Kitty Gelberg

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?