NIOSH and State Occupational Health Surveillance Partners: Annual Update and Meeting

BACKGROUND:  NIOSH and state OH surveillance cooperative agreement personnel convene to exchange information and knowledge necessary to coordinate, integrate, and strengthen federal and state occupational health (OH) surveillance programs. The annual meeting of the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists serves as a venue for one of these meetings.  

METHODS: The purpose of this meeting is to convene NIOSH and state OH surveillance leaders and professionals to a) increase occupational safety and health program capacity and performance in the U.S., b) strengthen OH surveillance program development, c) coordinate federal and state OH surveillance activities and priorities, d) support methods and practices for generating and disseminating OH Indicators, project-specific/priority focus area (PFA) data and/or emerging issues and   e) foster effective communication for the protection of workers in the U.S.

 RESULTS:  This meeting will focus on updates of projects of mutual interest to states and NIOSH, including: ongoing state and NIOSH activities related to the integration of industry and occupation into electronic health records; the addition of industry and occupation into the BRFSS survey, use of worker compensation for  OH surveillance;  2013 Winter meeting planning; states needs for technical assistance and resources from NIOSH; regional occupational health surveillance meetings; and other topics.

CONCLUSIONS: Information presented at the meeting provide the foundation for future collaborative efforts between NIOSH and state OH surveillance partners.