Every year, over 3.5 million of the 167 million workers in the U.S. are injured on the job or become ill as a result of exposure to health hazards at work. These work-related injuries and illnesses result in substantial human and economic costs for workers and employers and for society at large; it has been estimated that the direct and indirect costs of work-related injuries and illnesses exceed $170 billion annually. Work-related injuries and illnesses can be prevented, and successful approaches to making workplaces safer and healthier begin with having the data necessary to understand the problem.

Recognizing the need for improved consistency and availability of occupational disease and injury surveillance data, a workgroup of state CSTE representatives and federal occupational health professionals developed a standard set of Occupational Health Indicators (OHIs) that could be used to measure the baseline health of working populations and changes that take place over time. The workgroup defined a set of 25 OHIs and employment demographic measures, selected because of their importance to public health and the availability of easily obtainable statewide data in most states. These definitions and a standardized methodology for their calculation were compiled in a guidance document below.

Thirteen states then piloted the indicators to compile an initial set of 19 OHIs. The states’ results and comparison national data, where available, were published by CSTE in a 2005 document. Additional states have begun calculating and submitting data using the standardized methodology that is reviewed and updated yearly.

For more information about the occupational health indicators, please contact Cailyn Lingwall. Click the button below to view other occupational health activities. For information about a specific indicator, you can view the contact list of the occupational health indicators point of contact.