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Overview of occupational diseases in Romania: trends and changes (2004-2008)

Overview of occupational diseases in Romania: trends and changes (2004-2008). Adriana Todea, Aurelia Ferencz Institute of Public Health Bucharest. Health effects. The exposure to harmful occupational agents can have unwanted effects upon employee’s health, such as: OCCUPATIONAL DISEASES :

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Overview of occupational diseases in Romania: trends and changes (2004-2008)

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  1. Overview of occupational diseases in Romania: trends and changes(2004-2008) Adriana Todea, Aurelia Ferencz Institute of Public Health Bucharest

  2. Health effects The exposure to harmful occupational agents can have unwanted effects upon employee’s health, such as: OCCUPATIONAL DISEASES: • acute: poisoning • chronic: • Respiratory diseases: asthma, rhinitis, asbestosis and silicosis • Occupational cancers (leukemia, lung cancer, mesothelioma, nasal cavity cancer)

  3. Occupational diseases – definition • Occupational diseases – disease occurring during fulfilling a job or occupation, caused by physical, chemical or biological agents specific to the workplace, as well as the strain of different organs and systems of the organism in the work process. (Law no. 319/2006)

  4. Reporting occupational diseases Definition: • Art. 165. - (1) Newly discovered occupational diseases are reported during the month in which the disease occurred by the county public health authority to the National Centre of Methodological Coordination and Information regarding Occupational Diseases within the Institute of Public Health Bucharest

  5. Occupational diseases’ trend Year2007 • The total number of new cases on national level: 1353 • Incidence: 73.9per 100.000 exposed employees • Trend: during the past ten years there was a decrease in the number of occupational diseases reported

  6. Occupational diseases in Romania

  7. Causes of the decreasing trend • better working conditions: new technologies, promotion of OHS measures in companies, reduced exposure to mental strain, healthy and safe working conditions • there are many unreported cases of occupational diseases due to: the link between the diseases and workplace is ignored, some employers deliberately ignore these cases, sick employees are afraid to lose their jobs ("healthy worker syndrome"-which happens also in highly industrialized countries). • lack of periodical medical checks for many employees exposed to harmful agents or/and lack of performing all the necessary tests, which would offer all the data useful to identify the occupational disease diagnostic, due to deficiencies in specific equipments

  8. Occupational diseases by activity ActivityIncidenceper 100.000 exposed Total73,9 Manufacture of basic metals446,4 Transport 437,5 Radioactive minerals extraction and process344,1 Manufacture of other non-metallic mineral products300,3 Manufacture of machinery and equipment287,0 Mining of coal128,0 Research and development 118,4 Manufacture of textiles 94,9

  9. Occupational diseases with increased frequency InEU • Musculo-skeletal disorders • Hearing loss do to noise exposure • Skin diseases (silicosis or lung diseases due to inhalation of dust containing free silica dust is on the 10th place out of 15) InRomania, the first three places are occupied by (2007): • Hearing loss do to noise exposure • Silicosis • Poisoning

  10. Yet, the occupational morbidity in Romania is changing • Here is the trend in number of silicosis cases reported in the past ten years !

  11. Yet, the occupational morbidity in Romania is changing • Here is the trend in number of musculo-skeletal disorders reported in the past eight years !

  12. Yet, the occupational morbidity in Romania is changing • Here is the trend in the past ten years in number of occupational diseases reported in the health sector, considered in Europe one of the most dangerous sectors, due to the well-known exposure to biologic agents and others

  13. Counties with an increased incidence of occupational diseases

  14. Occupational diseases by occupation Regarding the distribution of occupational diseases by occupation, on the first places are: • miners (132 new cases) • locksmiths (120 new cases) • casters (87 new cases) • machinists (41 new cases) • smelters (39 new cases) • welders (35 new cases).

  15. Occupations with the highest number of occupational diseases

  16. To resume… • In the ever changing world or work, the workplace health promotion methods must be adapted to the specifics of work market • The culture and characteristics of every nation must be taken into account and the easiest and the most direct way to improve, to change the worker’s behavior in regards to his/her workplace, his/her health must be found

  17. The Finnish ModelWorkplace promotion and maintenance of work ability Author: Matti YlikoskiSource: Workplace health promotion course (ELWHP), project for Transfer of Innovation in theLeonardo daVinci programme, “Interpretation of Lisbon Strategy recommendations in an e-learning program for occupational health and public health experts – Workplace Health Promotion, a way to increase competitiveness(ELWHP)”.

  18. OHS approaches

  19. What’s good for you is good for business Approaches in age management • Projects:"Let's Build Work Ability Together", "Age Master" Proposed objectives: • to extend the worklife of personnel by 2 years • to decrease sickness absences by 1% a year • to increase the appreciation and self-esteem of Age Masters and the transfer of tacit knowledge. Source: MODULE 5. Promoting work ability and its benefits for workers and businesses as means of WHP - The Finnish PMWA Model

  20. What’s good for you is good for business • A good health of employees includes preventive measures • And not only, MUCH MORE • From prevention topromotionon the “win-win”principle • And not only, MUCH MORE • From promotion to well-beingon the“win- win - win”principle

  21. Further assistance • On the Agency’s website, there are many available information and guidelines to help you: • A web page regarding dangerous substances, with good practice examples from UE and Fact sheets 33, 34 şi 35: http://osha.europa.eu/topics/ds • A web page about risk assessment, with tools and check-lists for risk assessment: http://osha.europa.eu/topics/riskassessment • Information about dangerous substances for SMEs: http://sme.osha.europa.eu/products/dangerous_substances/ • Information on risk assessment campaign: http://hw.osha.europa.eu

  22. http://hw.osha.europa.eu What’s good for you is good for business An European campaign regarding risk assessment

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