| Occupational disease | |
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| Classification and external resources | |
| MeSH | D009784 |
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. Diseases compensated by national workers compensation authorities are often termed occupational diseases. However many countries do not offer compensations for certain diseases like musculoskeletal disorders caused by work (e.g. in Norway).Therefore the term work-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.
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Some well-known occupational diseases include:
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.
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.[1]
High-risk occupations include:[1]
Donald Hunter in his classic history of occupational diseases discusses many example of occupational diseases.[2] They include:
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