Washington State Occupational Health Indicators: 2000–2014 Trends

Details

• Personal Author:
  Anderson NJ ; Bonauto DK ; Wuellner SE
• Description:
  Washington State is home to over 3.5 million workers who form the foundation of the state's thriving economy. Every year, tens of thousands of Washington workers are injured or made ill on the job. These work-related injuries and illnesses have high human and economic costs, but are preventable. Occupational Health Indicators (OHI) are a set of metrics that provide an overview and general assessment of the employment characteristics and occupational health of Washington State. This report presents the WA OHI data for 2000-2014 to assess injury trends over time and inform prevention efforts. KEY FINDINGS - Employment characteristics: 1. Washington workers are aging, which may put more workers at risk for occupational injuries and illnesses. 2. The workforce is also becoming more racially/ethnically diverse, with implications for training and prevention. 3. The percentage of workers employed in high-risk industries and occupations increased, warranting additional resources and prevention efforts. Injury and illness outcomes: 1. Large declines over time in work-related hospitalizations; 2. Small declines in work-related fatalities, including fatal injuries and deaths from pneumoconiosis; 3. No change in rates of mesothelioma; and 4. Rates of workers' compensation claims for amputations and work-related pesticide poisonings increased during first part of the study period, before declining to rates in 2014 that were similar to rates observed at the beginning of the study period. Interventions: 1. Washington's state OSHA (DOSH) enforcement activities are reaching fewer establishments and covering fewer employees. CONCLUSIONS: Current declines in many work-related injuries and illnesses are encouraging. However, trends may change, especially given the increase in workers in high-risk industries and the decrease in the reach of DOSH enforcement activities. Appropriate training and prevention activities are still needed to ensure that workplace injury and illness rates continue to decline among all industries, occupations, and workers. This is especially true for work-related fatalities and mesothelioma, where rates experienced little change over the fifteen years. The OHI do not explain why rates might be changing; further studies can identify the factors that drive occupational injury and illness rates, and to what extent systemic changes within data sources affect rates. Finally, the OHI provide a partial view of workplace health and safety. Washington should continue to explore additional measures to monitor facets of occupational health that reflect state and local priorities and emerging issues. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Accident Prevention Accidents Accidents, Occupational Aging Epidemiology Neoplasms Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Preventive Medicine Race Factors Safety Staff Development Workplace

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• Keywords:
  Accident Prevention Accident Rates Accident Statistics Aging Workforce Disease Prevention Diversity Exposure Assessment Injuries Injury Prevention Mesothelioma Occupational Hazards Occupational Health Occupational Health Programs Occupational Safety Programs Preventive Medicine Racial Factors Training Worker Health Worker Safety Workers Compensation Workplace Studies

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• Publisher:
  Washington State Department of Labor and Industries
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Report
• Place as Subject:
  OSHA Region 10 ; Washington
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1-44
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20058439
• Citation:
  Olympia, WA: Washington State Department of Labor and Industries, 80-14-2019, 2019 Sep; :1-44
• Contact Point Address:
  Safety and Health Assessment and Research for Prevention (SHARP) Program, Washington State Department of Labor and Industries, PO Box 44330, Olympia, WA 98504-4330
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2019
• Performing Organization:
  Washington State Department of Labor and Industries
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  Washington state occupational health indicators: 2000-2014 trends
• End Date:
  20260630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:0746e6195e5248764df1282edcc930325a5e79899cf25af736b4ce9320c9f183c922e0b65c658ecdd7d06124da3dc786d8b482a91ef5e98390b1b839993c33fe
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/221531/cdc_221531_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 2.23 MB ]