Detecting Emerging Issues in Occupational Health

Background/Objective The Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) mission is to ensure safe and healthful working conditions for working men and women. Vital to this mission is the ability to detect new and evolving hazards in the workplace and respond in a timely manner. OSHA has developed and implemented an Emerging Issues Surveillance and Response (EISR) system to respond quickly to emerging issues that have the potential to adversely affect the health and safety of the working population.

Methods The OSHA EISR system is comprised of four major components: surveillance, assessment, response, and evaluation. The surveillance component is designed to provide both comprehensive and timely detection of potential emerging issues. Assessment is used to determine priorities and a response mechanism allows for progression from information collection to a proactive intervention for hazard reduction and prevention. The evaluation component can assess the ability of the EISR system to carry out its objective and suggest improvements.

Results The EISR system has identified over 35 potential emerging issues related to occupational safety and health. Emerging issues were categorized based on potential impact and risk. Informational pages were published on the OSHApedia. An intra-agency workgroup was convened to prioritize the emerging issues and develop response strategies. Examples of specific emerging issues are presented.

Conclusion The identification of emerging health hazards is a necessary activity for any public health agency. The EISR system allows OSHA to respond quickly to new and evolving workplace hazards and to steer resources to areas where timely intervention is needed.