Surveillance is the cornerstone of prevention: It helps us identify new and emerging problems, track and monitor issues over time, target and evaluate the effectiveness of intervention efforts, and anticipate future needs and concerns. Those who have long struggled with these issues in the occupational setting will share my enthusiasm for this first edition of the Worker Health Chartbook. One of the primary goals in compiling the chartbook was to create a resource that could be used by anyone interested in workplace safety and health, including occupational safety and health practitioners, legislators and policy makers, health care providers, educators, researchers, and workers and their employers. In an attempt to reach the widest possible audience, we have made the chartbook available in printed and electronic form. Several Federal agencies worked together to organize the surveillance data sources required to produce this document. This is an important step toward identifying and filling significant gaps in occupational illness and injury information. The success of this initial effort has provided a framework for increased surveillance coordination between NIOSH and our partners in the future. The Worker Health Chartbook serves NIOSH and the occupational safety and health community well by placing surveillance in the hands of those who work to prevent occupational injuries and illnesses. The forethought and collaborative spirit that made all of this possible are commendable and bode well for future efforts to integrate Federal, State, and private-sector surveillance information.
