged, and the health factors that can affect people at work.
Consider the physical work environment and work processes, including exposure to hazardous materials and manual handling.
Consider how work and workplace conditions may affect health, and identify appropriate measures to prevent or manage work-related health risks.
Consider work organisation and individual health factors, and support suitable health promotion and intervention programmes.
Putting integration into practice
Total WSH uses broad assessments to understand risks and needs, then supports departments in selecting and reviewing suitable actions.
Review work activities, processes, workplace conditions and how work is organised.
Consider safety, occupational health and wellbeing together, including relevant individual health factors.
Identify improvements and health promotion or intervention programmes suited to the department.
Use the findings to guide ongoing improvements to safety, health and wellbeing at work.
Further information
Explore the NUS programme, its supporting services, and national guidance. Some internal NUS resources may require sign-in.
Common questions
Choose a question to read its answer. Topics include the health assessment, confidentiality and available programmes.
Yes. Individual respondents cannot be identified from their survey responses. Responses are treated as anonymous.
Basic Health Insight (BHI) is a health needs assessment tool that captures baseline health information, including basic demographic information, height and weight, work ability, chronic disease status, previous basic health screening, stress level, lifestyle practices, perceived work environment and musculoskeletal symptoms. Collated results are used in aggregate to understand a department’s health needs and identify suitable health promotion or intervention programmes.
NUS offers programmes that promote health and healthy living for staff and students, including mental wellness programmes and counselling. Refer to the University Health Centre, Office of Human Resources, and NUS Health & Wellbeing for current information.
Yes. A department may engage its own service providers for intervention programmes, in addition to enterprise-level programmes offered by the University.
No. Individuals do not need to disclose their personal health information to their PI or supervisor for the risk assessment. The assessment is generic and incorporates health risk factors relevant to work activities, such as musculoskeletal conditions in manual lifting.
The NUS Staff Health Survey is part of the Total WSH programme and supports NUS’s aim to integrate safety, health and wellbeing into work practices and conditions. Launched in 2023, it is a collaboration between the Safety and Health Unit in ORMC, University Health Centre, Health & Wellbeing at the Office of the President, and Office of Human Resources. Staff are randomly selected to participate. Responses are anonymous and confidential; the survey helps NUS understand staff physical health and mental wellbeing needs.
Programme enquiries
For enquiries about Total WSH @ NUS, contact the Office of Risk Management and Compliance.