Reducing the Work Involved in Coding Work-related Data

As researchers, we ask a lot of questions. Working in occupational safety and health, most of our questions focus on identifying emerging exposures, illnesses, or injuries occurring at U.S. worksites. We use some of these key sources of data to help answer our questions:

• Health surveys
• Cancer registries
• Birth and death certificates
• Medical records
• Workers' compensation data

The potential for opioid addiction may result from injuries that happen in the workplace, with the consequences affecting both an individual’s working life as well as their home life. NIOSH has a new web page available, NIOSH's Response to Opioid Use in the Workplace. This webpage will be continually updated as new information becomes available.

Nominations for the 2019 Safe-in-Sound Excellence in Hearing Loss Prevention Award™ must be submitted by midnight on July 13. The award, given by NIOSH and partners, recognizes those who demonstrate, by example, the benefits of developing or following good hearing loss prevention practices.

Summer is here and that means it is time to take precautions to make sure you stay safe while working in the heat. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, for the latest heat-related resources, and be sure to download the free OSHA-NIOSH Heat Safety Tool App.

Join us for a special NIOSH Total Worker Health (TWH) and Center for Workers’ Compensation Studies webinar, Integrating Functional Outcomes with Clinical Measures, on Tuesday, July 24, 1–2:30 pm ET. During the webinar, Dr. Kathryn Mueller and Dr. T. Warner Hudson will explore the benefits of integrating functional outcomes with clinical process measures as a basic approach to patient care in the U.S. By considering functional outcomes with TWH approaches in workplaces, organizations and occupational safety and health providers and practitioners may better address the challenges faced by workers experiencing these injuries and illnesses. Free continuing education credits for this event are pending. Register to join via Adobe Connect.

In a recent NIOSH study looking at health insurance coverage for working adults, researchers found that the overall percentage of workers aged 18‒64 years who did not have health insurance declined significantly from 16.0% in 2013 to 12.7% in 2014, but percentages varied significantly by occupation in both years. In 2014, for example, the percent of uninsured workers among broad occupational groups ranged from 2.7% to 37.0%. Identifying factors affecting differences in insurance rates by occupation might help target interventions to reduce health disparities among U.S. workers.

Safe + Sound Week, August 13–19, is just around the corner. Start brainstorming events and activities your organization will do to show your commitment to safety in your workplace. To make Safe + Sound Week participation easy, see the customizable communications pieces, graphics, event planning tools, and much more available at Safe + Sound Week. Already planned a Safe + Sound Week event? You can register your event at Safe + Sound Week to be included on a map of events across the country!

In a new collaborative partnership, West Virginia University is expanding efforts to enhance workplace health and safety. Through a new Scholar in Residence program at NIOSH, Douglas Myers, an associate professor in the WVU School of Public Health, will serve as a primary liaison between WVU and several local, regional, and state partners. As a “guest researcher” with NIOSH, Myers will coordinate opportunities for faculty, students, and researchers to collaborate and share ideas.

This month’s NIOSH Research Rounds newsletter includes information on

• NIOSH researchers using computer programming—specifically, machine learning—to identify industries at high risk for certain ergonomic hazards
• Baggage handlers applying a lift-assist system helps to reduce workplace injuries
• Details on a study to improve the health of new construction workers
• Information about a study helping employers to create family-friendly workplaces