Longitudinal Surveillance for Chronic Health Conditions in Former United States Department of Energy Site Workers.

Objective: The aim of the study was to determine (1) the rate at which rescreening former Department of Energy site workers identifies noncommunicable chronic diseases and (2) the development of comorbid conditions.

Methods: Incidence and prevalence of hypertension, diabetes, reduced kidney function, and peripheral neuropathy at both initial and return screenings were calculated. Risk ratio of chronic disease development at return screening based on the presence of other conditions at initial screening were estimated with generalized linear regression.

Daily noise dose and power tool characterization of steel stud framers on commercial construction sites.

The construction industry is well-documented as having numerous sources of hazardous noise on the job. Framers who cut and install steel studs on commercial construction sites use a variety of power tools throughout the course of their normal workday and have the potential to be exposed to levels of noise that can lead to occupational noise-induced hearing loss. This study assessed the noise dose of commercial steel stud framers and characterized the noise of common power tools that contribute to their daily noise dose.

Designing LTC Physical Work Environments to Support Worker Well-being: A Review and Recommendations.

Objectives: Well-designed, health-promoting physical work environments have the potential to reduce burnout and attrition for employees who work in long-term care (LTC) facilities. Unfortunately, there is limited existing guidance for LTC facility owners and operators related to specific health-promoting design strategies for LTC work environments. This narrative review aims to fill this knowledge gap.

Power saw noise levels during steel stud cutting tasks on commercial construction sites: a tool characterization from a worker exposure standpoint.

Construction framers who cut and install steel studs as part of their daily tasks are exposed to hazardous noise levels during their work shift in large part due to the power saws they use to cut steel studs. This investigation characterized the sound pressure levels of power saws used to cut steel studs on active construction sites. Further, the length of time it took to cut various studs on a construction site was investigated to understand worker exposure times to saw noise.

Integration of Total Worker Health ® Training for Occupational Health and Safety Professionals With Efforts to Promote Worker Health, Safety, and Well-being in Mexico.

Objective: We sought to test whether a 2-week Total Worker Health (TWH) training mapped to TWH education competencies could be administered to a Mexican audience of occupational safety and health professionals and could lead to positive changes to knowledge and behaviors.

Methods: This study used robust program evaluation methods collected before and after each of the nine training days and at the end of the course.

Results: Overall course quality received a mean score of 4.

Occurrence of Occupational Injuries and Within Day Changes in Wet Bulb Temperature Among Sugarcane Harvesters.

Objective: Climate change has implications for human health worldwide, with workers in outdoor occupations in low- to middle-income countries shouldering the burden of increasing average temperatures and more frequent extreme heat days. An overlooked aspect of the human health impact is the relationship between heat exposure and increased risk of occupational injury. In this study, we examined the association between occupational injury occurrence and changes in outdoor temperatures through the workday among a cohort of Guatemalan sugarcane harvesters.

Nursing Home Adoption of CDC and ASHRAE COVID-19 Built Environment Recommendations: A Characterization Study of Colorado Nursing Home Facilities.

Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and ASHRAE provided infection control recommendations for the built environments and ventilation systems of nursing homes (NHs). The level of adoption of the suggested strategies is unknown, as little information has been obtained from NHs identifying the strategies that were implemented.

Objective: The primary goal of our study was to characterize the built environments of Colorado NHs during the COVID-19 pandemic to assess the level of adoption of CDC and ASHRAE recommendations.

Characterization of Colorado residents and radon reduction behaviors through latent class analysis and path models.

Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas that enters homes through cracks in the foundation where accumulated levels can cause lung cancer. Within the United States (U.S.

Wet Bulb Globe Temperature and Recorded Occupational Injury Rates among Sugarcane Harvesters in Southwest Guatemala.

As global temperatures continue to rise it is imperative to understand the adverse effects this will pose to workers laboring outdoors. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between increases in wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT) and risk of occupational injury or dehydration among agricultural workers. We used data collected by an agribusiness in Southwest Guatemala over the course of four harvest seasons and Poisson generalized linear modelling for this analysis.

Evaluation of an Occupational Safety and Health Training for Cannabis Cultivation Workers.

Objectives: As the commercial cannabis industry grows, there is an increased need to characterize potentially hazardous workplace exposures and provide training to workers to mitigate these exposures with the goal of reducing accidents and injuries from cannabis cultivation, processing, and manufacturing. Public health and safety stakeholders in Colorado developed a worker-focused training designed to improve hazard awareness, recognition, and controls related to commercial cannabis cultivation. This paper describes the evaluation of this training.

Cannabis in homes with children: use and storage practices in a legalised state.

Our objective was to examine the prevalence of cannabis in homes with children and temporal trends in storage practices among caregivers. Caregivers of children ages 1-14 in Colorado, identified through a representative population-based telephone survey, participated in a repeated telephone survey from 2014 to 2017. Representing 79 805 households in Colorado with children, 8.

Current Marijuana Use by Industry and Occupation - Colorado, 2014-2015.

The effects of marijuana use on workplace safety are of concern for public health and workplace safety professionals. Twenty-nine states and the District of Columbia have enacted laws legalizing marijuana at the state level for recreational and/or medical purposes. Employers and safety professionals in states where marijuana use is legal have expressed concerns about potential increases in occupational injuries, such as on-the-job motor vehicle crashes, related to employee impairment.

Mental Health-related Emergency Department Visits Associated With Cannabis in Colorado.

Background: Cannabis legalization in Colorado resulted in increased cannabis-associated health care utilization. Our objective was to examine cooccurrence of cannabis and mental health diagnostic coding in Colorado emergency department (ED) discharges and replicate the study in a subpopulation of ED visits where cannabis involvement and psychiatric diagnosis were confirmed through medical review.

Methods: We collected statewide ED International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision, Clinical Modification diagnoses from the Colorado Hospital Association and a subpopulation of ED visits from a large, academic hospital from 2012 to 2014.

Spatial Surveillance of Childhood Lead Exposure in a Targeted Screening State: An Application of Generalized Additive Models in Denver, Colorado.

Context: The targeted nature of Colorado's childhood lead screening program presents several analytical issues that complicate routine epidemiologic surveillance.

Objectives: To analyze spatial patterns of childhood lead exposure among children younger than 6 years, identifying areas of increased risk along with associated covariates.

Methods: We analyzed a spatial case-control data set of childhood lead poisoning using generalized additive models.

Marijuana and acute health care contacts in Colorado.

Over 22 million Americans are current users of marijuana; half of US states allow medical marijuana, and several allow recreational marijuana. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact marijuana has on hospitalizations, emergency department (ED) visits, and regional poison center (RPC) calls in Colorado, a medical and recreational marijuana state. This is a retrospective review using Colorado Hospital Association hospitalizations and ED visits with marijuana-related billing codes, and RPC marijuana exposure calls.

Lessons learned after three years of legalized, recreational marijuana: The Colorado experience.

In November 2012 Colorado voters approved legalized recreational marijuana. On January 1, 2014 Colorado became the first state to allow legal sales of non-medical marijuana for adults over the age of 21. Since that time, the state has been monitoring potential impacts on population health.

The Public Health Framework of Legalized Marijuana in Colorado.

On January 1, 2014, Colorado became the first state in the nation to sell legal recreational marijuana for adult use. As a result, Colorado has had to carefully examine potential population health and safety impacts as well as the role of public health in response to legalization. We have discussed an emerging public health framework for legalized recreational marijuana.

Adding industry and occupation questions to the behavioral risk factor surveillance system: new opportunities in public health surveillance.

Objectives: Industry and occupation variables are overlooked in many public health surveillance efforts, yet they are useful for describing the burden and distribution of various public health diseases, behaviors, and conditions. This study is the first ever analysis of the Colorado Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) to describe chronic conditions and risk behaviors by occupation. It is intended to provide a new perspective on this existing data source and demonstrate the value of occupation as a core demographic variable for public health research, policy, and practice.

Private well water in Colorado: collaboration, data use, and public health outreach.

As a result of participating in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Private Well Initiative and Environmental Public Health Tracking Network (Tracking), the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment was able to inventory private well water quality data, prioritize potential health concerns associated with drinking water from these wells, and create a Web portal for sharing public health information regarding private well water. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment collaborated with a local health department to pilot the project prior to a public implementation. Approximately 18 data sets were identified and inventoried.

Risk of chronic beryllium disease by HLA-DPB1 E69 genotype and beryllium exposure in nuclear workers.

Rationale: Beryllium sensitization (BeS) and chronic beryllium disease (CBD) are determined by at least one genetic factor, a glutamic acid at position 69 (E69) of the HLA-DPB1 gene, and by exposure to beryllium. The relationship between exposure and the E69 genotype has not been well characterized.

Objectives: The study goal was to define the relationship between beryllium exposure and E69 for CBD and BeS.