Illness and injury surveillance at the United States Department of Energy

The U. S. Department of Energy (DOE) oversees a unique industrial complex with diverse activities in energy research, nuclear security, and environmental restoration. Potential workplace exposures include radiologic, chemical, and physical hazards. The Department monitors the health of this workforce through its Illness and Injury Surveillance Program (IISP). DOE requires that all workers who are absent 5 or more workdays (or equivalent workweek) due to illness or injury report to a site occupational medicine clinic prior to returning to work. This information is used by the IISP to assess illness and injury trends. More than 131,000 workers at 15 participating sites are covered by the program. Rates for occupational and non-occupational illnesses and injury are calculated by age, gender, and occupational groups. Over a 10 year period (1999-2008), 92,506 absences (of 5 or more workdays) have been reported by 38,257 workers. These absences resulted in 129,685 medical diagnoses. Three disease categories accounted for nearly half of all diagnoses: respiratory, musculoskeletal conditions and injuries. Cancer accounted for 1 percent of the diagnoses. Chronic health conditions such as hypertension, diabetes and musculoskeletal conditions have increased. As a result, our data show that workers reporting high blood pressure or diabetes had 8 times the number of lost work days than those who don't. These adverse, yet preventable health trends impact the number of days workers are absent, health care costs, worker productivity, and ultimately the ability to complete the Department's varied missions. Surveillance data can provide data to support corporate wellness programs.