NJ Fundamental & Expanded Occupational Health Surveillance

Details

• Personal Author:
  Borjan M ; Fontus H ; Lefkowitz D ; Lumia ME ; Stephens A
• 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. This project is broken into four areas of study, Occupational Health Indicators (OHI), Silicosis, Work-related Asthma (WRA) and Fatality Assessment Control and Evaluation (FACE). Presented below are the goals for each area of study. OHIs 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. The WRA Surveillance project identifies potential cases of WRA; classifies cases in accordance with established case confirmation criteria; evaluates exposures associated with the cases; identifies new industries, occupations and causes associated with this condition; and implements interventions to prevent WRA in New Jersey. Occupational exposure to respirable crystalline silica is a serious but preventable health hazard. Exposure to RCS occurs in construction, mining, manufacturing and other industries, and can result in silicosis and other lung diseases. The overall goals of the Silicosis Surveillance Project are to: identify potential cases of silicosis; classify cases in accordance with established case confirmation criteria; evaluate exposures associated with the cases; identify new industries, occupations, and causes associated with this condition; and implement interventions to prevent silicosis in New Jersey. The overall goal of the FACE project is to maintain and expand the surveillance system for identifying work-related fatal injuries in New Jersey. FACE researchers seek to prevent work-related fatal injuries by identifying and investigating work situations at high risk for injury, and then formulating and disseminating prevention strategies to those who can intervene in the workplace. Improvements have been seen in worker health and safety over the years. Fatality rates among construction workers reached a five year low in 2012 at 6.2 fatalities / 100,000 construction workers. Annual rates for New Jersey work-related hospitalizations have decreased from 143 per 100,000 in 2000 to 97 per 100,000 in 2011. Despite these positive statistics, challenges remain. For example, compared with other US workers, NJ workers experience higher rates of respiratory disease including pneumoconiosis. In addition, annual, age-standardized mortality rates between 2000 and 2011 (5.8-13.8 deaths per million residents) have been much higher for asbestosis in NJ than the US (5.2-6.9 deaths per million residents). Also, the annual, age-standardized rate of hospitalization due to asbestosis between 2000 and 2011 (170-277 hospitalizations/million residents) is also higher than the US (33-103 hospitalizations/million residents). [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Asthma, Occupational Epidemiology Occupational Health Public Health Safety Silicon Dioxide
• Keywords:
  Crystalline Silica Injuries Injury Prevention Occupational Asthma Occupational Health Public Health Silicosis Surveillance Programs
• 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:
  1-72
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20067628
• 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, 2015 Sep; :1-72
• Contact Point Address:
  Margaret E. Lumia, PhD, MPH, Principal Investigator, New Jersey Department of Health, Consumer, Environmental and Occupational Health Service, Occupational Health Surveillance Unit, PO Box 369, Trenton, New Jersey 08625-0369
• Email:
  Margaret.Lumia@doh.state.nj.us
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2015
• 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-512:6ddffaa9da16a0afb9149d7097099da73c1fd1958b6fabec76a4ff193a3b3eb2da0dfffca82056f41d3f1af04d4d5b6b2ec68bfdefec444b3de3e0df8863c94e
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/219203/cdc_219203_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 2.74 MB ]