Recorded presentation

Daniel Lefkowitz, PhD¹, James Blando, PhD¹, Barbara Gerwel, MD¹, Jennifer Wolf, MPH¹, David Valiante, MS, CIH¹, and Eddy A. Bresnitz, MD, MS². (1) Occupational Health Services, NJ Department of Health and Senior Services, PO Box 360, Trenton, NJ 08625, 609-777-3039, james.blando@doh.state.nj.us, (2) Division of Epidemiology, Environmental and Occupational Health, New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services, PO Box 369, Trenton, NJ 08625

Cost-effective exposure assessment screening tools are needed to help focus limited resources on the highest priority areas for occupational health interventions. A mailed survey was developed and validated that collected information about industrial chemical usage and handling. The survey was sent to 950 selected industrial facilities in New Jersey that used either lead, methylene chloride, or ethylene oxide. Facilities responding to the survey represented from 37 to 45% of the total number of facilities surveyed (number facilities responding; lead = 186, methylene chloride = 74, EtO = 162). Using a database specific to the intended target population increased the likelihood that a respondent was correctly identified as an actual user of the chemical. Twenty-eight site visits were conducted for validation purposes. Overall, the survey was completed accurately by the respondents with 81% of all the survey responses having complete agreement with the primary rater. Approximately 94% of the survey responses could be evaluated on average during the site visits. A secondary rater was also used during site visits to determine inter-rater bias and to evaluate the impact of professional judgment on the validation process. Our analysis demonstrated that on average the primary and secondary rater agreed on 77% of the survey responses evaluated. The number of employees handling the chemical (p = 0.09), presence of written EH&S plans (p = 0.04), EH&S professional completing survey (p = 0.09), and knowledge of SIC code (p = 0.06) may have been weakly associated with survey accuracy. Problem questions were also identified.

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