| Abstract |
The Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) has maintained a successful fundamental Georgia Occupational Health Surveillance System (GA-OHS) in order to document the burden of occupational illnesses, injuries, and related factors. This surveillance is based on the occupational health indicators that are recommended by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE). The occupational health surveillance data was collected, analyzed, and submitted in a timely manner to NIOSH. During this past year, Georgia published a data summary entitled "Tobacco Use Worksite Wellness Policies in Georgia Public Schools" and collaborated with the state's Tobacco Use Prevention Program to include a comprehensive section on occupation in the 2016 Georgia Adult Disparities in Tobacco Use Report. Each of these publications involved the use of data sources not traditionally used in occupational health surveillance, which attests to the innovation of this fundamental surveillance program. Two data summaries on the 2013 Georgia Occupational Health Indicators have been created and submitted for DPH publication review. These summaries provide baseline data and trends and help to monitor occupational health related morbidity and mortality in Georgia. They are widely disseminated to the Georgia Department of Public Health occupational health collaborators, partners, and stakeholders. The Georgia DPH Environmental Health Program provided the OH Surveillance Program with detailed data that were used to create a data summary of describing the burden of adults with elevated blood lead levels in Georgia. The summary has been submitted for DPH publication review and will help to increase awareness of the problem and further show the need to conduct elevated blood lead follow-back activities the state. The GA-OHS began conducting the 2016 Worksite Wellness Survey. The survey will help to determine existing policies and work environments affecting physical activity, nutrition, tobacco use, injuries, health screenings, etc. In addition, employers who complete the survey and are interested in implementing worksite health programs or policies at their site will be connected with the Georgia Working on Health initiative. The GA-OHS Unit maintained an active Advisory Committee that includes representatives of key partners and stakeholder organizations and agencies. The Advisory Committee met in February 2016 and reviewed Georgia's occupational health indicators, as well as provided feedback and consultation on major activities that needed to be addressed. In summary, the primary goals of GA-OHS were to maintain a fundamental surveillance system for occupational health and safety, provide timely and ongoing data on all the recommended indicators, and use these data as the basis to inform partners, stakeholders, policymakers, and the public about leading causes of morbidity and mortality from occpational injuries and illnesses in Georgia. The GA-OHS was successful in achieving its primary goals and greatly enhanced Georgia's capabilities to analyze traditional and nontraditional data sources to further advance Georgia's worker safety and health. The GA-OHS has increased awareness regarding occupational health and safety issues and informed public health programs and Georgia's scientific community on occupational health issues and priorities. |
