The southeast region occupational fatality rates are 37% higher than the US fatality rate. From 2008-2011, the overall southeastern occupational fatality rate was 4.8 deaths/100,000 workers compared to 3.5/100,000 for the overall US; rates were higher than overall US rates in 9 of the 12 southeastern states. The Southeastern States Occupational Health Network (SouthON) collaborative working meetings' goal over the next five years is to build on the foundation for regional occupational health surveillance (OHS) capacity and research in the 12-state Southeastern US region (Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia) through: 1) establishment of southeast regional partnerships and collaborations among state health departments, academic partners, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)- funded agricultural centers and education research centers (ERCs), agencies, organizations, and other stakeholders; 2) development of occupational injury and illness research hypotheses; 3) southeastern occupational injury and illness surveillance; 4) state and southeast regional OHS capacity optimization; and 5) translation of southeastern occupational injury and illness research into public health action and planning. Objectives of SouthON meetings are to 1) develop common priorities for OHS epidemiological analyses, and worksite interventions; 2) build partnerships with other occupational epidemiologists, NIOSH, academic colleagues, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), worker organizations, and other OHS partners; 3) provide epidemiology and program planning tools for OHS capacity building; and 4) promote scientific collaboration among OHS partners in the Southeast region. NIOSH funds will support SouthON meeting participant travel and build on SouthON's mission of optimum OHS capacity and research in the southeastern region through: 1) enhanced regional scientific collaborations; 2) analysis of OHS data sets; 3) case referrals; and 4) capacity building. These proposed efforts will contribute to the NIOSH Cross-Sector Surveillance program area. They will also address the Occupational Health Disparities program area to the extent that SouthON targets enhanced capacity toward worker populations with the most urgent and significant needs.
The overall goal of annual SouthON meetings over the next five years is to build on the foundation for regional occupational health surveillance (OHS) capacity and research in the 12-state Southeastern US region (Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia) through: 1) establishment of southeast regional partnerships and collaborations among state health departments, academic partners, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)-funded agricultural centers and education research centers (ERCs), agencies, organizations, and other stakeholders; 2) development of occupational injury and illness research hypotheses; 3) southeastern occupational injury and illness surveillance; 4) state and southeast regional OHS capacity optimization; and 5) translation of southeastern occupational injury and illness research into public health action and planning. The Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE) has documented and highlighted the lack of OHS capacity of states to sufficiently track work-related injuries and illnesses. Over the past decade, CSTE has collaborated with NIOSH to increase state-based OHS capacity and research. These efforts have resulted in 1) surveillance research publications; 2) defined roles of states in nationwide OHS systems; 3) guidelines for minimum & comprehensive state-based OHS activities; 4) a suite of CSTE- and NIOSH-recommended occupational health indicators to target health status with respect to workplace injury and illness and 5) technical assistance to states with little/no OHS capacity. Public Health Relevance. This proposed project is relevant to public health by 1) identifying industries, occupations, and worker populations at high risk for work injuries and illnesses; 2) identifying risk factors, trends, and emerging issues; and 3) identifying gaps in and improving occupational injury and illness surveillance systems in the southeast region. When injury prevention knowledge is attained by the worker, injuries will decrease and the economic costs of injuries will decrease because there will be fewer worker compensation claims.
