2022 National Occupational Injury Research Symposium (NOIRS): Preventing workplace injuries in a changing world.

About NOIRS: The National Occupational Injury Research Symposium (NOIRS) is the only conference solely dedicated to occupational injury research and prevention. The 8th NOIRS, sponsored by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and several partners, was held on May 10-12, 2022. NOIRS was held entirely virtually in response to concerns of the COVID-19 pandemic and honoring the symposium theme "Preventing Workplace Injuries in a Changing World." About this Special Issue: The intent of this issue is to highlight the breadth of high-quality presentations at NOIRS, and to make them available to those who did not participate in the conference. This issue includes three short communication articles and nine research articles. Featured research articles in this special issue span a wide variety of methods, data sources, and worker populations. They address leading and emerging causes and contributors to occupational injury in a range of industries and occupations. Concluding Remarks: We hope that this special issue provides readers with a view into some of the research presented at the 2022 NOIRS. We also hope the articles are useful for research and practice, and thinking toward the future.

Drug overdose deaths at work, 2011-2016.

Drug overdose fatalities have risen sharply and the impact on US workplaces has not been described. This paper describes US workplace overdose deaths between 2011 and 2016. Drug overdose deaths were identified from the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries and fatality rates calculated using denominators from the Current Population Survey. Fatality rates were compared among demographic groups and industries. Negative binomial regression was used to analyse trends. Between 2011 and 2016, 760 workplace drug overdoses occurred for a fatality rate of 0.9 per 1 000 000 full-time equivalents (FTEs). Workplace overdose fatality rates significantly increased 24% annually. Workplace overdose fatality rates were highest in transportation and mining industries (3.0 and 2.6 per 1 000 000 FTEs, respectively). One-third of workplace overdose fatalities occurred in workplaces with fewer than 10 employees. Heroin was the single most frequent drug documented in workplace overdose deaths (17%). Workplace overdose deaths were low, but increased considerably over the six-year period. Workplaces are impacted by the national opioid overdose epidemic.

6th National Occupational Injury Research Symposium: Advancing Occupational Injury Research Through Integration and Partnership.

INTRODUCTION: The National Occupational Injury Research Symposium (NOIRS) is the only regularly held forum exclusively dedicated to occupational injury research and prevention. METHOD: The 2015 conference theme, advancing occupational injury research through integration and partnership, shaped the conference and is reflected in articles selected for this special issue. RESULTS' CONCLUSION: The 6th NOIRS, held May 19-21, 2015, brought together more than 250 researchers, occupational safety practitioners and students to share and discuss occupational injury research. Articles in this special issue highlight some of the research presented at the conference, reflect multiple scientific disciplines and approaches, cover a breadth of occupational injury causes and worker populations, and provide examples of research advanced by partnerships. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: The next NOIRS, tentatively scheduled for 2018, will build upon the theme of integration and partnership as well as feedback from conference attendees.

A post-conference evaluation of the 2015 National Occupational Injury Research Symposium.

INTRODUCTION: The National Occupational Injury Research Symposium (NOIRS) is the only national forum focused on occupational injury research findings, data and methods, and prevention strategies; it has been convened every 3-5years since 1997. Held in May 2015, the 6th symposium's theme was "Advancing Occupational Injury Research through Integration and Partnership." Organizers requested that attendees complete a post-meeting evaluation to assess meeting impact, and gather information useful in planning subsequent meetings and activities. METHOD: The questionnaire was publicized via a quick response code and link to the survey on symposium book cover, and mentioned at each scientific session. The online survey was designed to be completed in ≤15min; no identifying information was collected. Survey link remained open for seven days post-symposium. RESULTS: About 50% of registered attendees responded. Almost half were attending their first NOIRS. Most were researchers (69%); 45% were affiliated with government and 38% with university or research institute. Five of six reported that the symposium mostly or completely met expectations. Reasons for attending included gaining exposure to new areas of research (87%), sharing their research (80%), and to develop new ideas for conducting research (79%). The majority (90%) reported that the symposium provided adequate networking opportunities. The conference venue was reported as good or better by 69%, moreso among repeat attendees (77%) compared to first-timers (61%). DISCUSSION: The evaluation demonstrated that NOIRS was valuable to attendees, and provided a forum for sharing research results, developing new research ideas, and networking. Respondents provided input on different aspects of NOIRS and suggestions useful in planning next NOIRS, tentatively scheduled for 2018. NOIRS 2015 objectives for integration across disciplines and partnership with industry and safety professionals were partially met. In planning NOIRS 2018, more attention should be paid to attracting and engaging a broader spectrum of attendees.

Reflecting on the 5th National Occupational Injury Research Symposium and looking forward.

For 2-1/2days in October, 2011, more than 200 researchers convened at the 5th National Occupational Injury Research Symposium (NOIRS) to celebrate advances and successes in the field, to learn from each other about recent and ongoing occupational injury research, and to network and establish new professional relationships to advance occupational injury research in the future. This special issue highlights some of the research presented at that meeting. There has been considerable progress in research and worker safety since the first NOIRS in 1997, with demonstrated reductions in worker deaths and injury, an increased depth and breadth of research, and the development and validation of prevention strategies. Despite this progress, occupational injuries continue to exert too high a toll on workers, employers and society, and there are numerous challenges that need to be addressed to continue advancements in worker safety.

Surveillance of traumatic firefighter fatalities: an assessment of four systems.

OBJECTIVES: Firefighters regularly respond to hazardous situations that put them at risk for fatal occupational injuries. Traumatic occupational fatality surveillance is a foundation for understanding the problem and developing prevention strategies. We assessed four surveillance systems for their utility in characterizing firefighter fatalities and informing prevention measures. METHODS: We examined three population-based systems (the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries and systems maintained by the United States Fire Administration and the National Fire Protection Association) and one case-based system (data collected through the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program). From each system, we selected traumatic fatalities among firefighters for 2003-2006. Then we compared case definitions, methods for case ascertainment, variables collected, and rate calculation methods. RESULTS: Overall magnitude of fatalities differed among systems. The population-based systems were effective in characterizing the circumstances of traumatic firefighter fatalities. The case-based surveillance system was effective in formulating detailed prevention recommendations, which could not be made based on the population-based data alone. Methods for estimating risk were disparate and limited fatality rate comparisons between firefighters and other workers. CONCLUSIONS: The systems included in this study contribute toward a greater understanding of firefighter fatalities. Areas of improvement for these systems should continue to be identified as they are used to direct research and prevention efforts.

Occupational injury in North Carolina.

In 2008,161 North Carolina workers died from work-related injuries, 3,324 were hospitalized, and 119,000 reported work-related injuries. Workers' compensation costs in the state exceeded $1.3 billion in 2007. Concerted efforts by the private and public sectors will be needed to reach goals to reduce the incidence of occupational injuries.