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Alaska's model program for surveillance and prevention of occupational injury deaths.

Conway-GA; Lincoln-JM; Husberg-BJ; Manwaring-JC; Klatt-ML; Thomas-TK

Public Health Rep 1999 Nov-Dec; 114(6):550-558

http://journals.sagepub.com/loi/phr

20025509

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) established its Alaska Field Station in Anchorage in 1991 after identifying Alaska as the highest-risk state for traumatic worker fatalities. Since then, the Field Station, working in collaboration with other agencies, organizations, and individuals, has established a program for occupational injury surveillance in Alaska and formed interagency working groups to address the risk factors leading to occupational death and injury in the state. Collaborative efforts have contributed to reducing crash rates and mortality in Alaska's rapidly expanding helicopter logging industry and have played an important supportive role in the substantial progress made in reducing the mortality rate in Alaska's commercial fishing industry (historically Alaska's and America's most dangerous industry). Alaska experienced a 46% overall decline in work-related acute traumatic injury deaths from 1991 to 1998, a 64% decline in commercial fishing deaths, and a very sharp decline in helicopter logging-related deaths. Extending this regional approach to other parts of the country and applying these strategies to the entire spectrum of occupational injury and disease hazards could have a broad effect on reducing occupational injuries.

Models; Surveillance-programs; Occupational-hazards; Injury-prevention; Traumatic-injuries; Mortality-data; Mortality-rates; Risk-factors; Risk-analysis; Logging-workers; Fishing-industry; Occupational-diseases; Hazards; Health-hazards

Dr. Conway, NIOSH Alaska Field Station, 4230 University Drive, Suite 310, Anchorage, AK 99508

PHRPA6

19991101

Journal Article

goc1@cdc.gov

2000

6

0033-3549

DSR; AFS

NAICS-1141

Public Health Reports

AK