EXPOSURE ASSESSMENT

Input: Occupational Safety and Health Risks

The spectrum of occupational safety and health risks for which exposure assessment is needed includes exposure to harmful substances or environments; injury by contact with objects; slips, trips, and falls; overexertion; repetitive motion; transportation accidents; fires and explosions; and assaults and violent acts.

The Worker Health Chartbook, 2004 is a descriptive epidemiologic reference on occupational morbidity and mortality in the United States. A resource for agencies, organizations, employers, researchers, workers, and others who need to know about occupational injuries and illnesses, the Chartbook includes more than 400 figures and tables describing the magnitude, distribution, and trends of occupational injuries, illnesses, and fatalities in the United States.

The Work-Related Lung Disease (WoRLD) Surveillance Report series provides information on various work-related respiratory diseases and associated exposures in the United States. The WoRLD Surveillance Reports describe where these diseases are occurring (by industry and geographic location), who is affected (by race, gender, age, and occupation), how frequently they occur, and temporal trends. The most recent, and seventh report in the series is the Work-Related Lung Disease Surveillance Report 2007 (DHHS (NIOSH) Publication No. 2008-143 (2007)).

The NIOSH Surveillance Strategic Plan calls for the conduct of a comprehensive, nationally representative hazard survey. This initiative will build on the historic National Occupational Exposure Survey (NOES). To this end, NIOSH is planning to conduct the National Exposures at Work Survey (NEWS) in a nationally representative sample of workplaces across all industries, starting with the Health Services industry. The purpose of the survey will be to collect data about exposures to occupational hazards and associated occupational groups, use of exposure controls, and management and employee health and safety practices. The data collected in the NEWS will be made available on the NIOSH website.

Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data on occupational injuries and illnesses can be found in the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics database. Reports of special interest include:

• Case and Demographic Characteristics for Work-related Injuries and Illnesses Involving Days Away From Work
• Bureau of Labor Statistics Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries Summary, 2004
• Fatal occupational injuries by industry and selected event or exposure, 2004
• Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries
• BLS Workplace Injury and Illness Summary
• Number of nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses involving days away from work by industry and selected events or exposures leading to injury or illness, 2004