Tip Sheet: Collecting Industry & Occupation (I&O)
Overview of how to capture fields in MAVEN
Why we collect Occupation & Industry?
1. Work is a recognized social determinant of health. 2. Certain Occupations and Industries hold specific health risks. 3. Occupation and industry helps describe burden of various health conditions among worker groups. 4. Useful for developing prevention strategies tailored for specific occupations and industries. 5. Identifies populations for outreach efforts. 6. Helps identify health inequities among worker groups.
Previous MAVEN Questions for Occupation/Industry in the Demographic Question Package #2
Previously you used a reference list for Occupation and a free text field for Industry. In our recent MAVEN release we have updated the Occupation field to a free text and retired the reference list that you used as a dropdown.
Updated (*as of July 14, 2023) MAVEN Questions for Occupation/Industry in the Demographic Question Package #2
How are the data used?
- We use data to see which industry and occupation groups are at increased risk for various illnesses.
- We can design & implement prevention strategies aimed at those with the greatest risk.
- By having specific data, we’re able to see who is most vulnerable to public health concerns.
Example with Hepatitis A case - Identifying cases among food service workers is critical to controlling the spread of disease. It allows for sharing of information with relevant occupation and industry groups & contact relevant employers to share prevention information.
How to Collect Information for Occupation
Ask case "What is your current job title?
How to Collect Information for Industry
Ask case "What kind of business do you work in?
Examples for Occupation and Industry
If an individual is unwilling to share their information…
•Reassure them that their information is kept private.
•Explain that the data is de-identified before use in analysis; personal identifiers are never shared with the public.
•State how collecting this information can be used to improve the work experiences of those in similar occupations and industries.
Tips and Tricks
• Collect the current occupation and industry that an individual holds/is a part of.
• An individual's primary occupation is the one where they work the most hours.
• Reminder that “Works from home” and “Self-employed are neither occupations nor industries.
• If a person has more than one job then record the occupation and type of business for the person's primary job.
• Ask follow-up questions about the kind of work they do and the type of business that their employer is engaged in (to obtain industry).
• If someone refuses, write “refused” rather than “unknown”.
• Try to get the most accurate spelling.
What happens next - once the data are entered into MAVEN
In line with national recommendations to modernize infectious disease surveillance we are using an API (Application Programming Interface) to run the data through NIOCCS, (NIOSH Industry and Occupation Computerized Coding System) coding system. The only data being sent to NIOCCS database via the API is the free text that you entered into Occupation and Industry fields with limited information to link back to the original case. The data will populate fields in the Demographic Question Package (#2) with a code and probability score that reflect confidence that NIOCCS has that the free text aligns with the standardized code.
The API will run every evening. Once the data is populated in MAVEN you will see the information in your I&O fields.
NIOSH Industry and Occupation Computerized Coding System (NIOCCS) is a web-based software tool. NIOCCS was created to translate industry and occupation text into standardized industry and occupation categories.
Industry and occupation text are often collected on surveys, death certificates, and medical records.
These descriptions need to be categorized so that the various terms used to describe the same occupation and industry are standardized. This allows for comparison across data sets. Learn more about industry and occupation data collection and coding .
Photo by Emmanuel Ikwuegbu on Unsplash
Resources
Test out the coding tool for single industry and occupation. Please follow instructions below:
- Click on the button below (opens in new tab) to get started.
- Enter text for Industry Title and Occupation Title, hit Autocode button.
- Try these combinations:
- Industry: Healthcare; Occupation: Healthcare worker
- Industry: Long-term Care; Occupation: Activity Coordinator
- Industry: Grade School; Occupation: School bus driver
- Try entering your own job title and industry to see what is returned for you.
- Have fun!
Example of single record coding
Examples of Adequate & Inadequate Information for Occupation and Industry.
Information for Interviewers on how to capture hight quality Industry & Occupation Responses (using Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) as an example).
Collecting and Using Industry and Occupation Data - Important things to remember:
- Industry and occupation are related, but different. Collect BOTH.
- Collect free text descriptions in the two free text fields in MAVEN.
- Collect detailed information. "Engineer" is okay, "Civil Engineer" is better.
- Each occupation and industry has a specific code assigned to analyze the data.
Reminder that "Works from home" and "Self Employed" are neither occupations not industries.
