A Smarter National Surveillance System for Occupational Safety and Health in the 21st Century

A Smarter National Surveillance System for Occupational Safety and Health in the 21st Century
Author: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 319
Release: 2018-04-27
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 0309462991

The workplace is where 156 million working adults in the United States spend many waking hours, and it has a profound influence on health and well-being. Although some occupations and work-related activities are more hazardous than others and face higher rates of injuries, illness, disease, and fatalities, workers in all occupations face some form of work-related safety and health concerns. Understanding those risks to prevent injury, illness, or even fatal incidents is an important function of society. Occupational safety and health (OSH) surveillance provides the data and analyses needed to understand the relationships between work and injuries and illnesses in order to improve worker safety and health and prevent work-related injuries and illnesses. Information about the circumstances in which workers are injured or made ill on the job and how these patterns change over time is essential to develop effective prevention programs and target future research. The nation needs a robust OSH surveillance system to provide this critical information for informing policy development, guiding educational and regulatory activities, developing safer technologies, and enabling research and prevention strategies that serves and protects all workers. A Smarter National Surveillance System for Occupational Safety and Health in the 21st Century provides a comprehensive assessment of the state of OSH surveillance. This report is intended to be useful to federal and state agencies that have an interest in occupational safety and health, but may also be of interest broadly to employers, labor unions and other worker advocacy organizations, the workers' compensation insurance industry, as well as state epidemiologists, academic researchers, and the broader public health community. The recommendations address the strengths and weaknesses of the envisioned system relative to the status quo and both short- and long-term actions and strategies needed to bring about a progressive evolution of the current system.

Costs of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses

Costs of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses
Author: J. Paul Leigh
Publisher: University of Michigan Press
Total Pages: 332
Release: 2000
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 9780472110810

As the debate over health care reform continues, costs have become a critical measure in the many plans and proposals to come before us. Knowing costs is important because it allows comparisons across such disparate health conditions as AIDS, Alzheimer's disease, heart disease, and cancer. This book presents the results of a major study estimating the large and largely overlooked costs of occupational injury and illness--costs as large as those for cancer and over four times the costs of AIDS. The incidence and mortality of occupational injury and illness were assessed by reviewing data from national surveys and applied an attributable-risk-proportion method. Costs were assessed using the human capital method that decomposes costs into direct categories such as medical costs and insurance administration expenses, as well as indirect categories such as lost earnings and lost fringe benefits. The total is estimated to be $155 billion and is likely to be low as it does not include costs associated with pain and suffering or of home care provided by family members. Invaluable as an aid in the analysis of policy issues, Costs of Occupational Injuryand Illness will serve as a resource and reference for economists, policy analysts, public health researchers, insurance administrators, labor unions and labor lawyers, benefits managers, and environmental scientists, among others. J. Paul Leigh is Professor in the School of Medicine, Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, University of California, Davis. Stephen Markowitz, M.D., is Professor in the Department of Community Health and Social Medicine, City University of New York Medical School. Marianne Fahs is Director of the Health Policy Research Center, Milano Graduate School of Management and Urban Policy, New School University. Philip Landrigan, M.D., is Wise Professor and Chair of the Department of Community Medicine, Mount Sinai Medical Center, New York.

Safe Work in the 21st Century

Safe Work in the 21st Century
Author: Institute of Medicine
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 265
Release: 2000-09-01
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 0309070260

Despite many advances, 20 American workers die each day as a result of occupational injuries. And occupational safety and health (OSH) is becoming even more complex as workers move away from the long-term, fixed-site, employer relationship. This book looks at worker safety in the changing workplace and the challenge of ensuring a supply of top-notch OSH professionals. Recommendations are addressed to federal and state agencies, OSH organizations, educational institutions, employers, unions, and other stakeholders. The committee reviews trends in workforce demographics, the nature of work in the information age, globalization of work, and the revolution in health care deliveryâ€"exploring the implications for OSH education and training in the decade ahead. The core professions of OSH (occupational safety, industrial hygiene, and occupational medicine and nursing) and key related roles (employee assistance professional, ergonomist, and occupational health psychologist) are profiled-how many people are in the field, where they work, and what they do. The book reviews in detail the education, training, and education grants available to OSH professionals from public and private sources.

Musculoskeletal Disorders and the Workplace

Musculoskeletal Disorders and the Workplace
Author: Institute of Medicine
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 510
Release: 2001-05-24
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 0309132991

Every year workers' low-back, hand, and arm problems lead to time away from jobs and reduce the nation's economic productivity. The connection of these problems to workplace activities-from carrying boxes to lifting patients to pounding computer keyboards-is the subject of major disagreements among workers, employers, advocacy groups, and researchers. Musculoskeletal Disorders and the Workplace examines the scientific basis for connecting musculoskeletal disorders with the workplace, considering people, job tasks, and work environments. A multidisciplinary panel draws conclusions about the likelihood of causal links and the effectiveness of various intervention strategies. The panel also offers recommendations for what actions can be considered on the basis of current information and for closing information gaps. This book presents the latest information on the prevalence, incidence, and costs of musculoskeletal disorders and identifies factors that influence injury reporting. It reviews the broad scope of evidence: epidemiological studies of physical and psychosocial variables, basic biology, biomechanics, and physical and behavioral responses to stress. Given the magnitude of the problem-approximately 1 million people miss some work each year-and the current trends in workplace practices, this volume will be a must for advocates for workplace health, policy makers, employers, employees, medical professionals, engineers, lawyers, and labor officials.

Approaches to Universal Health Coverage and Occupational Health and Safety for the Informal Workforce in Developing Countries

Approaches to Universal Health Coverage and Occupational Health and Safety for the Informal Workforce in Developing Countries
Author: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 141
Release: 2016-07-06
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 0309374065

Universal health coverage (UHC) has been recognized by the World Health Organization as a key element in reducing social inequality and a critical component of sustainable development and poverty reduction. In most of the world UHC is sought through a combination of public and private-sector health care systems. In most low- and middle-income countries health systems are evolving to increasingly rely on the private sector because the public sector lacks the infrastructure and staff to meet all health care needs. With growing individual assets available for private-sector expenditure, patients often seek better access to technology, staff, and medicines. However, in low-income countries nearly 50 percent of health care financing is out-of-pocket. With the expected increase in the overall fraction of care provided through the private sector, these expenditures can be financially catastrophic for individuals in the informal workforce. In the global workforce of approximately 3 billion people, only 10 to 15 percent are estimated to have some type of access to occupational health services. The informal workforce is growing worldwide, and the degree to which its occupational health needs are satisfied depends on the capabilities of the general health care system. In July 2014, the Institute of Medicine held a workshop on approaches to universal health coverage and occupational health and safety for informal sector workers in developing countries. This report summarizes the presentations and discussions from this workshop. Approaches to Universal Health Coverage and Occupational Health and Safety for the Informal Workforce in Developing Countries identifies best practices and lessons learned for the informal workforce in developing countries in the financing of health care with respect to health care delivery models that are especially suitable to meeting a population's needs for a variety of occupational health issues, including the prevention of or mitigation of hazardous risks and the costs of providing medical and rehabilitation services and other benefits to various types of workers within this population. These experiences and lessons learned may be useful for stakeholders in moving the discussions, policies, and mechanisms forward to increase equitable access to quality health services without financial hardship for the informal workforce.

List of Occupational Diseases

List of Occupational Diseases
Author: International Labour Office
Publisher: International Labor Office
Total Pages: 88
Release: 2010
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN:

The number of physical, chemical, biological and psychosocial factors affecting workers' health is constantly on the rise. The ILO has been responding to the challenge of creating safe and healthy working conditions since its founding in 1919. Agreed by governments as well as employers' and workers' organizations, this new list, approved in March 2010, reflects the state of the art in the identification and recognition of occupational diseases. The list, annexed here to the List of Occupational Diseases Recommendation, 2002 (No. 194), is designed to assist countries in their prevention, record.

Health and Safety Needs of Older Workers

Health and Safety Needs of Older Workers
Author: Institute of Medicine
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 319
Release: 2004-03-26
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 030909111X

Mirroring a worldwide phenomenon in industrialized nations, the U.S. is experiencing a change in its demographic structure known as population aging. Concern about the aging population tends to focus on the adequacy of Medicare and Social Security, retirement of older Americans, and the need to identify policies, programs, and strategies that address the health and safety needs of older workers. Older workers differ from their younger counterparts in a variety of physical, psychological, and social factors. Evaluating the extent, causes, and effects of these factors and improving the research and data systems necessary to address the health and safety needs of older workers may significantly impact both their ability to remain in the workforce and their well being in retirement. Health and Safety Needs of Older Workers provides an image of what is currently known about the health and safety needs of older workers and the research needed to encourage social polices that guarantee older workers a meaningful share of the nation's work opportunities.

Global Occupational Health

Global Occupational Health
Author: Tee L. Guidotti
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 625
Release: 2011-03-11
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 0199701776

Global Occupational Health is a concise, complete introduction to a vital-but often neglected-area in the field of health sciences. Work-related illnesses and injuries are critical concerns for every country and at every stage of economic development and an important determinant of health and financial security for working adults and their families. As a comprehensive textbook designed for students, professionals in public health, and occupational health practitioners who are working across international boundaries, this book will provide the reader with solid foundational knowledge of occupational health through the lens of economic development. Perfect for use as both a stand-alone text or as supplementary reading, this book addresses worker protection and the management of occupational health from rich industrialized countries to developing societies. The first section of the book concentrates on broad approaches and frameworks for the investigation and management of health in the workplace. The second section addresses important hazards. The third section addresses specific industry sectors, management challenges, and policies at the global level. Each chapter links occupational health to economic development concepts and future trends. The contributed chapters are authored by international experts in the field, enriched by boxed case studies and supportive concrete examples. This work sets a new standard for education in occupational health.

Workers' Compensation Law

Workers' Compensation Law
Author: Bevans
Publisher: Cengage Learning
Total Pages: 317
Release: 2009
Genre: Workers' compensation
ISBN: 9781418018290

Workersa Compensation Law provides an in-depth look at the day-to-day practice of this field while addressing theoretical aspects that form a critical foundation for this branch of law. Reviews how a worker's compensation case begins and explains activities involved in those cases, such as drafting petitions, presenting cases to an administrative law judge, and bringing an appeal. The theoretical basis of the material is laid out in easy to understand and enjoyable format reinforced with practical real-life examples. Although written with paralegal-specific information, the content includes information vital to anyone dealing with Workersa Compensation issues.