DOH collaborates with Rutgers School of Public Health on investigation & prevention of injuries among tree service workers

Details

• Corporate Authors:
  New Jersey. Department of Health
• Description:
  During Superstorm Sandy, 20 of the 72 deaths directly caused by the hurricane were attributed to trees, according to the National Hurricane Center. In addition, downed trees and branches caused road closures and widespread power outages. To fully restore power, an estimated 48,000 trees had to be removed or trimmed. Tree care workers were an important part of the response and recovery efforts, working to clear trees and branches from roadways, homes, and power lines. Tree care work is hazardous; between 1992 and 2007, 1,285 tree care workers died on the job. With federal grant funding, Margaret Lumia, PhD, project leader of the Department's Occupational Health Surveillance program, Mitchel Rosen, PhD and Elizabeth Marshall, PhD, both of the Rutgers School of Public Health, are working on a project to better understand tree-related injuries. The project focuses on further understanding occupational hazards, tree care infrastructure, and strategies to prevent injuries among workers, volunteers, and residents. An advisory group has been formed to engage stakeholders in the industry, including large and small employers, insurers, immigrant worker centers, non-profits, and volunteer organizations. Conference calls with the advisory group and interviews of stakeholders will provide a broad understanding of the industry. New sources of data on tree-related injuries will be included such as syndromic surveillance data from emergency departments. Focus groups among workers, in both English and Spanish, will help evaluate existing training and prevention efforts. Ultimately the project team will develop recommendations for future training, educational outreach, and possible policy changes. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Education Environmental Exposure Environmental Pollution Mortality Occupational Health Public Health Safety Staff Development Workplace
• Keywords:
  Environmental Exposure Environmental Hazards Fatalities Injuries Natural Disasters Public Health Training Tree Trimmers Work Environment Workers
• Publisher:
  New Jersey Department of Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Newsletter
• Place as Subject:
  New Jersey ; OSHA Region 2
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  4
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20048086
• Citation:
  NJ Health Matters 2015 Sep-Oct; :4
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2015
• Performing Organization:
  New Jersey Department of Health
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20130930
• Source Full Name:
  New Jersey Health Matters
• End Date:
  20150929
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:3cba1952ef308e510b011ca11225d4101760a44d4398070d2b80e690bff53ce971bff19fbf18bce83740ace0981524965f6c45e314d19e25584636da438f5b09
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/202951/cdc_202951_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 4.92 MB ]