The long-term goal of the Iowa Occupational Health & Safety Surveillance Program (OHSSP) is to promote and protect the health and safety of Iowa workers. Iowa has a current labor force of over 1.7 million workers, including roughly 110,000 agricultural workers. OHSSP work is significant because occupational health indicators show Iowa workers have a higher than average risk of mortality and morbidity in a number of areas when compared to national averages. The fatality rate for Iowa workers is 1.7 times the national average and increasing. Fatal injuries in agriculture and construction account for 30% and 16% of the total occupational fatalities in Iowa, while workers in these sectors comprise only 6% and 4%, respectively, of the Iowa workforce. In 2010, 11% of Iowa workers worked in industries at high risk for occupational morbidity compared to 7% forthe USA, and 20% of Iowa workers were employed in occupations (USA 15%) and 14% in industries (USA 12%) with a high risk of occupational mortality. Iowa consistently has a high rate of workers with elevated blood lead levels and pesticide-associated poisonings.
Aims of the Iowa OHSSP are to: a) conduct surveillance to track and trend selected occupational health indicators, illnesses, and injuries in the state; b) conduct specific project surveillance and case investigations utilizing NIOSH and state protocols and priorities; and c) disseminate technical and lay findings and recommendations through targeted outreach to workers, employers, safety and health professionals, policy makers, and the public. Specific Iowa OHSSP initiatives proposed include an Occupational Health Indicator project with multiple subprojects of national and state importance, Adult Blood Lead Epidemiology and Surveillance (ABLES), Pesticides Illness and Injury Surveillance (SENSOR Pesticides), and Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (FACE) surveillance. Innovative features include utilizing extensive collaboration between internal and external programs and-projects working on common issues to gain synergistic impact from resources while avoiding duplication. Our multi-disciplinary team of workers and researchers and robust network of partnering programs help ensure successful surveillance and dissemination efforts.
We believe the work ofthe Iowa OHSSP represents a distinct segment of high-risk Midwest and nonmetropolitan workers. By disseminating surveillance information and practical workplace updates regarding hazards relevant to workers in Iowa or similar situations, we will influence safety culture norms and work place practices, resulting in a reduction of fatal and non-fatal worker injuries and harmful exposures.
