Lab Matters Summer 2025 | Page 28

ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH

By Sydney Comet, MPH, associate specialist, Environmental Health

Figure 1. The Healthiest Laboratory Self-assessment Survey is comprised of eight sections with a total of 54 activities.

The health and environmental impacts of laboratories play a considerable role in their staff’ s well-being. Previous research has shown that employees’“ well-being” is closely tied to worker retention, levels of productivity and health. 1 Furthermore, environmentally friendly policies in workplace environments have been shown to reduce operating costs, attract more employees and improve the morale of current workers. 2

APHL Healthiest Laboratory Award

Started in 2010, APHL’ s Healthiest Laboratory Award celebrates laboratories for excelling in environmental stewardship and health promotion. The award is sponsored by APHL’ s Platinum-Level Sustaining Member HDR Architecture.

“ We are proud once again to sponsor this award, primarily due to our longstanding corporate commitment to enhancing public health laboratory facilities and for our leadership in wellness and sustainability,” says HDR’ s Public Health Director, Warren J. Hendrickson. During the nomination period, member laboratories are asked to complete the Healthiest Laboratory Self-assessment Survey. There are two dedicated categories for this award; one for local laboratories and one for state laboratories. Winners are selected annually based upon survey responses and are awarded $ 1,500 to be used for workplace wellness, such as water stations, bus passes or exercise equipment.

The survey is comprised of eight sections with a total of 54 activities( Figure 1): health promotion( 10), safety( 8), work and life balance( 4), green building aspects( 4), energy usage / efficiency( 6), water quality / efficiency( 6), green laboratory practices( 9) and environmental practices / behavior( 8). Each section of the survey contains a list of policies and activities where laboratories can indicate what they have implemented. From the 2024 survey respondents, the health promotion and safety sections had the most implemented activities, while water and energy efficiency had the least.

Previous Award Winners

Previous award winners have implemented successful ongoing strategies to maintain health and sustainability in their laboratories and employees. Below are several examples of activities accomplished by previous award winners:

• 2017— The City of Milwaukee Health Department Laboratory created an internal rewards system for staff.

• 2018— North Dakota Department of Health: Division of Laboratory Services used their garden to grow strawberries, tomatoes and peppers.

• 2019— Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, Laboratory Services Division used the funds from the award to install water bottle filling stations in the laboratory.

• 2020— District of Columbia Department of Forensic Sciences Public Health Laboratory had excellent energy efficiency practices including housing their laboratory in a LEED Platinum facility.

• 2021— Kentucky Public Health Laboratory brought in trained professionals that could educate staff on physical, emotional, financial and spiritual wellbeing.

Award winners stated that many of their activities were already a priority for their agency and were little-to-no cost to implement. Activities that had the most impact included those that are sustainable, such as dedicated wellness programs. For laboratories looking to create more health and environmentally friendly policies, past winners advise engaging with staff about what changes should be made, encouraging them to participate in wellness activities and making the safety and wellness

References

1. Wright, T. A., & Cropanzano, R.( 2004). The role of psychological well-being in job performance: a fresh look at an age-old quest. Organizational dynamics, 33( 4), 338-351.

2. Swathi, A., & Johnpaul, M.( 2025). Eco-Friendly Practices Impact on Organizational Climate: Fostering a Sustainable Work Culture. In Green Management Approaches to Organizational Behavior( pp. 145-174). IGI Global Scientific Publishing.