Nebraska Occupational Safety and Health Program

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DESCRIPTION (Provided by Applicant): The purpose of this project is to establish a "Fundamental" occupational safety and health surveillance program for the State of Nebraska, within the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services (NDHHS), the state agency which has general supervision, control, and primary responsibility over matters relating to public health (Neb. Rev. Stat. 81-601). This program will collect and analyze surveillance data from existing public information and data sources available within NDHHS on all 19 occupational safety and health indicators which have been identified by the NIOSH-States Occupational Surveillance Work Group putting a special emphasis on underserved, high risk groups such as minorities and young workers. These indicators are specific measures of health or risk status (i.e. the occurrence of a health event or of factors associated with that event) among specific working populations. To further enhance surveillance for reportable conditions potentially associated with workplace exposures, we well develop a surveillance system to capture information on poisoning or illness due to exposure to agricultural or industrial chemicals and to provide information to guide recommendations for prevention. We will also collaborate with the Nebraska Office of Environmental Health Hazards and Indoor Air Unit to expand the Adult Blood Lead Epidemiology and Surveillance (ABLES) Program to track elevated blood lead results in adults, enhance surveillance, and provide a higher level of education and training for occupational groups and industries at high risk for lead exposure. In addition to enhanced surveillance, other activities will be prioritized to enhance the effectiveness of the program. An advisory committee of stakeholders will be convened to provide input to direct activities, educational materials will be disseminated to improve worker safety and health awareness in Nebraska, and reports will be generated to share results of data analyses.