Wyoming hires new epidemiologist to improve workplace safety

Wyoming has hired a new epidemiologist tasked with trying to document, track and help reduce workplace injuries and deaths. Doctor Mack Sewell  is from the New Mexico Department of Health. 

Wyoming Workforce Services Director Joan Evans says that Sewell will hopefully carry forward work that identified a number things that could be improved to reduce workplace deaths in the state.  Evans adds that since he will be working for the agency,it should enhance his ability to get data.                         

"It’s going to help us work with the data more efficiently because we have our Research and Planning office housed within the department and because this individual will also be also an employee of the department, we will be able to work more cooperatively then we were when the epidemiologist was outside the agency and we had issues of confidentiality and things like that."

Governor Matt Mead says the lack of accurate data about workplace safety has been an ongoing problem in Wyoming.  The state has consistently been ranked among the worst in the country for workplace deaths.