Southeastern States Occupational Network (SouthON) 

Building capacity for the surveillance of work-related injuries and Illnesses at the state and regional level….

Goal

In collaboration with state health departments, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE), regional Occupational Safety and Health Education and Research Centers (OSH ERC), and other occupational safety and health partners, SouthON will foster and increase capacity for surveillance of work-related injuries and illnesses at the state and regional level.

Objectives

• Build relationships with state-based occupational epidemiologists, NIOSH, academic colleagues, OSHA, and other occupational health partners;
• Provide epidemiology and program planning tools to build capacity;
• Develop common priorities for occupational injury and illness surveillance, epidemiology methods, and worksite interventions; and,
• Promote scientific collaboration among member states and occupational health partners.

Activities

• Provide collegial network and member contact list;
• Maintain a listserv to create connections and facilitate communication among member states and agencies;
• Disseminate the CSTE Occupational Health Indicator Guide that provides basic instructions on how to profile and monitor trends of work-related injuries and diseases;
• Coordinate with NIOSH to provide assistance in calculating Occupational Health Indicators and other technical advice;
• Coordinate with CSTE to provide on-site consultation for capacity building; and,
• Conduct an annual meeting of member states and agencies to provide training, best practice information, and collaboration & networking opportunities.

Benefits to States

• Establish strategic relationships;
• Obtain user-friendly tools to perform basic occupational surveillance activities;
• Learn how experienced states conduct surveillance and use findings to develop interventions and inform policy change;
• Address challenging occupational health issues through collaboration with new partners;
• Learn about grant funding opportunities, travel & training resources, meeting announcements, and occupational health intern programs for state health departments;
• Obtain on-site mentoring to help with program development; and
• Obtain ready-to-use outreach and educational materials from NIOSH's Surveillance e-Clearinghouse.

Past Meetings:

• December 2011