CSU OHP

About OHP at Colorado State University

Occupational Health Psychology (OHP) concerns the application of psychology to improving the quality of work life, and to protecting and promoting the safety, health and well-being of workers. In response to continuous occupational safety and health challenges, the American Psychological Association (APA) and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) developed a cooperative agreement to initiate a pilot program for post-doctoral OHP training between 1994 and 1998 at three universities.

Later, NIOSH approved funding for the Mountains and Plains Education and Research Center (MAPERC), which became one of 17 such centers throughout the United States. One of the training programs in the Center is the OHP program hosted by the Department of Psychology at Colorado State University.

OHP at CSU views occupational safety and health as more than just absence of disease or injuries at work, but as a complete state of physical, cognitive, motivational, behavioral, and psychological well-being at work.  In order to help promote safer, healthier, and more secure lives at work and in families and communities, the Safety Management Applied Research Team (SMART) was established in 2003 at CSU. SMART collaborates with faculty at CSU and other institutions, as well as labors, contractors, school districts, and suicide prevention communities to conduct research projects that address workplace and community safety and health issues. Please visit the links above to find out more about SMART’s recent and current projects.