The Section of Epidemiology, Division of Public Health, Department of Health and Social Services, State of Alaska is submitting an application for federal assistance in response to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, RFA: OH-00-008. The Section of Epidemiology has provided direction and leadership in development of occupational injury surveillance, control, and prevention strategies, and this proposal, titled Development of State-based Occupational Surveillance, will assist the State to continue to build the State's capacity for conducting traumatic occupational injury surveillance. Through extensive cooperation and collaboration with Federal, State and private labor and occupational safety and health organizations, the Alaska Occupational Injury Prevention Program proposes to develop and implement an expanded surveillance system for targeted occupational injuries, illnesses, and hazards in seafood/fish processing industries. A project coordinator will be employed to facilitate development of the state-level surveillance database, and conduct in-depth industry-specific surveys and epidemiologic analysis. Detailed materials will be prepared pertaining to occupational risk factors and recommendations for the prevention of workplace injuries, safety training, and engineering solutions and to facilitate a collaborative multi-agency, multi-organization approach to develop prevention priorities and efficient use of state and federal resources. Data from surveillance will be maintained in a computerized database that will be used for descriptive epidemiologic studies, prioritizing prevention efforts, monitoring trends, and report generation.
