Laurel Kincl

Oregon State University | OSU · School of Nutrition and Public Health

Long-haul truck drivers are responsible for transporting goods valued at millions of dollars of the world economy, and may have their health affected by living and working conditions. This study analyzed and synthesized scientific findings about risk factors for the development of chronic non-communicable diseases in long-haul truck drivers. An int...

Long-haul truck drivers are responsible for transporting goods valued at millions of dollars of the world economy and may have their health affected by living and working conditions. This study analyzed and synthesized the scientific findings about risk factors for the development of chronic non-communicable diseases in long-haul truck drivers. An...

To understand how chemical exposure can impact health, researchers need tools that capture the complexities of personal chemical exposure. In practice, fine particulate matter (PM2.5) air quality index (AQI) data from outdoor stationary monitors and Hazard Mapping System (HMS) smoke density data from satellites are often used as proxies for persona...

Background Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a class of pervasive environmental pollutants with a variety of known health effects. While significant work has been completed to estimate personal exposure to PAHs, less has been done to identify sources of these exposures. Comprehensive characterization of reported sources of personal PAH ex...

Background INTEROCC is a seven-country cohort study of occupational exposures and brain cancer risk, including occupational exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMF). In the absence of data on individual exposures, a Job Exposure Matrix (JEM) may be used to construct likely exposure scenarios in occupational settings. This tool was constructed using...

Objectives: The Risk Information System for Commercial Fishing (RISC Fishing) merged information on fishermen and vessel incident types from various databases. This descriptive study examined linked fisherman injury records (fatal and nonfatal) and vessel incident records in Oregon and Washington from 2000 to 2018 in the RISC Fishing database. The...

Introduction: The US Integrated Management Information System (IMIS) contains workplace measurements collected by Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) inspectors. Its use for research is limited by the lack of record of a value for the limit of detection (LOD) associated with non-detected measurements, which should be used to set c...

This study characterized physical risk factors associated with injuries during a Dungeness crab harvesting task and evaluated the efficacy of a fishermen-developed ergonomic control (banger bar) in mitigating physical risk factors, including biomechanical loads in the low back, shoulders, and upper extremities, and postural instability. In a repeat...

Background Commercial fishing is a precarious industry with high fatal and nonfatal injury rates. The Risk Information System of Commercial [RISC] Fishing project at Oregon State University has been tracking both fatal and nonfatal injuries among Oregon and Washington commercial fishermen. We examined the utility of the RISC dataset variables in hi...

Background Commercial fishing is a precarious industry with high fatal and nonfatal injury rates. The Risk Information System of Commercial [RISC] Fishing project at Oregon State University has been tracking both fatal and nonfatal injuries among Pacific Northwest commercial fishermen. We conducted a hazard analysis to identify injury-associated fa...

Background and Aims As average temperatures rise and wildfire events increase in the United States, outdoor workers may be at an increased risk of injury. Recent research suggests that heat exposure increases outdoor workers' risk of traumatic injuries, but co‐exposures of heat and wildfire smoke have not been evaluated. Methods Oregon workers' co...

Background and Aims Advisory boards play a key role in guiding and informing research programs, including occupational health surveillance. It is important to evaluate the effectiveness of these advisory boards. This report details the organization of the Risk Information System for Commercial (RISC) Fishing Technical Advisory Board (TAB), the appr...

Developing useful regulations that lead to intended effects from originating legislation can be a challenge for those entities that are implementing and responding to those regulations. In the commercial fishing industry, fisheries management regulations are fundamentally designed to conserve and sustain marine resources. Numerous studies have unde...

Background Individuals with respiratory conditions, such as asthma, are particularly susceptible to adverse health effects associated with higher levels of ambient air pollution and temperature. This study evaluates whether hourly levels of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and dry bulb globe temperature (DBGT) are associated with the lung function o...

Transgender adults living in the US report disability at a higher rate than cisgender adults, resulting in differences in healthcare use.

During events like the COVID-19 pandemic or a disaster, researchers may need to switch from collecting biological samples to personal exposure samplers that are easy and safe to transport and wear, such as silicone wristbands. Previous studies have demonstrated significant correlations between urine biomarker concentrations and chemical levels in w...

Objectives: Commercial Dungeness crab fishermen’s manual crab pot handling activities can be done in harsh outdoor working environments at sea and can pose well-known physical risk factors associated with musculoskeletal injury including forceful exertion, repetition and awkward posture. The nonfatal injury rate in this fishing fleet is 3.4 per 1,0...

Objectives: The Tanzanian aquaculture industry represents great potential for food production and jobs, however, the potential occupational hazards and health risks associated with the sector have not been assessed. The aim of this study was to conduct a scoping analysis of the status of occupational health and safety based on current Tanzanian aq...

Background Occupational safety and health (OSH) surveillance systems track work-related fatalities, injuries and illnesses as well as the presence of workplace hazards and exposures to inform prevention efforts. Periodic evaluation is critical to the improvement of these systems to meet the demand for more timely, complete, accurate and efficient d...

Background Commercial fishing consistently has among the highest workforce injury and fatality rates in the United States. Data related to commercial fishing incidents are routinely collected by multiple organizations which do not currently coordinate or automatically link data. Each data set has the potential to generate a more complete picture to...

Objective Vessel disasters and falls overboard result in fatalities in the commercial fishing industry and recreational boating. We reviewed available fatality surveillance data to identify opportunities to promote lifejacket use in the US Pacific Northwest. Methods Commercial fishing fatality information for 2000–2018 was obtained for all fatalit...

Commercial fishing is a high-risk occupation, yet there is a lack of surveillance documenting health conditions, health behaviors, and health care coverage among US fishermen. We used publicly available data sources to identify exposures and health outcomes common among fishermen. We utilized the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Healt...

Introduction: Young workers are especially vulnerable to occupational injuries and illnesses. There is a continued need to investigate injury burden among young workers across demographics and industry to inform targeted interventions. Workers compensation (WC) claims are important for quantifying work-related injuries and illnesses, however publi...

Background Commercial fishing consistently has among the highest workforce injury and fatality rates in the United States. Data related to commercial fishing incidents are routinely collected by multiple organizations which do not currently coordinate or automatically link data. Each dataset has the potential to generate a more complete picture to...

Background Masons have a high rate of musculoskeletal disorders among construction workers and greater than all other industries. Viable solutions to musculoskeletal hazards have been identified by industry stakeholders, yet masons receive minimal ergonomics training. Apprentices, as the next generation of masons, need training and strategies to id...

Background The Oregon Occupational Public Health Program (OOPHP) monitors occupational health indicators (OHIs) to inform occupational safety and health (OSH) surveillance. In 2018, OOPHP evaluated the performance of the OSH surveillance system and identified areas for future improvement. Methods Following the Centers for Disease Control and Preve...

The construction industry, specifically masonry, reports more work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSD) rates than general industry. Masonry apprentices are assumed to be healthy, yet may have WMSDs. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms (MSS), time loss, and healthcare use among apprentices. 183 b...

Introduction: Injuries and work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are common among masons. SAfety Voice for Ergonomics (SAVE) integrates training in ergonomic and safety problem-solving skills into masonry apprenticeship training. The purpose of this study was to assess the efficacy of text messaging to reinforce SAVE program content. Meth...

Objectives This study aimed to characterize injuries and illnesses among construction workers in the State of Oregon in the US and examine the association between injury frequency and severity with hour of work by using Workers’ Compensation (WC) accepted disabling claims data in the construction industry from 2007 to 2013. Methods Injury frequenc...

Corrigendum: This work was also funded by the European Commission grant 603794 (GERoNiMO project).

Pesticide use and worker exposures to pesticides in the US cannabis industry have not been studied due to cannabis being illegal at the federal level. Without knowing the types of pesticides being used in this industry, it is difficult to assess whether workers are being exposed to potentially dangerous pesticides. When recreational cannabis became...

Due to an error of the authors, an important source of funding was not included in our publication with reference JESEE-16-2343.R1.

Objectives: Non-fatal injuries in the high risk US Dungeness crab fishery have been under-documented, despite their potential for lost work time and income, long-term disability, and early unwanted retirement. The Fishermen Led Injury Prevention Program (FLIPP) characterized injuries in this fishery, in order to identify work hazards and inform inj...

Background: The seafood processing industry is critical to Alaska’s economy and hazardous to workers; however, limited research has addressed workers’ safety and health. Safety and health program management is a decisive factor in preventing fatalities, injuries, and illnesses. We interviewed managers to gain their views on their safety and health...

Background: A challenge in environmental health research is collecting robust data sets to facilitate comparisons between personal chemical exposures, the environment and health outcomes. To address this challenge, the Exposure, Location and lung Function (ELF) tool was designed in collaboration with communities that share environmental health con...

This article describes the conception, implementation, and evaluation of a wilderness medicine-based first aid class for the commercial fishing industry. Commercial fishing is a dangerous occupation in the United States. Currently, commercial fishermen often only have access to basic first aid classes. Because of its focus on austere environments,...

Objectives The Integrated Management Information System (IMIS) is the largest multi-industry source of exposure measurements available in North America. However, the lack of information on the censoring value (that depends on duration of sampling) of non-detected (ND) measurements considerably limits the usefulness of this databank. Released in 201...

Partial results of a NIOSH-funded study for “Protecting the Logging Workforce: Development of Innovative Logging Techniques for a Safer Work Environment” by a team of researchers at Oregon State University are presented that review safety in steep slope logging. Comparisons are made for hazards and exposures of “conventional” and new technologies f...

To assess differences and trends in personal chemical exposure, volunteers from 14 communities in Africa (Senegal, South Africa), North America (United States (U.S.)) and South America (Peru) wore 262 silicone wristbands. We analysed wristband extracts for 1530 unique chemicals, resulting in 400 860 chemical data points. The number of chemical dete...

Background Alaska's onshore seafood processing industry is economically vital and hazardous. Methods Accepted Alaska workers’ compensation claims data from 2014 to 2015 were manually reviewed and coded with the Occupational Injury and Illness Classification System and associated work activity. Workforce data were utilized to calculate rates. Resu...

Introduction The West Coast Dungeness crab fishery is high‐risk for occupational fatalities. The Fishermen Led Injury Prevention Program (FLIPP) explored this worker population's nonfatal injuries and safety perspectives. Methods Focus groups were held along the West Coast to (a) review reported injuries, (b) discuss risk factors, and (c) identify...

Introduction: In 2011, the International Agency for Research on Cancer classified radiofrequency (RF) electromagnetic fields (EMF) as possibly carcinogenic to humans (group 2B), although the epidemiological evidence for the association between occupational exposure to RF-EMF and cancer was judged to be inadequate, due in part to limitations in exp...

Introduction: The U.S. Coast Guard and Federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration have identified the Alaskan offshore seafood processing industry as high-risk. This study used Coast Guard injury reports to describe patterns of traumatic injury among offshore seafood processors, as well as identify modifiable hazards. Methods: From th...

Natural gas extraction (NGE) has expanded rapidly in the United States in recent years. Despite concerns, there is little information about the effects of NGE on air quality or personal exposures of people living or working nearby. Recent research suggests NGE emits polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) into air. This study used low-density polye...

Currently there is a lack of inexpensive, easy-to-use technology to evaluate human exposure to environmental chemicals, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). This is the first study in which silicone wristbands were deployed alongside two traditional personal PAH exposure assessment methods: active air monitoring with samplers (i.e., p...

Objectives: The Integrated Management Information System (IMIS) is the largest multi-industry source of exposure results available in North America. In 2010, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) released the Chemical Exposure Health Data (CEHD) that contains analytical results of samples collected by OSHA inspectors. However, t...

Background Little is known about occupational risk factors for meningioma. Objectives To study whether risk of meningioma is associated with several occupational exposures, including selected combustion products, dusts and other chemical agents. Methods The INTEROCC study was an international case-control study of brain cancer conducted in seven...

Background: The aetiology of glioma remains largely unknown. Occupational solvent exposure has been suggested as a putative cause of glioma, but past studies have been inconsistent. We examined the association between a range of solvents and glioma risk within the INTEROCC project, a study of brain tumours and occupational exposures based on data...

Background Brain tumor etiology is poorly understood. Based on their ability to pass through the blood–brain barrier, it has been hypothesized that exposure to metals may increase the risk of brain cancer. Results from the few epidemiological studies on this issue are limited and inconsistent. Methods We investigated the relationship between gliom...

Background Brain tumouraetiology is poorly understood. Based on their ability to pass through the blood-brain barrier, it has been hypothesised that exposure to metals may increase the risk of brain cancer. Results from the few epidemiological studies on this issue are inconsistent. Methods We investigated the relationship between glioma risk and...

Introduction The International Agency for Research on Cancer classified radiofrequency (RF) electromagnetic fields (EMF) as possibly carcinogenic based on limited evidence in human studies of cell phone use and in animal experiments, while occupational evidence was found inadequate due in part to limitations in exposure assessment. This study asses...

Objectives In absence of clear evidence regarding possible effects of occupational chemical exposures on brain tumour aetiology, it is worthwhile to explore the hypothesis that such exposures might act on brain tumour risk in interaction with occupational exposure to extremely low frequency magnetic fields (ELF). Methods INTEROCC is a seven-countr...

Many epidemiological studies assessing the relationship between exposure and disease are carried out without data on individual exposures. When this barrier is encountered in occupational studies, the subject exposures are often evaluated with a job-exposure matrix (JEM), which consists of mean exposure for occupational categories measured on a com...

Background: Few occupational health and safety studies have focused on the US seafood preparation and packaging industry, and none on Oregon's seafood industry. Methods: Oregon workers' compensation (WC) disabling claims data were analyzed. Oregon Employment Department and US Census Bureau data were used as denominators for rates. Results: Dur...

Individuals with disabilities face increasing health and employment disparities, including increased risk of morbidity and mortality and decreased earnings, occupational roles, and greater risk of injury at work. Thus, there is a need to improve workplace safety and health promotion efforts for people with disability. The purpose of this study was...

The aim of the study was to examine associations between occupational exposure to metals and meningioma risk in the international INTEROCC study. INTEROCC is a seven-country population-based case-control study including 1906 adult meningioma cases and 5565 population controls. Incident cases were recruited between 2000 and 2004. A detailed occupati...

To estimate occupational exposures to electromagnetic fields (EMF) for the INTEROCC study, a database of source-based measurements extracted from published and unpublished literature resources had been previously constructed. The aim of the current work was to summarize these measurements into a source-exposure matrix (SEM), accounting for their qu...

Introduction To estimate occupational exposures to electromagnetic fields (EMF) for the INTEROCC study, we constructed a database of source-based measurements from published and unpublished literature. The aim of the current work was to summarise these measurements into a source-exposure matrix (SEM), accounting for their quality and relevance. Me...

Objectives The Integrated Management Information System (IMIS) is the largest multi-industry source of exposure measurements available in North America. In 2010, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) released a second databank, the Chemical Exposure Health Data (CEHD), which contains analytical results of samples collected by OSH...

Objectives Quantitative risk assessments for commercial fishing fleets can inform safety requirements and voluntary programs. In collaboration with the United States Coast Guard (USCG) and surveillance data provided by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) we have analysed fatal and non-fatal injuries and vessel disaster...

Natural gas extraction, often referred to as "fracking", has increased rapidly in the United States in recent years. To address potential health impacts, passive air samplers were deployed in a rural community heavily affected by the natural gas boom. Samplers were analyzed for 62 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Results were grouped based...

Background Masons have the highest rate of overexertion injuries among all construction trades and rank second for occupational back injuries in the United States. Identified ergonomic solutions are the primary method of reducing exposure to risk factors associated with musculoskeletal disorders. However, many construction workers lack knowledge ab...

Background: The US commercial fishing industry is hazardous, as measured by mortality data. However, research on non-fatal injuries is limited. Non-fatal injuries constitute the majority of occupational injuries and can result in workers' lowered productivity and wages, lost quality of life, and disability. In the United States, a Work Process Cla...

Utility of a Work Process Classification System for characterizing non-fatal injuries in the Alaskan commercial fishing industry

Objectives: The Integrated Management Information System (IMIS) is the largest multi-industry source of exposure measurements available in North America. However, many have suspected that the criteria through which worksites are selected for inspection are related to exposure levels. We investigated associations between exposure levels and ancilla...

Background: Commercial fishing is a high-risk occupation. The West Coast Dungeness crab fishery has a high fatality rate; however, nonfatal injuries have not been previously studied. The purpose of this report was to describe the characteristics of fatal and nonfatal traumatic occupational injuries and associated hazards in this fleet during 2002-...

Introduction: To date, occupational exposure assessment of electromagnetic fields (EMF) has relied on occupation-based measurements and exposure estimates. However, misclassification due to between-worker variability remains an unsolved challenge. A source-based approach, supported by detailed subject data on determinants of exposure, may allow for...

In west Eugene (Oregon), community research indicates residents are disproportionately exposed to industrial air pollution and exhibit increased asthma incidence. In Carroll County (Ohio), recent increases in unconventional natural gas drilling sparked air quality concerns. These community concerns led to the development of a prototype mobile devic...