Occupational disease
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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An occupational disease is any chronic ailment that occurs as a result of work or occupational activity. It is an aspect of occupational 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. Occupational hazards that are of a traumatic nature (such as falls by roofers) are not considered to be occupational diseases.
Under the law of workers' compensation in many jurisdictions, there is a presumption that specific disease are caused by the worker being in the work environment and the burden is on the employer or insurer to show that the disease came about from another cause.
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Examples
Some well-known occupational diseases include:
Lung diseases
Occupational lung diseases include asbestosis among asbestos miners and those who work with friable asbestos insulation, as well as black lung (coalworker's pneumoconiosis) among coal miners, and byssinosis among workers in parts of the cotton textile industry.
Occupational asthma has a vast number of occupations at risk.
Bad indoor air quality may predispose for diseases in the lungs as well as in other parts of the body.
Skin diseases
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, but urticaria, sunburn and skin cancer are also of concern.
High-risk occupations include:
- Hairdressing
- Catering
- Healthcare
- Printing
- Metal machining
- Motor vehicle repair
- Construction
Other diseases of concern
- Carpal tunnel syndrome among persons who work in the poultry industry and information technology.
- Lead poisoning affecting workers in many industries that processed or employed lead or lead compounds
Historical
Donald Hunter in his classic history of occupational diseases discusses many example of occupational diseases. They include:
- Phossy jaw among the London matchgirls
- Radiation sickness among some persons who had been working in the nuclear industry.
- Radium jaw among the Radium Girls
- Squamous cell carcinoma of the skin of the scrotum among chimney sweeps
See also
- Occupational health psychology
- Occupational medicine
- Occupational safety and health
- My work, my sorrow, a documentary on RSI and occupational disease in France today
