About Worker Health and Safety Surveillance

What to know

  • Worker health and safety surveillance examines changes in work-related injuries, illnesses, and exposures, over time.
  • At NIOSH, we assess trends by job and industry to monitor current concerns and identify emerging issues.
  • We offer tools and guidance for state health departments and other researchers to improve their surveillance activities.
Woman looking at data trends on computer

What is public health surveillance

Researchers use surveillance data to identify emerging concerns and monitor trends.

Public health professionals use occupational surveillance data to identify and monitor work-related health and safety concerns.

Image of the word "surveillance" on a blue background with outlines of different workers to represent different industries.
Worker health and safety surveillance data are needed to assess changes in work-related illnesses and injuries.

Why it's important

Researchers need public health surveillance data to assess changes in work-related illnesses and injuries. These data help:

Identify emerging problems

Surveillance data monitors changes in worker health and safety.

Guide interventions

By examining trends, we can gauge whether an intervention is working to reduce an illness, injury, or exposure. We can also measure how effective a prevention activity is.

Direct further studies

If a surveillance study identifies a concern, further research may be needed. For example, an epidemiological study can be done to better examine whether a hazard is linked to an illness or injury.

Surveillance data sources

Federal, State, and private industry partners regularly collect and provide us with the data we use in our surveillance studies. The data are collected in an ongoing, systematic way. They provide current information about injuries and illnesses occurring among workers in different jobs and industries.

Close up of a death certificate
Death certificates contain a person's longest-held job information.

Some examples of data sources include:

  • Death certificates
  • National surveys
  • Case reports of infectious diseases and exposures
  • Hospital discharge data
  • Disease registry data
  • Workers' compensation data
  • Ongoing studies

Occupation and industry data

The following resources offer information about occupation and industry data and offer tips to collect and use different surveillance data sources.

Abstract image of data being collected and charted.
About Occupation and Industry Data
Understand the importance of occupation and industry data in public health.
Close up of doctor looking at a digital tablet with a stethoscope lying beside the tablet.
Work Information and Electronic Health Records
Including work-related information for patients in electronic health records.
Cover of the Guidelines for Reporting Occupation and Industry on Death Certificates document
Information for Funeral Directors
We offer guidance for funeral directors to correctly document a decedent's longest-held job.
cover page of the Statistical Brief for the BRFSS industry and occupation optional module.
Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS)
The BRFSS is a good source for worker health and safety surveillance data.
Keep Reading: See also our Tools and Resources page

Current initiatives

The following lists our work-related surveillance activities by category.

image of computer with data. Image by Getty Images
The following activities include data that span multiple industries and occupations.
Absences in the Workplace
Health-related absences from work can help measure the impact of flu outbreaks and pandemics.
Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS)
The BRFSS is a good source for worker health and safety surveillance data.
National Health Interview Survey (NHIS)
The National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) is a good source for worker health surveillance data.
National Occupational Mortality Surveillance (NOMS)
NOMS focuses on including industry and occupation data in the National Vital Statistics System.

Pesticides being sprayed on a field. Image by Getty Images.
The following activities include data that are specific to certain exposures or jobs.
Adult Blood Lead Epidemiology and Surveillance (ABLES)
This program monitors work-related lead exposure in the United States.
Agriculture Worker Safety and Health
Learn how the NIOSH Agriculture Program addresses the risk of injuries and illnesses for Ag workers.
About Commercial Fishing Safety
NIOSH conducts studies of fishing safety to reduce injuries and fatalities among fishermen.
Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program (FFFIPP)
To address this occupational hazard, the NIOSH Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Pr...
Long-haul Truck Drivers
Learn about the work-related healthy and safety concerns for long-haul truck drivers.
About Motor Vehicle Safety at Work
Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of work-related deaths in the U.S.
Pesticide Illness and Injury Surveillance
This surveillance program examines over-exposure to pesticides in the workplace.

Man at work, wearing a hard hat and using an inhaler. Image by Getty Images.
The following activities include data that are specific to respiratory diseases.
Occupational Respiratory Disease
Background for state-based data on silicosis and work-related asthma.
Work-related Asthma
State guidance for surveillance of work-related asthma.
Silicosis
State-based surveillance for silicosis.
Coal Workers' Health Surveillance Program
Studies respiratory disease in miners and provides health screenings and information.

image of a worker compensation claim form. Image by Getty Images.
The following activities include data specific to work-related injuries and fatalities.
About Workers' Compensation Data
This page describes workers' compensation insurance claims and data.
Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (FACE) Program
Fatalities in Oil and Gas (FOG)
Occupational Hearing Loss Surveillance
Learn about hearing loss statistics and the NIOSH occupational hearing loss surveillance program.
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Content Source:
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
  • "Employed" is defined as being employed for wages, self-employed, or out of work for less than one year at the time of their interview.
  • Note: the sample size varies by year and which states participate.