Workplace Health and Safety

Reporting is vital to preventing further disease and is required under New Jersey regulations N.J.A.C. 8:44 and 8:58. Reportable work-related conditions include silicosis, work-related asthma, asbestosis, poisonings due to heavy metals and pesticides, work-related injuries in children under the age of 18, work-related fatalities, and occupational dermatitis. A complete list of reportable conditions can be found in the regulations.

• N.J.A.C. 8:58 - Physicians, advanced practice nurses, and physician assistants
• N.J.A.C. 8:44 - Clinical Laboratories
• N.J.A.C. 8:58 - Hospitals
• Quick Reference List of Reportable Conditions

• OSHA Respirable Crystalline Silica Standard for Construction
• Frequently Asked Questions on the New Silica Standards
• What Physicians Need to Know About Occupational Silicosis and Silica Exposure Sources
• List of NIOSH Certified B-readers
• To My Doctor: What Physicians Need to Know About Silicosis in Construction, Demolition, and Renovation Workers
• List of Physicians in New Jersey Specializing in Occupational and Physicians in New Jersey Specializing in Occupational and Environmental Illness

• NIOSH Work-Related Asthma for Healthcare Professionals
• Industries and Asthma Causing Agents
• Exposure History Form

Diagnosis of Work-Related Asthma:

State regulations require physicians, physician assistants, and advanced practice nurses to report to the New Jersey Department of Health (NJDOH) any confirmed or suspected case of work-related asthma, including:

• New-onset asthma - resulting from exposure in the workplace to sensitizers or irritants.
• Work-aggravated asthma - with a prior history of symptomatic or treated asthma who experience an increase in symptoms and/or an increase in the use of asthma medications within two years of entering a new workplace setting, or from exposure to new chemicals or agents in an existing workplace.
• Reactive Airways Dysfunction Syndrome (RADS) - new-onset asthma that develops within 24 hours following a single, high-level exposure to inhaled irritants where the patient continues to be symptomatic for at least three months. Common causes include smoke inhalation and accidental releases of chemical irritants.

For this purpose, physicians, physician assistants, and advanced practice nurses should use the following case definitions to report cases to the NJDOH:

• Possible work-related asthma: symptoms of asthma and association between symptoms of asthma and work
• Probable work-related asthma: diagnosis of asthma and association between symptoms of asthma and work
• Confirmed work-related asthma: diagnosis of asthma and objective evidence of work-relatedness

For a reporting form (OCC-31), download preferred format: PDF [24K] or Microsoft Word Document [64K].

An injury is work-related if it occurs:

• On the employer’s premises and the person is there to work; or
• Off the employer’s premises and the person is there to work; or
• the injury is related to the person’s work or status as an employee.
  
  

Work is defined as duties, activities, or tasks that produce a product or service; that are done in exchange for money, goods, services, profit, or benefit; and that are legal activities in the United States.

An injury is considered work-related for the types of employment and other criteria listed below:

• Working full-time or part-time for pay or compensation, including at home;
• Volunteer workers who perform the same duties or functions as paid employees and are exposed to the same hazards as paid employees (e.g., firefighters, rescue squad personnel, hospital volunteers, and others);
• Institutionalized persons, including inmates of penal and mental institutions, who are employed off the premises of their institutions (e.g., inmates participating in litter pick-up on highways);
• Traveling to or from a job, but not commuting to or from work (e.g., salesperson traveling from one client to another);
• Homicides and suicides that occur at work;
• Working for a family business, including a family farm (activity should be related to a profit-oriented business); and
• Members on active duty in the Armed Forces, including the National Guard or Reserves.