203349 Incident Surveillance in New Jersey Career and Technical Education Programs, FY1999-2008: Potential Disparities and the Role of Time of Day

Sunday, November 8, 2009

Mehul Jhaveri, DPharm, MPH (c) , Department of Epidemiology, UMDNJ-SPH, Piscataway, NJ
Derek G. Shendell, DEnv, MPH , Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, UMDNJ-SPH (and EOHSI), Piscataway, NJ
Maryann Wozniak, BS, MPH (c) , Department of Health Systems and Policy, UMDNJ-SPH, Piscataway, NJ
Alexandra C.-H. Nowakowski , Department of Health Systems and Policy, UMDNJ-SPH, Piscataway, NJ
Jennifer K. Campbell, MPH, CHES , Center for School and Community Health Education, UMDNJ-School of Public Health, New Brunswick, NJ
Among many potential activities available to older children outside of school, paid and unpaid work experiences were two common legal options. Minors (<18 years old) generally tend to work during summer holiday and/or the academic year after school hours and/or on weekends. In New Jersey (NJ), however, students (minors, and other students to age 21) may work during and/or after school hours, and have other part-time work not for credit (paid or unpaid/volunteer) through school-based programs.

NJ schools, private or public, subject to requirements of the NJ Department of Education, Office of Career and Technical Education (NJDOE-OCTE) per NJ Administrative Code 6A:19-6.6, are required to submit one-page forms on reportable incidents within five working days. A reportable incident is defined as an injury or illness to students, school staff and others if it resulted:

o From activities associated with any of the following: vocational-technical education programs or courses; career-orientation courses; a structured learning experience on or off school property; travel to/from external training sites;

o In treatment by a licensed physician;

Completed forms (last updated fall 2005) are sent to NJDOE-OCTE. The NJ Safe Schools Program reviewed ~1600 incident report forms received July 1, 1999 to May 1, 2008; we excluded incidents before 2003 because “site” was not always recorded.

Results of selected student incident analyses during school hours on school grounds (n=305, or ~20%) focused on time of incident, gender and/or age are presented. Results are compared with existing child labor laws and emerging public health concerns involving disparities.

Learning Objectives:
At the end of this presentation, members of the audience will be able to: 1.) Describe the components of the NJ Safe Schools Program regarding educational training and surveillance of injury/illness to promote safety and health among secondary schools. 2.) Identify potential occupational health and safety disparities among NJ secondary school students participating in school-sponsored career, technical and vocational education courses/experiences. 3.) Identify how some reported incidents appear contrary to existing federal and NJ child labor laws, which suggests a continued need for expanding outreach and educational training.

Keywords: Occupational Surveillance, School-Based Programs

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: Dr. Derek G. Shendell, D.Env, MPH, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ)-School of Public Health (1/2008-present). He is also on the graduate faculty of Rutgers University and a member of the Exposure Science Division of the Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute (EOHSI). EOSHI is a joint institute of the UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and Rutgers University. He also directs the NJ Safe Schools Program for the occupational safety and health of minors obtaining work experience while still in secondary school. Overall, he works to “bridge” science, education and policy in a multidisciplinary fashion to reduce and/or prevent environmental exposures and health effects. He focuses on community/schools-based research with local participation in planning and execution. He also has co-conducted the development and implementation of educational trainings and materials, and technical assistance for informed/evidence-based policy advocacy. His research and publications have covered: • Indoor air and environmental quality in schools including portable classrooms, homes and office buildings; • Community urban outdoor air quality and environment characterizations in the U.S. and in less developed countries concerning fine particles and various toxic air contaminants; • Ventilation and energy efficiency and linkages to student attendance; • Asthma and exposure to environmental asthma triggers among school-aged children and older adults, and adult recreational endurance athletes.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

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