MERGING OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND INJURY PREVENTION ACTIVITIES IN A STATE GOVERNMENT AGENCY
NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTHBUREAU OF OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND INJURY PREVENTION
Kitty Gelberg
AN ANTHROPOLOGICAL STUDY OF CULTURES
Bureau of Occupational Health
Bureau of Injury
Prevention
JUNE 2011
Bureau of Occupational Health
Bureau of Injury
Prevention
• Separate locations• Disparate focus• Unique approaches
REALITY
Bureau of Occupational Health
REALITY X2Injury Prevention Program
• Identity loss• Changes to procedures,
administration• Too much oversight / too little
management• Too little understanding of their work
Creation of Bureau Name merged after one year – July 2012 – Bureau of Occupational Health and Injury Prevention Office moved in July 2012, but
Injury Personnel didn’t join us until September 2012
Bureau of Occupational Health & Injury Prevention
Asbestos Safety Training
Certification
Industrial Hygiene &
Intervention Services
Injury PreventionOccupational Health
Surveillance
ALL GRANT FUNDED
HALF GRANT
FUNDED
Bureau Programs Oversee PREVENTION of occupational
injuries and illnesses Quantify and describe the occupational
disease/injury burden in the state Investigate and intervene in any situation with a
continued risk of exposure / Provide training Develop, implement and evaluate interventions
that will reduce the risk of exposures in the future Monitor both the acute and chronic health effects of
exposure Increase the medical communities awareness about
adverse health effects from occupational exposures
Approaches:
The 4 E’s: Engineering Enforcement Education
Encouragement Evaluation
INJURY
Partner-ships
Approaches:
The 4 E’s: Engineering Enforcement Education
Encouragement Evaluation
The 4 E’s: Engineering
Offer potential solutions using hierarchy of control
Enforcement Referrals to OSHA
Education Evaluation
INJURY OCCUPATIONAL
Partner-ships
Approaches: Applied research
Research to practice (R2P) Prevention / Safety through Design Use of evidence-based strategies
Proving and promising Partnerships Data driven
Injury Prevention Topic Areas
Motor Vehicle Child Passenger Occupant Restraint Teen Driver
Curriculum development Older Driver Drowsy Driving Motorcycle
Non-motorized Transport Pedestrian Bicycle
Scooter Skateboard In-line Skates
Non-traffic Shaken Baby Syndrome
Child maltreatment Falls in Older Adults
Other Poisoning Childhood Unintentional
Injuries Fire Drowning Sports Home Safety
Future? Violence
Homicide Suicide Rape
Approaches to Data
It’s GREAT! Have 100% E-
codes for injuries
It’s WRONG! – Undercounts Misclassifies
INJURY OCCUPATIONAL
Joint partnership with DOH, DMV, HRI, GTSC and SED. Newly added Motor Vehicles Carriers Assn.
Is Drivers’ Education effective? Develop a model effective curriculum for NYS Panel of experts in research, curriculum
development, secondary education, behavior, insurance, driver education, industry
Update NYSED Guidelines from 1989 Create a module for distracted driving
Pilot, get acceptance, incorporate into Guidelines, move forward
Sports Safety Concussion Management and Awareness
Act signed into law in September 2011 Athletes with a suspected concussion must
be: Removed from play immediately; Symptom-free for at least 24 hours; and Evaluated and cleared by a licensed physician
before returning to play. Applicable to workers?
Professional athletes TBI among workers Other sports related topics? Heat stress?
Workers
Fall Prevention in Elderly Currently implementing evidence-based
programs to reduce falls in 3 counties.o Tai Chi: Moving for Better Balance
o Community dwelling who can walk with easeo Stepping On
o At risk of or have a fear of fallingo Otago
o High risk, 80+ years with a fall within the previous yearo Steadi
o Incorporate fall risk assessment and prevention into clinical practice
o Add program for working elderly
Occupational Health Programs
Surveillance Systems: Heavy Metals
Lead, Mercury, Arsenic, Cadmium Occupational Lung Diseases Pesticide Poisonings Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries
Research: Employer Interviews for SOII
ConfirmationPrograms: Fatality Assessment and Control
Evaluation Occupational Health Clinic Network Young Workers
Bureau of Occupational Health & Injury Prevention
Asbestos Safety Training
CertificationIndustrial Hygiene &
Intervention Services
Injury PreventionOccupational Health
Surveillance
Bureau of Occupational Health & Injury Prevention
Asbestos Safety Training
Certification
Epidemiology and
Surveillance
Intervention, Outreach and
Prevention
Registries
Surveillance
CFOI IT Home Work Community
AuditsEnforcement
QUESTIONS?