According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ (BLS) Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI), there were 105 Wisconsin workers who died due to injury in 2016. This number reflects a slight increase from 104 fatalities in 2015.

Wisconsin’s overall fatality rate remained consistent from 2015 to 2016 with 3.6 deaths per 100,000 full-time workers. The number of workplace deaths in Wisconsin the past decade (2007-2016) range from 77 in 2008 to 114 in 2012, and average 97 fatalities annually.

The final count of occupational fatalities in the U.S. in 2016 was 5,190, according to figures the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics released last month. This was an increase from 4,836 total fatal incidents in 2015. The overall U.S. fatality rate increased from 3.4 in 2015 to 3.6 cases per 100,000 full time employees in 2016.

 

Key findings for Wisconsin in 2016

• The total fatal incidents decreased among industry supersectors such as Natural resources and mining, Manufacturing, and Construction (when including public sector workers across years). Increases were noted in Education and health services. Trade, transportation, and utilities remained constant from 2015, though transportation and warehousing subsectors saw decreases while wholesale and retail trade industries noted increases.
• Transportation incidents caused the most fatalities, as is typically true, though 2016 data indicate a decrease in incidents by 17 percent compared to a 21 percent increase from 2014 to 2015.
• Incidents of violence more than doubled from 11 in 2015 to 23 incidents in 2016.
• After a sharp decline from 12 incidents in 2014 to 4 incidents in 2015, female workers account for 16 fatal incidents in 2016, with 4 of those incidents attributed to workplace violence.
• Employees age 65 and over sustained the highest number of fatalities and increased from 19 incidents in 2015 to 23 fatal incidents in 2016.

Industry

In 2016, 98 of the 105 work-related deaths in Wisconsin occurred within private industry. Public sector worker deaths decreased from 9 deaths in 2015 to 7 in 2016. Agriculture, fishing, forestry, and hunting fatality count decreased from 26 to 20. Fatalities in the professional and business services industry increased from 7 in 2015 to 16 in 2016, while the trade, transportation, and utilities remained consistent at 24. Manufacturing industry deaths fell from 14 in 2015 to 12 in 2016, while fatalities in the construction industry decreased from 14 incidents (10 in private industry, 4 in the public sector) to 12 (all private ownership).

Event

Transportation incidents comprised the highest number of fatal work injuries in 2016 with 38 incidents, a decrease from 46 incidents in 2015. Falls, slips, and trips decreased slightly from 17 in 2015 to 16 incidents in 2016. Fatal contact incidents were also numbered at 16 in 2016, falling from 18 incidents in 2015. Violent events increased sharply from 11 in 2015 to 23 in 2016. Deaths due to exposure to harmful substance or environments remained consistent from 2015 to 2016 at 11 incidents.

Worker Characteristics and Occupation

Of the 105 fatalities in 2016, 9 workers were in contractor status, down from 14 in 2015. Thirty-eight were self-employed. The highest number of fatal work injuries occurred among age group 65 years and older with 23 deaths, followed by age 45 to 54 with 21, and age 55 to 64 with 20 incidents. Transportation and material moving occupations sustained the greatest number of fatal injuries in 2016 at 19 incidents, followed by management occupations with 17 deaths. Construction and extraction occupations remained consistent in 2016 at 13 fatalities, while 9 deaths occurred among installation, maintenance, and repair workers. Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations and building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations each indicated 8 incidents in 2016.

Background of Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries

The Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, part of the BLS occupational safety and health statistics program, compiles a count of all fatal work injuries occurring in the United States during the calendar year. The program uses diverse state, federal, and independent data sources to identify, verify, and describe fatal work injuries. The Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene (WSLH), a part of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, is the state’s public, environmental and occupational health laboratory. The WSLH’s Bureau of Labor Statistics/Occupational Safety and Health Statistics Program has a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics to conduct the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries in Wisconsin.

For more about Wisconsin Work-related fatalities, go to www.slh.wisc.edu/bls.

For more about U.S. Work-related fatalities, go to https://www.bls.gov/iif/news.htm

The January 2018 issue of the Journal of Clinical Microbiology features an article about an innovative statewide biosafety risk assessment conducted by the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene Communicable Disease Division (WSLH CDD).

From the article “Laboratory Focus on Improving the Culture of Biosafety: Statewide Risk Assessment of Clinical Laboratories That Process Specimens for Microbiologic Analysis” –

 

The Wisconsin Clinical Laboratory Network (WCLN) Laboratory Technical Advisory Group (LabTAG) collaborated with WSLH CDD staff to create the assessment tool and also helped analyze the data and draw some conclusions. LabTAG and CDD staff co-wrote the JCM article.

According to WCLN Coordinator Erin Bowles, the article is an important step in highlighting the work Wisconsin clinical laboratories have done on increasing biosafety.

“We wanted to highlight the effort that WI labs are putting forth to improve their culture of biosafety. There haven’t been any other states that have taken this approach or published any results so we wanted to get this published,” Erin said.

Read the article at http://jcm.asm.org/content/56/1/e01569-17.full

Please note the following changes to the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene’s operations due to the observance of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day holiday.

The table below lists the hours of operations for our Clinical Specimen Receiving departments. We will have staffing to accept clinical specimens at both our 2601 Agriculture Drive and our 465 Henry Mall facilities on Saturday, January 13^th.

Henry Mall Specimen Receiving will be open on Monday, January 15th, for Newborn Screening Specimens ONLY.  

Agriculture Drive Specimen Receiving will be closed. Please see hours of operation below.

As always, if you have an off-hours emergency, please call the WSLH Emergency Pager at 608-263-3280.

 

You can’t see it, you can’t smell it, you can’t taste it, it could kill you – and it may be a problem in your home. What is it? Radon.

January is National Radon Action Month and homeowners interested in testing their homes for radon have many options.

The Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene offers radon testing.

Homeowners can also contact Radon Information Centers or certified radon measurement contractors for testing or buy a test kit at a hardware store.

For more information on radon, health concerns, and a list certified radon reduction contractors, please see the WI Division of Health Services radon website at lowradon.org.

In this January 25, 2017 webinar, WSLH Radiochemistry Supervisor Tracy Hanke talks about this natural (radioactive) breakdown of uranium in soil, rock and water that gets into the air you breathe. How do you find it? What are the health effects? What can you do about it?

In this webinar, Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene (WSLH) Virology Team Lead Erik Reisdorf reviews the basics of seasonal and pandemic influenza, what we expect to happen this flu season, and the importance of surveillance activities at the WSLH. Reisdorf also discusses common misconceptions about influenza.

Webinar link (plays best in Internet Explorer) – https://slhstream2.ad.slh.wisc.edu/Mediasite/Play/04ed6b246b594990ab31fa6e0e0164b11d

 

 

 

Please note the following changes to the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene’s operations due to the observance of the Christmas and New Year’s holidays.

The table below lists the hours of operations for our Clinical Specimen Receiving department. We will have staffing to accept clinical specimens at both our 2601 Agriculture Drive and our 465 Henry Mall facilities.

As always, if you have an off-hours emergency, please call the WSLH Emergency Pager at 608-263-3280.

 

The Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene (WSLH) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison has been chosen as the central analytical laboratory and program office for the National Atmospheric Deposition Program (NADP).

The NADP serves public and environmental health, science, education and agriculture by monitoring North America’s precipitation and atmosphere for a range of chemicals and uses that data to determine both time and space trends for concentration and deposition.

NADP is a cooperative effort between many different groups including federal, state, and local governmental agencies, tribal governments, educational institutions, private companies, and non-governmental agencies which provide funding, scientific, and technical support. Funding comes from monitoring site participants and the following federal agencies: National Park Service, US Geological Survey, National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration, Bureau of Land Management, Environmental Protection Agency, US Department of Agriculture Forest Service, and Agricultural Research Service.

“NADP is the international gold standard for long-term, high quality air pollutant monitoring and has been in operation for 40 years. The program aligns quite well with both the WSLH’s mission as well as the Wisconsin Idea,” said WSLH Director and UW-Madison Civil and Environmental Engineering Professor Jamie Schauer.

As the central analytical laboratory and program office, the WSLH will provide pre-analytic services, analytic testing and post-analytic results and data analysis for samples from 300+ monitoring sites across the country. Data is made publicly available. The program office at the WSLH will work with NADP committees on network operations, science, education, and outreach activities.

The NADP central analytical laboratory and program office have been housed at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The transition to the WSLH will occur over the next few months.

“The WSLH is a lab with an outstanding reputation for excellence. We are pleased that the program office and central analytical laboratory will be able to remain together in a single institution and are excited about the potential to build new connections within the University of Wisconsin,” said Tamara Blett, Chair, NADP Executive Committee.

Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene Medical Director and University of Wisconsin Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Daniel Kurtycz, MD, has been elected to lead the American Society of Cytopathology (ASC).

The ASC is a 3,000 member national professional society of physicians, cytotechnologists and scientists dedicated to the cytologic method of diagnostic pathology.

Dr. Kurtycz was installed as Vice President at the ASC annual meeting in November 2017. In 2018 he will become President-Elect and in 2019 he will become President. His three-year leadership term will end in November 2020. Kurtycz most recently served as ASC’s Secretary-Treasurer.

 

 

 

WSLH Cytotechnology Certificate Program Director Michele Smith was elected to the ASC Executive Board for a three-year term. She will join the Board at the November annual meeting. Smith is also the Program Manager for the University of Wisconsin’s Master of Science in Biotechnology Program.

 

WisContext – an online multimedia news and information service of Wisconsin Public Radio, Wisconsin Public Television and UW Cooperative Extension – used excerpts from Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene (WSLH) Forensic Toxicologist Lori Edward’s talk earlier this year to highlight “The Volatile Mix of Drugs at Work in the Opioid Crisis”.

Edward’s talk – “Heroin and Other Opioids: A Wisconsin Epidemic?” – in April 2017 was part of University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Wednesday Nite @ the Lab series. She covered the current issues and trends associated with heroin and other opioids in Wisconsin, including the history of the opium plant, manufacturing process, and the pharmacological effects of heroin and other opioids on the human body. In addition, case studies of individuals driving under the influence of heroin or other opioids were discussed.

Watch an archived webcast of her talk — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5Ctvql69Dk

 

WisContext Series on “The Opioid Epidemic in Wisconsin”

WisContext is running a series of stories on opioid use in Wisconsin – http://www.wiscontext.org/opioid-epidemic-wisconsin

Series stories featuring the WSLH:

“New Synthetic Opioids Test Limits Of Wisconsin’s Drug Analysis” – http://www.wiscontext.org/new-synthetic-opioids-test-limits-wisconsins-drug-analysis

“To Identify Elusive Opioids, Labs Pursue More Sensitive Equipment” – http://www.wiscontext.org/identify-elusive-opioids-labs-pursue-more-sensitive-equipment

“Synthetic Opioids Have Public Health And Medical Investigators Playing Catch-Up” – https://www.wiscontext.org/synthetic-opioids-have-public-health-and-medical-investigators-playing-catch

“Wisconsin’s First Responders Take Steps To Avoid Opioid Exposure On The Job” – https://www.wiscontext.org/wisconsins-first-responders-take-steps-avoid-opioid-exposure-job

“The Toxicology Mysteries Posed By Synthetic Opioids” – https://www.wiscontext.org/toxicology-mysteries-posed-synthetic-opioids

“Occupational Risks To People Encountering Opioids On The Job” – https://www.wiscontext.org/occupational-risks-people-encountering-opioids-job

“The Volatile Mix of Drugs at Work in the Opioid Crisis” – https://www.wiscontext.org/volatile-mix-drugs-work-opioid-crisis

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene will be closed on Thursday, November 23, for the Thanksgiving holiday.

Our Specimen Receiving departments will observe the following hours of operation for the Thanksgiving holiday: