title: World Trade Center disaster: assessment of responder occupations, work locations, and job tasks.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To date there have been no comprehensive reports of the work performedby 9/11 World Trade Center responders.
  
  
  METHODS
  18,969 responders enrolled in the WTC Medical Monitoring and Treatment Program were used to describe workers’ pre-9/11 occupations, WTC work activities and locations from September 11, 2001 to June 2002.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The most common pre-9/11 occupation was protective services (47%); other common occupations included construction, telecommunications, transportation, and support services workers. 14% served as volunteers. Almost one-half began work on 9/11 and >80% reported working on or adjacent to the ‘‘pile’’ at Ground Zero. Initially,the most common activity was search and rescue but subsequently, the activities of most responders related to their pre-9/11 occupations. Other major activities included security; personnel support; buildings and grounds cleaning; and telecommunications repair.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The spatial, temporal, occupational, and task-related taxonomy reported here will aid the development of a job-exposure matrix, assist in assessment of disease risk, and improve planning and training for responders in future urban disasters.
authors.affiliation: Department of Work Environment, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, Massachusetts 01854, USA. susan_woskie@uml.edu
authors.forename: Susan R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Woskie
authors.forename: Hyun
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Alice
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Freund
authors.forename: Lori
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Stevenson
authors.forename: Bo Y
authors.initials: BY
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Sherry
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Baron
authors.forename: Robin
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Herbert
authors.forename: Micki Siegel
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: de Hernández
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Teitelbaum
authors.forename: Rafael E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: de la Hoz
authors.forename: Juan P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Wisnivesky
authors.forename: Phillip
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Landrigan
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D060389:Construction Industry / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004189:Disaster Planning; D060731:Emergency Responders / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D054527:Mass Casualty Incidents / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008875:Middle Aged; D009519:New York City; D016272:Occupational Health; D018635:Rescue Work; D047851:September 11 Terrorist Attacks; D014186:Transportation; D014505:Urban Population; D014838:Volunteers / Q000706:statistics & numerical data