Emergency Department Visits for Heat-Related Illness Among Workers: Occupational Health Surveillance Using Washington Syndromic Surveillance Data

Details

• Personal Author:
  Spector JT ; Turner K ; Wuellner S
• Description:
  Background: Information on worker occupation and industry is critical to understanding the occupational risks of heat-related illness (HRI), yet few syndromic surveillance systems capture these key data elements. This study evaluates the work data reported through Washington syndromic surveillance for its utility in characterizing HRI ED visits by industry and occupation. Methods: Standard industry and occupation codes were assigned to employer name and occupation descriptions reported in Washington ED visit records maintained within the state's syndromic surveillance system, for visits involving HRI in 2020-2022. HRI ED visits involving workplace heat exposure were identified based on discharge diagnoses or on keywords in the triage note or chief complaint fields. HRI ED visits were summarized by patient characteristics, and visit rates were calculated by industry and occupation. Results: Employer name or occupation descriptions were reported in 21.5% of HRI ED records among patients age 16 and older, and in 41.2% of records with mention of heat exposure at work. Twice as many records were classified for industry as for occupation. Agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting and transportation and warehousing had the highest rates of HRI ED visits. Specific industries with the highest rates included support activities for agriculture and forestry, the postal service, and fruit and vegetable preserving and specialty food manufacturing. Conclusion: Syndromic surveillance data are a valuable source of occupational health surveillance information when work characteristics are reported, enhancing our understanding of the occupational risks of injuries and illnesses. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Emergency Responders Hot Temperature Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Emergency Department Emergency Care Heat-related Illness Heat Exposure Hot Environments Industry Medical Records Occupation Occupational Exposure Occupations Surveillance Syndromic Surveillance Work Exposure

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• ISSN:
  0271-3586
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  San Francisco Region [OSHA] ; Washington
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  67
• Issue:
  11
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20070100
• Citation:
  Am J Ind Med 2024 Nov; 67(11):994-1005
• Contact Point Address:
  Sara Wuellner, PhD, MPH, Washington State Department of Labor & Industries, SHARP Program, 44330, Olympia, WA 98504
• Email:
  sara.wuellner@lni.wa.gov
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2025
• Performing Organization:
  Washington State Department of Labor and Industries
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  American Journal of Industrial Medicine
• End Date:
  20260630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:e4cfc734dc75ab77eff9e1485eefcb8adb655a25a0f2bc87173a675fc132f61353995690a55a7448e51ce5142018ae0c2b733527d5973ff58ae2daa33b432d7a
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/208393/cdc_208393_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.14 MB ]