First Regional Conference on Injury and Safety Promotion – Eastern Mediterranean

Details

• Personal Author:
  Hirshon JM
• Description:
  As one of the leading causes of death and disability in the world, human trauma and injury disproportionately affects individuals in developing countries. This is particularly true in Egypt and the Middle East. However, all too often occupational injuries are overlooked when examining injuries and injury prevention. For example, many agencies responsible for injury prevention fail to identify work injuries when discussing injuries that occur in the communities under examination. In most injury statistics, occupationally related injuries are not separately identified and by default are included in the general injury counts and rates. Work related injuries, while often a lesser part of the total injury mortality burden, can have devastating impacts on certain high vulnerability groups, such as young workers in high hazard occupations. In addition, many internationally funded projects aimed at improving livelihoods and productive youth employment does not recognize the negative effects of work-related injuries on their objectives. It is critical to ensure that work related injuries are included in major regional and global discussions. There is a critical need for a concerted, regional dialogue to address the significantly increasing morbidity and mortality from injuries in the Eastern Mediterranean Region. As an extension of our existing and successful NIH Fogarty Center funded University of Maryland/Egyptian Ministry of Health/Ain Shams University Fogarty International Collaborative Trauma and Injury Research Training (ICTIRT) Program already in place in Egypt, we received funds to support a regional conference on injuries in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO)'s Eastern Mediterranean Region Office and other partners. After receipt of initial conference funding, in part due to events in Egypt and the region, the first regional conference on injury and safety promotion was postponed and then cancelled. In consultation with our program officer, a regional conference entitled Occupational Injuries in the Arab Countries was accepted as an alternative. The overall objective of this conference was to raise awareness and exchange views on various aspects of occupational injuries and their management, aiming at limiting their humanitarian and economic costs. Additionally, it was to bring regional experts together to improve communication and to allow for future collaboration. Our successful Occupational Injuries in the Arab Countries Conference was held on June 24th- 25th, 2012 at the Le Mirage Landmark Hotel in Cairo, Egypt. The organizing committee included participation by national and regional health and safety experts, including physicians and engineers. Approximately 75 attendees attended the conference, primarily from Egypt but also from other regional countries including Kuwait and Sudan. Additional presenters included a representative from WHO's Eastern Mediterranean Region Office as well as medical officer from the Division of Surveillance Hazard Evaluation and Health Studies of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Examples of topics discussed included: Technologic Innovations, Epidemiology of Occupational Injuries, Developing Research Agendas for Occupational Injuries; Occupational Injuries in Egypt; and Health Related-Quality of Life of injured Workers in Eastern Delta region of Egypt (see attached agenda). Presentations were primarily in person, but web-based presentations allowed for participation by individuals unable to attend the conference in person. Despite significant obstacles, for example the first day of the conference coincided with the announcement of the election of Mohamed Morsi impacting attendance, the conference was successful and allowed for significant national and regional discussion. A number of specific draft recommendations were developed, including 1) to encourage close cooperation and coordination between medical, engineering and administrative professions to create safer work environments; 2) to develop more research capacity and funding for injury prevention and control initiatives; and 3) to encourage good safety practices in various economic facilities. Plans were initiated for a second Occupational Injuries in Arab Conference, but have been placed on hold due to the continued political situation in Egypt and Eastern Mediterranean Region. However, we are collaborating with multiple Egyptian institutions and governmental organizations to study and implement these recommendations and continue to work on improving research related to occupational injuries. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Education Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Information Dissemination Injuries Injury Prevention Occupational Hazards Occupational Health Safety Practices
• Series:
  Grant Final Reports
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Final Grant Report
• Place as Subject:
  Maryland ; OSHA Region 3
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  OEP - Office of Extramural Programs
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1-4
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20055140
• Citation:
  Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, R13-OH-009559, 2014 Nov; :1-4
• Contact Point Address:
  Jon Mark Hirshon, MD, PhD, MPH, University of Maryland, Baltimore, 110 S. Paca Street, 4th Floor, Baltimore, Maryland
• Email:
  jhirshon@umaryland.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2015
• Performing Organization:
  University of Maryland, Baltimore
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20090901
• Source Full Name:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• End Date:
  20120831
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:39f3a9912c9804c9c6e6be608bf5cc22e9ecd68902750434be4be98ba4af33f4d3e33bb876ca49dc57a2c2c1ef220f78b5f09dc9d3c631dfa5df6147dde02497
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/218836/cdc_218836_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 161.44 KB ]