The Florida Department of Health, Division of Environmental Health, Bureau of Environmental Public Health Medicine (EPHM) is proposing to establish a State-Based Occupational Safety and Health Surveillance Program with funds received from CDC/NIOSH.
EPHM aims to develop and implement a Fundamental State-Based Occupational Safety and Health Surveillance Program by collecting and analyzing various data sets including data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and Surveys, Florida hospital discharge, ambulatory and emergency departments, vital statistics death file, Florida Cancer Registry, census information and other data sources in order to produce and disseminate information on the CDC/CSTE occupational health indicators relevant to Florida. Additionally, EPHM will work collaboratively with numerous partners including universities, local, state, and federal agencies to identify new data sources to enhance ongoing surveillance activities. EPHM plans to use these data sources to gain a better understanding of the health impact of occupational exposures and injuries in Florida. EPHM will compare Florida's experience with statistics from other states in order to develop a better overall view of Florida's experience compared to the nation. Florida also plans to convene an Occupational Health Surveillance Program Advisory Board. This group will have representatives from clinical medicine, public health, academia and industry in Florida and will serve to guide the program in its efforts and help to prioritize surveillance efforts, disseminate findings and participate in research and prevention activities. EPHM plans to form a collaborative partnership with the University of South Florida's OSHA Training Institute Education Center to identify occupations and industries that would benefit from more in-depth surveys and investigations designed to identify interventions that reduce workplace morbidity.
