Introduction to Worker Health Charts: A Data Query and Visualization Web Application

BACKGROUND: Occupational health statistics that describe the nature and extent of occupational injuries, illnesses, fatalities, hazards, and exposures are offered by many independent sources. Managers, scientists, and occupational health professionals from federal and state public health agencies rely on these data to monitor trends in occupational injuries, illnesses, and fatalities in US workers. These data are also used to prioritize research and public health interventions, as well as measure the impact of public health programs. Widespread use of these data are hampered by the lack of user-friendly functionality, such as the inability to easily create charts This presentation will describe a web application for data query and visualization that allows users to create customized charts from one of several available data sources. 

METHODS: The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) developed a database driven web application titled “Worker Health Charts” (WHC), to query and portray occupational health surveillance data. The most up-to-date data from public data sources are downloaded into a CDC SQL server.  Data currently available in WHC include the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI), Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses (SOII), and Current Population Survey (CPS).  Additional sources include data from the Adult Blood Lead Epidemiology and Surveillance (ABLES) program, the Sentinel Event Notification System for Occupational Risk (SENSOR)-Pesticides, and the National Health interview Survey (NHIS), including its Occupational Health Supplement. WHC is a user-friendly way to create charts.  Using data from a single data source, the user can select and chart outcomes and variables of interest, including major industry and occupation categories, exposures, demographic variables, etc. This web application is intended for both technical (e.g., researchers and academicians) and non-technical (students and the general public) users.

RESULTS: This WHC application provides researchers and public health professionals with occupational health data in a user friendly format.  Output from each individual data source can be viewed in various graphic formats. We anticipate that the WHC will assist in the timely identification and response to emerging occupational health issues.

CONCLUSIONS: The public health community needs comprehensive, timely occupational health and safety surveillance data. These data can be used to help prevent occupational injury and illness by guiding research, and intervention programs. WHC is a one-stop location for several occupational health data sources, and data from each individual source can be viewed in various graphic formats, which is anticipated to increase usage of the data.