New Mexico Occupational Health Serveilance

New Mexico State Department Of Health, Santa Fe NM

Investigators

Abstract

? DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): New Mexico has been formally conducting state-based occupational health surveillance for over 12 years. In that time the program has assured the adoption of occupational notifiable conditions (ONC); has established a protocol, database and reporting mechanisms for the ONCs and has applied the results of ONC analysis to develop prevention recommendations. The program has also conducted surveillance through a variety of other means such as collecting, generating and interpreting all 20 of the Occupational Health Indicators, analysis of workers compensation and hospital inpatient discharge data and initiating the collection and analysis of industry and occupation on the state Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. In addition the program conducts investigations of disease and injury, provides outreach to underserved worker populations and mentors student volunteers and medical residents in occupational health surveillance. In the current Fundamental Plus application, the NMOHSP is proposing to continue fundamental occupational health surveillance through the above described activities and to conduct a single focused effort on addressing severe injury and death of workers in connection with the oil and gas industry. This will be done by investigating individual events, providing descriptive analysis of key factors around the events and partnering with regulators and industry to develop viable, achievable interventions to reduce the incidence of work related injuries in this industry sector.