Job Exposure Matrix for Electric Shock Risks with Their Uncertainties

Ximena P. Vergara, Heidi J. Fischer, Michael Yost, Michael Silva, David A. Lombardi and Leeka Kheifets
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Ximena P. Vergara: Electric Power Research Institute, Environment Sector, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA
Heidi J. Fischer: UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, Department of Biostatistics, Los Angeles, CA 90024, USA
Michael Yost: Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, University of Washington School of Public Health, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
Michael Silva: Enertech Consultants, Campbell, CA 95008, USA
David A. Lombardi: Center for Injury Epidemiology, Liberty Mutual Research Institute for Safety, Hopkinton, MA 07418, USA
Leeka Kheifets: UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, Department of Epidemiology, Los Angeles, CA 90024, USA

IJERPH, 2015, vol. 12, issue 4, 1-14

Abstract: We present an update to an electric shock job exposure matrix (JEM) that assigned ordinal electric shocks exposure for 501 occupational titles based on electric shocks and electrocutions from two available data sources and expert judgment. Using formal expert elicitation and starting with data on electric injury, we arrive at a consensus-based JEM. In our new JEM, we quantify exposures by adding three new dimensions: (1) the elicited median proportion; (2) the elicited 25th percentile; and (3) and the elicited 75th percentile of those experiencing occupational electric shocks in a working lifetime. We construct the relative interquartile range (rIQR) based on uncertainty interval and the median. Finally, we describe overall results, highlight examples demonstrating the impact of cut point selection on exposure assignment, and evaluate potential impacts of such selection on epidemiologic studies of the electric work environment. In conclusion, novel methods allowed for consistent exposure estimates that move from qualitative to quantitative measures in this population-based JEM. Overlapping ranges of median exposure in various categories reflect our limited knowledge about this exposure.

Keywords: EMF; electric shocks; job exposure matrix; expert elicitation; uncertainty (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2015
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