A national survey of regional poison control centers' management of occupational exposure calls.

Regional poison control centers (PCCs) were surveyed nationally to assess their policies and practices in handling work-related exposures. A 24-item survey was mailed to the executive directors of 44 American Association of Poison Control Centers' certified PCCs nationwide. The survey also requested permission to call the PCC to conduct a blinded role-playing exercise of a case of work-related trichloroethane exposure. Responses on the management questionnaire were compared with the actual responses provided by information specialists in the role-playing exercise. Seventy-five percent of PCCs completed the survey; 43% completed the telephone role-playing exercise. Survey respondents generally overestimated what they thought was routinely done to assess work-related calls, compared with what actually occurred at the time of the work-related call in the role-playing exercise. For example, 32% indicated that their PCC asked about the activities of nearby workers, but none of the PCC staff actually did so. Eighty-nine percent of the PCC executive directors surveyed thought that their staff routinely advised callers to notify their employer about work-related exposure concerns, but this occurred in only 11% of the calls. We concluded that PCCs' responses to work-related calls are inadequate. Given the public health impact of work-related calls, PCCs should develop, implement, and monitor written protocols to better address the public health issues of workplace poisonings.