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Occupational Health
Occupational health surveillance is the tracking of injuries, illnesses, hazards, and exposures that may be occupationally related. Any work place can have hazards that put workers at risk for occupational health injuries and illnesses. Work-related injuries, illnesses, and deaths are largely preventable. The Louisiana Department of Health Occupational Health and Injury Surveillance Program tracks work-related injuries and illnesses in attempts to better understand the underlying issues leading to these conditions in order to implement efforts to reduce these numbers and improve the health and safety of Louisiana work places.
Tracking Occupational Health in Louisiana
The occupational health indicators on the Health Data Explorer are a set of surveillance measures used to monitor the health of the Louisiana workforce. Each measure highlights a risk factor or category of injury and illness, usually expressed as the number of occurrences among the relevant population. These measures help to track occurrences over time, comparison between individual states and the nation, and to highlight areas that may need additional exploration. The occupational health measures were created through a joint effort between the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE) and the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). For a more detailed description of these measures, please see the Glossary of Terms.
Lead Poisonings
Number of cases, incident rates, and prevalence rates of cases with elevated blood lead levels of greater than or equal to 10 mcg/dL, 25 mcg/dL, and 40 mcg/dL
Pesticide Poisonings
Number and Incident rates of reported work-related pesticide poisoning cases
Asbestosis Deaths
Number of asbestosis deaths
Age Adjusted asbestosis death rate
Asbestosis death rate
High Risk Industries and Jobs
Number and Percent of employed persons in high mortality risk occupations and industries
Pneumoconiosis Deaths
Number, Crude Rate, and Age Adjusted Rate of coal workers’ pneumoconiosis deaths
Number of other and unspecified pneumoconiosis deaths
Number and Crude Death Rate of total pneumoconiosis deaths
Annual Age Adjusted total pneumoconiosis death rate
Health and Safety Professionals
Rate of board-certified safety health professionals
Rate of board-certified industrial hygienists
Rate of board-certified occupational health registered nurses
Rate of board-certified occupational physicians
Amputations
Number and Incident Rates of Amputations involving days away from work.
Asbestosis Injuries/Illnesses
Number, Rate, and Age Adjusted Rate of Asbestosis hospital discharges
Burn Hospitalizations
Number and Rate of work-related burn hospitalizations
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Cases
Number and Incident Rates of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Cases
Number and Incident Rates of Carpal Tunnel cases filed with workers compensation
Days Away from Work
Number and Incident Rates for cases with days away from work
Number of Cases with greater than 10 days away from work
Fatal Work-Related Injuries
Number and Crude Rate of Work-Related Fatalities
High Risk Injuries
Number and Percent of employed persons in high morbidity risk North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Industries
High Risk Occupations
Average Number and Percent of workers in high morbidity risk 1990 Bureau of Census occupations
Malignant Mesothelioma
Number, Incident Rates, and Age Adjusted Rate Incident Rates of incident mesothelioma cases
Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSD)
Number and Incidence Rates of MSDs of neck, shoulders, and upper extremities
Number and Incidence Rates of MSDs of the back
Number and Incident Rates of MSDs
Non-Fatal Injuries/Illnesses
Number and Incidence Rates of Work-related Injuries/Illnesses
Pneumoconiosis Injuries/Illnesses
Number, Age Adjusted Rate, and Crude Rate of coal workers’ pneumoconiosis hospital discharge
Number, Age Adjusted Rate, and Crude Rate of other and unspecified pneumoconiosis hospital discharges
Number, Age Adjusted Rate, and Crude Rate of total pneumoconiosis hospital discharges
Silicosis Injuries/Illnesses
Number, Rate, and Age Adjusted Rate of Silicosis hospital discharges
Work-Related Hospitalizations
Number and Crude Rate of work-related hospitalizations
Work-related low back disorder hospitalizations
Number of work-related low back disorder hospitalizations for persons age greater than or equal to 16 years
Number of work-related surgical low back disorder hospitalizations for persons age greater than or equal to 16 years
Rate of work-related low back disorder hospitalizations
Rate of work-related surgical low back disorder hospitalization
Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) Inspections
Number of employees under OSHA jurisdiction whose work areas were inspected
Number of employees whose work areas were inspected by OSHA
Number of establishments inspected by Federal/State OSHA
Number of establishments under OSHA jurisdiction
Percent of all establishments under OSHA jurisdiction inspected by OSHA
Percent of OSHA-covered employees eligible for inspection whose work areas were inspected
Workers Compensation Benefits
Average amount of workers’ compensation benefits paid per covered worker ($)
Total amount of workers’ compensation benefits paid ($)
Data Sources
Additional Info
- LDH Occupational Health Surveillance
- Occupational Safety and Health Administration
- National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
- Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists – Occupational Health Indicators
- Bureau of Labor Statistics – Injuries, Illnesses, and Fatalities
- Louisiana Tumor Registry
- LDH State Registrar and Vital Records
- American Association of Poison Control Centers
Contact
For more info, contact the Louisiana Environmental Public Health Tracking Program at tracking@la.gov or call 1-888-293-7020.