Census of Fatal Occupation Injuries: Issues and Initiatives

BACKGROUND:  The CSTE has requested greater access to CFOI source documents and data for use in public health initiatives at the state level. While BLS seeks to support this objective, occasionally other issues, such as the confidentiality of some source documents, can affect the level of cooperation the Bureau is able to provide. Finding a balance between the requirements of the surveillance work done by the program and the needs of other organizations needing greater access to documents and/or to more detailed data is the focal point of this presentation.   METHODS:  The CFOI is an annual national census of fatal work injuries in the U.S., conducted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) in cooperation with state partners. The CFOI program employs a multiple-source document collection protocol, using mostly existing source documents such as death certificates, OSHA reports, and news media accounts. Requests for greater access to CFOI source documents and data presents an opportunity for collaboration, but may also involve other issues, such as the confidentiality of source documents, which can hinder full cooperation at least at the individual case level. Many source document providers require that the CFOI program keep data from their documents confidential. Over the past year, the CFOI program has looked at a number of ways to expand cooperation without compromising existing agreements or requirements. Several projects are currently in development to further this intention.  RESULTS:  The CFOI program has been exploring ways to assist the CSTE over the past year and has begun a number of initiatives designed to support that effort. First, the program is developing some special compilations of source documents that can be shared with the CSTE or with others with an interest in case-level information. Second, the Bureau is looking at ways to reduce the amount of confidential source documents--which currently accounts for 70 percent of collected date--by engaging national source document providers and by encouraging the same at the state level. Third, the Bureau is also exploring changes to the publishability thresholds. These initiatives, plus how the Bureau is responding to the remaining challenges, will be discussed.   CONCLUSIONS:  The CFOI program is actively engaged in developing policies and products to better serve the public health community without jeopardizing the important role of CFOI as the primary surveillance program for fatal work injuries in the U.S. These initiatives should greatly assist the CSTE in the shared goal of reducing fatal injuries in the workplace.