Western States Occupational Network (WestON) meeting

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Over the past decade, the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE) has worked in collaboration with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) towards the goal of increasing state-based occupational health surveillance capacity. A long-term goal of the CSTE Occupational Health Subcommittee is to build, in collaboration with NIOSH, minimum capacity for the surveillance of work-related injuries and illnesses at the state level. The overall goal of the WestON meeting is to strengthen state-based occupational epidemiology in the Western region through capacity building and scientific collaboration, including the ongoing surveillance of work-related injuries and diseases, investigation of cases and outbreaks, and dissemination of information for public health prevention. By convening state-based occupational health epidemiologists and scientists from 19 western states, NIOSH and OSHA federal partners, and the NIOSH-funded Education and Research Centers (ERCs) and Agricultural Research Centers, the WestON meeting addresses the large burden of work-related injuries and illnesses in the rapidly growing Western states, the need to enhance state-based occupational safety and health program capacity, and has an impact by providing training and content for new and established state-based occupational epidemiology efforts. The WestON meeting aligns with several NIOSH NORA Sector and Cross-Sector Program goals, including Agricultural, Forestry and Fishing (AFF); Mining; Oil and Gas Extraction; and Respiratory Health. In addition, the WestON meeting aligns with the goals of the NIOSH Health Hazard Evaluation Program and Worker Health Surveillance Health. By bringing partners together to present and discuss topics of scientific and public health importance, the WestON meeting also aligns with the NIOSH 2019-2023 Strategic Goals to reduce occupational immune, infectious, and dermal disease; occupational musculoskeletal disorders; occupational respiratory disease; improve workplace safety to reduce traumatic injuries; and promote safe and healthy work design and well-being. Within the NORA Sectors noted above, topics at the WestON meetings address Intermediate Goals 1.1 Pesticide Exposure and Neurologic Disorders; 3.1, 3.3 and 3.6 Infectious Disease Transmission; 3.4 Exposures Related to Asthma; 4.2 and 4.8 MSD Interventions; 4.4 MSD Risk Factors; 4.5 Risk Factors for Back Injuries; 5.1 Fixed Airways Diseases; 5.2 and 5.8 Exposure to Mineral Dusts; 5.4 and 5.7 Work-Related Asthma; 5.5 Dust-Induced Respiratory Diseases; 5.6 and 5.11 Fixed Airways Diseases; 5.10 Silica-Induced Respiratory Diseases; 6.1 Traumatic Injuries Among High Risk Populations; 6.5 and 6.6 Machine-related injuries; 6.9 Excessive Heat Exposure; 6.11 Motor Vehicle Crashes; 6.13 Falls; 6.14 Transportation Incidents; 6.15 Machine-related injuries; 6.16 Slips, Trips and Falls; 7.1, 7.5 and 7.10 Non-standard Work Arrangements; and 7.2 Work Organization. Short-term outcomes include participant demographics which help assess the representation by all western state health departments; general satisfaction with the meeting; usefulness of each session of the meeting; changes in knowledge/abilities per and post meeting; representation and participation by all 19 western state health departments; and engagement by regional ERCs, Agricultural Centers, universities and worker organizations. Intermediate (medium-term) outcomes include improving occupational injury surveillance in western states; increasing occupational injury prevention interventions; identifying western occupational health priorities and issues; increasing completion of Occupational Health Indicators by Western states; and increasing collaborative publications and presentations at national conferences. The key long- term outcome of the WestON meeting is to increase the occupational epidemiology capacity in the 19 Western states.