| Occupational disease | |
|---|---|
| Other names | Occupational illnesses[1] |
Anoccupational disease orindustrial disease is any chronic ailment that occurs as a result of work or occupational activity. It is an aspect ofoccupational safety and health. An occupational disease is typically identified when it is shown that it is more prevalent in a given body of workers than in the general population, or in other worker populations. Thefirst such disease to be recognized,squamous-cell carcinoma of thescrotum, was identified inchimney sweep boys bySir Percival Pott in 1775.[2][3] Occupational hazards that are of atraumatic nature (such as falls byroofers) are not considered to be occupational diseases.
Under the law ofworkers' compensation in many jurisdictions, there is a presumption that specific diseases are caused by the worker being in the work environment and the burden is on the employer orinsurer to show that the disease came about from another cause. Diseases compensated by national workers compensation authorities are often termed occupational diseases. However, many countries do not offer compensations for certain diseases likemusculoskeletal disorders caused by work (e.g. inNorway). Therefore, the termwork-related diseases is utilized to describe diseases of occupational origin. This term, however, would then include both compensable and non-compensable diseases that have occupational origins.
In a landmark study published by theWorld Health Organization and theInternational Labour Organization in 2021, 745,000 fatalities fromcoronary artery disease andstroke events in 2016 were attributed to exposure to long working hours.[4] With these UN estimates, the global burden of work-relatedcardiovascular diseases has been quantified for the first time.
Occupational disease is expected to be reported less than actual figure. Neither educational material nor educational meeting increase the report of occupational disease. However, reminders on the legal obligation to report the occupational disease seem to increasephysician reporting.[5]
Some well-known occupational diseases include:
Occupational lung diseases includeasbestosis amongasbestos miners and those who work with friable asbestos insulation, as well as black lung (coalworker's pneumoconiosis) amongcoal miners,silicosis among miners and quarrying and tunnel operators andbyssinosis among workers in parts of the cotton textile industry.
Occupational asthma has a vast number ofoccupations at risk.
Badindoor air quality may predispose for diseases in the lungs as well as in other parts of the body.
Occupational skin diseases are ranked among the top five occupational diseases in many countries.[6]
Occupational skin diseases and conditions are generally caused by chemicals and having wet hands for long periods while at work.Eczema is by far the most common, buturticaria,sunburn andskin cancer are also of concern.[7]
Contact dermatitis due to irritation isinflammation of the skin which results from a contact with an irritant.[8] It has been observed that this type ofdermatitis does not require prior sensitization of theimmune system. There have been studies to support that past or presentatopic dermatitis is a risk factor for this type ofdermatitis.[9] Common irritants include detergents, acids, alkalis, oils, organic solvents and reducing agents.[10]
The acute form of this dermatitis develops on exposure of the skin to a strong irritant or caustic chemical. This exposure can occur as a result ofaccident at aworkplace. The irritant reaction increases in its intensity within minutes to hours of exposure and reaches its peak quickly. After the reaction has reached its peak level, it starts to heal. This process is known as decrescendo phenomenon.[11] The most frequent potent irritants leading to this type of dermatitis are acids and alkaline solutions.[12] The symptoms include redness and swelling of the skin along with the formation of blisters.
The chronic form occurs as a result of repeated exposure of the skin to weak irritants over long periods of time.[13]
Clinical manifestations of contact dermatitis are also modified by external factors such as environmental factors (mechanical pressure, temperature, and humidity) and predisposing characteristics of the individual (age, sex, ethnic origin, preexisting skin disease, atopic skin diathesis, and anatomic region exposed).[14]
Another occupational skin disease is glove-related hand urticaria, reported among healthcare workers. This type of hand urticaria is believed to be caused by repeated wearing and removal of the gloves. The reaction is caused by the latex or the nitrile present in the gloves.[15]
High-risk occupations include:[7]
The List of Occupational Diseases of the International Labour Organization (ILO)[17] also includes "mental andbehavioraldisorders associated with exposure to risk factors".[18]
Donald Hunter, in his classicThe Diseases of Occupations, discusses many example of occupational diseases.[19] They include:
Bernardino Ramazzini in his book, dated 1700,De Morbis Artificum Diatriba, outlined the health hazards of chemicals, dust, metals, repetitive or violent motions, odd postures, and other disease-causative agents encountered by workers in more than 50 occupations.
Prevention measures include avoidance of the irritant through its removal from the workplace or through technical shielding by the use of potent irritants in closed systems or automation, irritant replacement or removal[20] and personal protection of the workers.
In order to better prevent and control occupational disease, most countries revise and update their related laws, most of them greatly increasing the penalties in case of breaches of the occupational disease laws. Occupational disease prevention, in general legally regulated, is part of goodsupply chain management and enables companies to design and ensure supply chain social compliance schemes as well as monitor their implementation to identify and prevent occupational disease hazards.
![[icon]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aWiki_letter_w_cropped.svg) | This section is empty. You can help byadding to it.(June 2024) |
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)Aspects of occupations | |
|---|---|
