Research Project
10317594
PROJECT SUMMARY The primary aim of this application is to expand state-based capacity for occupational health surveillance in New Hampshire, through in-depth analysis to 1) Assess the extent and severity of workplace injuries, illnesses, disability, deaths, hazards and exposures, 2) Address state and NIOSH program priorities for follow-up activities, including more in-depth surveillance and outreach, prevention, and intervention focused on adult lead surveillance, opioid overdose and suicide mortality surveillance, infectious disease health informatics, and productive aging and work, 3) Expand surveillance activities to include analysis of unconventional data sources from other agencies and organizations, including commercial motor vehicle crash data and Department of Labor first reports of injury, 4) Identify workers and occupations at greatest risk through data collection of industry, occupation, and work status through collection of industry and occupation in the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, death data, cancer incidence data, Youth Risk Behavior Survey, occupational poisoning data, 5) Develop partnerships with public health and non-public health organizations to assist in developing recommendations for workplace interventions and policies, including NH Area OSHA office, NH nonprofits and the NH Health Department focused on prevention of substance use disorders and suicides in the workplace and lactation support programs for breastfeeding mothers returning to work, and 6) Develop methodologies and capacity for expanded occupational health surveillance, including the development of a core disability demographic profile and indicators, an evaluation of collection and coding of industry and occupation in poison center data, and exploration of unique data sets for surveillance of adult and childhood lead cases, and for surveillance of heat and cold injuries using the NH syndromic surveillance system. Outputs include publication of surveillance and research efforts in reports and articles, through presentations at national, regional, and state conferences and meetings, and through education and training materials. Methods and guidelines for enhanced occupational health surveillance will be shared. Intermediate outcomes include the ability to identify priority areas for prevention strategies through analysis of a variety of occupational health indicators; the development of more comprehensive data sets and dissemination of more accurate and detailed information, an increased use of occupational health data by our stakeholders and others who have an interest in the data; and promotion of pprevention strategies in the workplace, leading to a reduction in workplace illnesses, injuries, fatalities, and/or hazardous exposures and a support of policies that incorporate occupational health status/indicators in building evidence for a more inclusive implementation of prevention and health promotion efforts.
