NJ Fundamental Occupational Health Surveillance

Details

• Personal Author:
  Borjan M
• Description:
  The Occupational Health Surveillance Unit in the New Jersey Department of Health has been conducting surveillance of work-related injuries and illnesses in New Jersey since 1981. This project works to enhance surveillance and prevention activities fundamental to an established program. The aims of this project are to: conduct population-based surveillance using existing state data sources; continue case-based surveillance of serious work-related conditions that require immediate public health response; foster integration of occupational health into ongoing public health activities; and promote collaboration with various stakeholders to improve state occupational health surveillance capacity. Presented below are the goals for each area of study. 1. Occupational Health Indicators provide a snapshot of the health of workers in New Jersey. These indicators can be used by public health officials to track work-related adverse health effects and their causes, and guide priorities for prevention and intervention efforts. Population-based surveillance of specified OHIs will be conducted in order to estimate their magnitude and trends particularly in vulnerable populations. Using the state's hospital discharge data, project staff will also compose a picture of the frequency of occupational related burns among vulnerable populations. 2. A new Occupational Health Indicator will also be developed for occupational eye injuries and submitted to the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE) for adoption and implementation in applicable states to expand surveillance of occupational injuries. 3. Surveillance, case follow-up, and interventions of elevated heavy metals exposure, including lead, among adults will also be conducted. Based on this knowledge, intervention strategies can be devised to reach at-risk working populations. Improvements have been seen in worker health and safety over the years and the implementation of new data collection methods have improved surveillance of work-related illnesses and injuries in New Jersey. Elevated blood lead values > 25ug/dL in workers employed in certain industries are still seen, but there has been a trend that indicates decreasing blood lead levels in adults over time which may be due to the closing of a large lead acid battery manufacturing facility and the implementation of an electronic reporting system which more efficiently collects reported heavy metals cases. However, challenges still remain. For example, compared with other US workers, New Jersey workers still experience higher rates of pneumoconiosis. Annual, age-standardized mortality rates for asbestosis between 2000 and 2019 were 4.4-13.8 deaths per million residents in New Jersey compared to U.S. rates which were 3.8-6.9 deaths per million residents. Also, the annual, age-standardized rate of hospitalization due to asbestosis between 2000 and 2019 in New Jersey was 66.0-277.0 hospitalizations/million residents. The occupational health indicators continue to provide baseline data for the New Jersey Fundamental Surveillance Program and serves as a useful means to identify specific populations at risk, provide benchmarks for intervention and opportunities for education. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Morbidity Mortality Occupational Health Public Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Blood Lead Levels Injuries Injury Prevention Morbidity Rates Mortality Rates Pneumoconiosis Public Health Surveillance
• Series:
  Grant Final Reports
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Final Cooperative Agreement Report
• Place as Subject:
  New Jersey ; OSHA Region 2
• 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:
  1-18
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20065804
• 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, U60-OH-008485, 2021 Sep; :1-18
• Contact Point Address:
  Marija Borjan, PhD, MPH, New Jersey Department of Health, Consumer, Environmental and Occupational Health Service, Occupational Health Surveillance Unit, PO Box 369, Trenton, New Jersey 08625-0369
• Email:
  Marija.Borjan@doh.state.nj.us
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2021
• Performing Organization:
  New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• End Date:
  20260630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:97ca2d91c3ef87c56a661271cc656d967068374ce20ebcf9664b5d566b4a0d2f6f9e2878532223d6b382a71f551361deebff012c532848eabdda1d9748cdc669
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/219126/cdc_219126_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 515.93 KB ]