Occupational Health Indicators in New York State: 2000-2010

Every year, millions of the 135 million workers in the United States are injured on the job or become ill as a result of exposure to health hazards at work. Work-related injuries and illnesses are preventable. Understanding the problem begins with occupational health surveillance data. Data helps us learn more about work-related injuries and illnesses, identify workers at greatest risk, and establish prevention priorities.

Since 2002, New York State has been compiling the Occupational Health Indicators in collaboration with the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.1 The Occupational Health Indicators are a set of surveillance measures that allow states and territories to define, collect and report occupational illness, injury and risk data.

The following report describes the data collected from the first year of Occupational Health Indicators collection, 2000, through 2010, the most recent year of compiled data. The data will be presented and posted on a chapter-by-chapter basis, to expedite its availability and make the information easier to read.

Chapter 1: The Changing New York State Worker Profile

The first chapter describes the changing demographics of the New York State worker profile during the period of 2000-2010 including employment and unemployment rates and the prominent types of industries and occupations that are found throughout the state.

Chapter 2: Elevated Blood Lead Levels Among Adults

The second chapter describes lead exposure in adults by gender, race, ethnicity and exposure source for the period 2000-2010.

Chapter 3: Work-related Hospitalizations in New York State: 2000-2010

The third chapter describes the trends in work-related hospitalizations for the period 2000-2010. The data are examined by gender, race, and ethnicity, type of injury or illness, and unintentional cause of injury.

Chapter 4: Work-related Emergency Department Visits in New York State: 2000-2010

The fourth chapter describes the trend in work-related emergency department visits for the period 2000-2010. The data are examined by gender, race, and ethnicity, type of injury or illness, and unintentional cause of injury.


  1. Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists. Putting Data to Work: Occupational Health Indicators from Thirteen Pilot States for 2000. September 2005. Updated October 2012. Accessed November 2013.