Local, regional, and state public health officials conducted an injury outbreak investigation following a massive fertilizer plant explosion that occurred in a rural community in Texas in April 2013. The explosion killed 15 individuals and injured over 250 individuals in the community.

In this webinar, epidemiologists will describe their approach in designing this investigation and identifying data sources. They will describe the characteristics of the nonfatal and fatal injuries (including an injury pyramid), the factors contributing to those injuries, and the location of the injured persons at the time of the blast (including injury maps). Innovative approaches and lessons learned will be discussed that will benefit local, state, and territorial injury programs.

At the end of this webinar, viewers will be able to:

1.) Identify the types of injuries to expect following a fertilizer plant explosion

2.) Identify factors contributing to those injuries

3.) Identify the unique challenges related to conducting an injury investigation

4.) Identify innovative approaches and lessons learned

5.) Participate in a dialogue about disaster epidemiology within the larger community of injury prevention programs at the state, territorial, and local levels.

The webinar was moderated by David Zane, Epidemiologist, from the Texas Department of State Health Services, and included presentations from Kahler Stone, Waco-McLennan County Public Health District; Hammad Akram, Waco-McLennan County Public Health District; and Bonnie Feldt, Texas Department of State Health Services.

Continuing education credits are offered for this training for Safe States members. These include credits for individuals who are Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) and Certified in Public Health (CPH).