STRATEGIC PLAN - ASPE - U.S. Department of Health and Human ...

CHAPTER 3: Public Health Promotion and Protection, Disease Prevention,and Emergency PreparednessStrategic Objective 2.2Protect the public against injuries andenvironmental threats.Injuries are the leading cause of death among childrenand adults younger than 44 years of age in the UnitedStates. About 160,000 people die each year in theUnited States from injuries; millions more are injuredand survive xxii ; and nearly 30 million people sustainedinjuries serious enough to require treatment in anemergency room. Many injured people are left withlong-term disabilities.HHS has a particular responsibility to provide thescience base needed to reduce occupational injuries;the performance indicators at the end of this chaptermeasure this progress. CDC conducts the majority ofinjury prevention activities that support this objective.CDC focuses on strategies to address interpersonalviolence, residential fires, falls, and workplaceinjuries and mortality. These include identifying riskfactors, conducting surveillance, and supportingimplementation activities.Workplace InjuriesCDC promotes safe and healthy workplaces throughinterventions, recommendations, and capacity building.To achieve the objective of protection against injuriesin the workforce population, CDC actively engagesemployers to promote commercial motor vehicle safetyby providing technical assistance and disseminatingHazard Alerts and Fact Sheets that present practicalprevention strategies in both English and Spanish.CDC also works with the Mine Safety and HealthAdministration on the joint committee examining howthe newly developed personal dust monitor (PDM) canbe utilized on a daily basis in underground coal mines.The PDM, recently developed by CDC in collaborationwith manufacturers, labor, and industry, assesses coalminers’ exposure to coal dust in underground mines andrepresents the first advancement in more than 30 yearsfor monitoring exposures.66 HHS Strategic Plan FY 2007-2012