US Occupational Burden Estimates

Harnessing existing data to determine who is exposed at work

In an exposure surveillance initiative led by Marissa Baker¹, Shelley Stephan-Recaido¹, and Trevor Peckham^1,2, and in collaboration with Jérôme Lavoué^3,4, who developed the Canadian job-exposure matrix (CANJEM), and Devan Hawkins⁵, the researchers harnessed existing data to determine the burden and social distribution of chemical, physical, biological, and psychosocial exposures at work in the United States (US). The purpose of the initiative is to help address gaps in occupational exposure surveillance in the US and inform priorities for research, policy, and intervention efforts to improve worker health and safety. 

Chemical exposures

To understand the burden and social distribution of chemical exposures in the US workforce, the researchers combined occupational exposure data from CANJEM with 2021 worker demographic data from the US Census Bureau and US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) joint Current Population Survey (CPS). They estimated the number and prevalence of US workers exposed to over 240 occupational hazards – mainly chemical – and examined exposure inequities across sociodemographic groups. The full dataset has been made available to explore in an online interactive application. 

Non-Chemical Exposures

To understand the burden and social distribution of non-chemical exposures (e.g., psychosocial, physical, and biological exposures), the researchers combined occupational characteristic data from the Occupational Information Network (O*NET), the Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, and the CPS with 2022 worker demographic data from the CPS. They estimated the number and prevalence of US workers exposed to a total of 41 psychosocial, physical, ergonomic, safety, and biological hazards, and examined exposure inequities across sociodemographic groups. The full dataset has been made available to explore in an online interactive application. 

Contact Information

Questions regarding the project or data can be directed to Marissa Baker: bakermg@uw.edu.

Acknowledgments

This project was supported by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) under Federal Training Grant 2T42OH008433, and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) under award P30ES00703. Additional funding was provided by the Hazardous Waste Fund, administered by the Hazardous Waste Management Program in King County, Washington. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of NIOSH, NIEHS, or King County. 

Publications

Shelley C. Stephan-Recaido, Trevor K. Peckham, Jérôme Lavoué, Marissa G. Baker, “Characterizing the Burden of Occupational Chemical Exposures by Sociodemographic Groups in the United States, 2021”, American Journal of Public Health 114, no. 1 (January 1, 2024): pp. 57-67.

¹Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA      
² Hazardous Waste Management Program in King County, Seattle, WA, USA     
³University of Montreal Hospital Research Center (CRCHUM), Montreal, QC, Canada     
⁴Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, University of Montreal, Montreal, QC, Canada     
⁵Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Boston, MA, USA