Through surveillance of several National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA), Healthy People, and Washington State Department of Labor and Industries priority conditions including occupational asthma (OA), adult lead poisoning, musculoskeletal disorders of the upper extremity, low back disorders, dermatitis, hospitalized burns, traumatic head and brain injuries (THBI) as well as assaults, the Safety and Health Assessment and Research for Prevention (SHARP) program will demonstrate the application of a comprehensive, occupational surveillance program. Through demonstration of the proposed surveillance program, SHARP will create a systematic model for adoption by other states. To allow for adaptability, SHARP proposes development of a modular approach which demonstrates several approaches to outcome based surveillance, hazard based surveillance, and subsequent prevention activities. The proposed project will address the following aims: 1) Conduct a survey of state based occupational surveillance programs to determine currently employed approaches to surveillance and prevention, program capabilities, and program opinion leaders. 2) Demonstrate a modular approach to occupational surveillance. This modular approach should encompass the use of different data sources for priority conditions selected by an individual program. 3) Develop modules for the creation, dissemination, and evaluation of prevention efforts. 4) Conduct an employer/employee survey to further identify etiologic agents or practices in one identified industry. 5) Develop an Internet based library of surveillance modules and prevention materials. 6) Produce and disseminate three surveillance reports for WA State priority conditions per year. 7) Produce and disseminate two prevention reports to employers or employees per year. Through the proposed project, SHARP will demonstrate the utilization of several data sources for the surveillance of occupational diseases and hazards. Further, SHARP will demonstrate the analysis of such data, the creation of simple public health interventions using surveillance data, the implementation of interventions, and the evaluation of interventions using surveillance data. Finally, SHARP will produce a web accessible library of materials detailing the methodology of the various components of the surveillance program including prevention materials that may be modified and disseminated in other states.
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