NIOSH: Puerto Rico townhall meeting transcript - Centers for ...

they cannot inform about being injured or have
had some trauma, some health problem.
As epidemiologist I am very much
interested in knowing the analysis of the
tendency of the events, the incidents, the
traumas and the injuries in workers which in
164
general terms we can demonstrate that from 1980
to 2000 there is a decrease in the lists of
incidents of injuries. But it is not equal for
all the industries. And we see how in the
industry classified as government, there is a
decrease of six percent per year in those last
twenty-two years.
But nevertheless in the other industries
what we see is an increase mathematically on
doing the numbers this decrease appears as if
we are doing something positive to decrease the
occupational injuries when in reality we don’t
know if those statistical data by the way they
are compiled, can be hiding some problem that
merits and has a solution with early
intervention.
The illness has to be named as illness,
the incidents have to be named as health