Kentucky Occupational Safety and Health Surveillance (KOSHS) Program

Kentucky (Ky) ranks as the 12th worst state for nonfatal occupational injury rates and the 20th worst for fatal occupational injuries/illnesses. The Ky Occupational Safety and Health Surveillance (KOSHS) expanded program (KOSHS fundamental program, and Fatality Assessment Control and Evaluation [FACE], and Occupational Motor Vehicle Injury Surveillance [OMVIS]) focuses on population-based and case-based surveillance of work-related injuries/illnesses in Ky, a southeastern HHS Region 4 state. Specific aims are to: 1) identify and access multi-source KOSHS fundamental program, and FACE, and OMVIS expanded project surveillance data and evaluate new surveillance data sources for occupational health indicators (OHI); 2) manage and perform quality control and surveillance quality improvement on surveillance data; 3) calculate 20 CSTE/ NIOSH OHIs, 13 Ky-specific OHIs, and Ky employment profile; FACE, and OMVIS surveillance data; incidence and prevalence rates; and trends; 4) perform case-based surveillance through FACE onsite investigations and high adult blood lead level follow-up investigations; 5) conduct epidemiological analyses of KOSHS fundamental, FACE, and OMVIS surveillance and investigation data; 6) disseminate public health recommendations for workplace interventions and policies using trainings, reports, hazard alerts, publications, etc.; application of communication technologies such as websites, social media, presentations, toolkits, trade journals, and the NIOSH OH clearinghouse; and new and existing partnerships and collaborations with trade associations, state agencies, organizations, and NIOSH, etc. that integrate KOSHS results with partners’ intervention and outreach activities. KOSHS will participate in grantee meetings, and conference calls; and 7) perform a process, impact, and outcome evaluation of the KOSHS fundamental program, and FACE, and OMVIS expanded projects. Ad hoc KOSHS fundamental program advisory work groups will be established by priority focus area. Novel KOSHS areas targeted for surveillance and research include worker deaths by suicides; OHIs on work-related injuries using EMS and syndromic surveillance data; light, medium, and heavy vehicle crash OHIs; a recovery-friendly workplace toolkit; dump truck, semi-truck, pedestrian worker, and construction worker fatalities; high commercial vehicle crash locations, rates, ratios, and savings; work-related older driver injuries; and OHIs on drug-involved occupational injuries and fatalities after a work-related injury. Advanced statistical methodologies such as machine learning and probabilistic data linkage will be used. Integration of the KOSHS team with NIOSH and NIOSH-funded programs, Safe Communities, CDC-funded programs, and National Safety Council is planned.