January 7, 2005—The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has recently released two safety and health publications, one concerning numbers and trends of occupational injuries and illnesses, and the other concerning a second outbreak of histoplasmosis in an industrial plant.
The NIOSH Worker Health Chartbook 2004 (DHHS [NIOSH] Publication No. 2004-146) is now available in printed form from NIOSH. The Chartbook consolidates information from the network of injury and illness surveillance tracking systems in the US and is designed for agencies, organizations, employers, researchers, workers, and others interested in numbers of and trends in occupational injuries and illnesses. The document presents the data in an easy-to-read, visually compelling format. The Chartbook is accessible in electronic form from NIOSH, by e-mail or by calling 800/356-8573.
Results of an investigation by NIOSH, colleagues from other parts of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), and partners from the state of Nebraska confirmed the outbreak early in 2004 of work-related histoplasmosis among at least 25 employees at an industrial plant where the same illness occurred in 2003. The findings, reported in the November 5, 2004, issue of CDC’s Morbidity & Mortality Weekly Report, prompted recommendations for reducing risks in similar circumstances. The investigators also emphasized that risk of exposure may occur not only to employees manipulating soil contaminated with H. capsulatum spores, but also to employees working hundreds of feet away.
