Improving Occupational Health in Oregon: Turning Data to Action

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

PROJECT SUMMARY The Oregon Occupational Public Health Program (OPHP) is a mature and productive occupational health surveillance system. With continuous funding from NIOSH since 1992, the OPHP has excelled at cultivating partnerships, conducting surveillance, and occupational health education/outreach. Since 2002, our Expanded Program has operated as a unique university-government collaboration between Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) and the Oregon Health Authority (OHA). The foundation of this work rests on our fundamental surveillance system that includes collection and analysis of occupational health indicators (OHIs), and on our Expanded Program surveillance activities, including workplace fatality prevention through the Oregon Fatality Assessment Control & Evaluation (OR-FACE) project. Our dissemination efforts leverage decades of experience, partnerships and systems available through the Outreach Program at the Oregon Institute of Occupational Health Sciences at OHSU. Accomplishment highlights (2015-current) include an in- depth evaluation of our surveillance system; examination of work-related traumatic brain injuries; assessment of non-disabling workers compensation claims among young workers; a new state-of-the art fatality surveillance database; fatality prevention outreach through training partnerships; and innovative fatality prevention outreach with small construction firms and agricultural employers. The need for occupational safety and health surveillance programs remains high. While some occupational health indicators (OHIs) have improved in Oregon, workplace injuries and illnesses remain far too common. In 2017, Oregon had over 46,000 work-related injuries and illnesses, and experienced 688 million dollars in worker’s compensation claims. The Oregon occupational fatality rate was 3.1 deaths per 100,000 workers in 2018 (2018 US average = 3.5), but lower rates are achievable. In our renewal agenda, we will continue to provide state-level leadership for occupational public health, and create action through collaborative surveillance, partnerships, and impactful outreach. Our overarching goal is to provide quality surveillance data and intervention recommendations (outputs) to safety professionals who can take actions to promote workplace health and save lives (impacts and outcomes). To accomplish this goal and achieve our target outcomes, we propose an innovative program strategy with the following specific aims: (1) Maintain and improve fundamental occupational surveillance systems through Occupational Health Indicator (OHI) activities; (2) Investigate emerging issues, occupational illnesses and injuries; (3) Place underserved and vulnerable worker populations at the center of occupational health surveillance; and (4) Promote collaboration, communications, workforce development and translation of science into action.