The purpose of this funding will be to establish a fundamental, state-based occupational health surveillance program. Surveillance will provide the data needed to document the magnitude of occupational health and safety issues, set research priorities, and target and evaluate interventions and policies to improve worker and safety health in Colorado. This program will rely on existing data sources in state and federal public health and labor agencies, pubic and private healthcare provider data, academic institutions and workers compensation insurers to create a single repository for collecting valid, reliable and useful occupational safety and health information. Specific objectives for this program are to: 1) Conduct basic occupational surveillance activities including the collection, analysis, interpretation, and dissemination of findings on the incidence of occupational injuries, illnesses, deaths, hazards, and exposures in Colorado;2) Identify and interact with advisory board members and other local, state, and federal stakeholders to identify surveillance priority conditions, and identify additional surveillance datasets;3) Identify trends, emerging issues, high-risk occupations, industries, and worker populations based on surveillance data;4) Develop recommendations for workplace interventions, priorities, research, and policy based on surveillance findings;and 5) Develop and disseminate data on the magnitude of occupational injuries and illnesses. This program will contribute to the mission of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment by protecting and improving the health of Colorado's citizens through the identification of trends, emerging issues, high-risk occupations, industries, and worker populations that affect the health, safety and quality of life of Colorado workers and their families. This program will be based on NIOSH's guidelines for Minimum and Comprehensive State-Based Public Health Activities in Occupational Safety and Health and will be built on partnerships with NIOSH and Colorado's occupational health community.
| Towle, Meredith; Tolliver, Rickey; Bui, Alison Grace et al. (2015) Adding industry and occupation questions to the behavioral risk factor surveillance system: new opportunities in public health surveillance. Public Health Rep 130:153-60 |
