Premium
Just in the wrong place…?: Geographic tools for occupational injury/illness surveillance
Author(s) -
Neff Roni A.,
Curriero Frank C.,
Burke Thomas A.
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
american journal of industrial medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.7
H-Index - 104
eISSN - 1097-0274
pISSN - 0271-3586
DOI - 10.1002/ajim.20611
Subject(s) - medicine , occupational safety and health , occupational injury , geographic variation , environmental health , injury prevention , intervention (counseling) , poison control , public health , hazard , medical emergency , nursing , population , pathology , chemistry , organic chemistry
Background Geographic analysis is now integral to public health surveillance, but has been underused for occupational injury/illness. Methods Mapping and spatial statistics are used to examine national county‐level mean establishment Lost Workday Injury/Illness (LWDII) rates in the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Data Initiative (ODI), 1997–2001. The following questions are explored: Does occupational injury/illness vary geographically at the county level?; Does variation remain after accounting for industry hazard?; Where are rates higher or lower than expected? Results The methods provide evidence of geographic variation in nonfatal occupational injury/illness rates, including after adjusting for industry hazard. Conclusions Geographic analyses can improve intervention targeting, suggest risk factors for investigation, and make the case for targeting resources to prevention in hard‐hit areas, as well as improving ongoing surveillance. Am. J. Ind. Med. 51:680–690, 2008. Published 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.