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:• acute: poisoning• chronic:

►Respiratory diseases: asthma, rhinitis, asbestosis and silicosis

►Occupational cancers (leukemia, lung cancer, mesothelioma, nasal cavity cancer)

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)

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

Occupational diseases’ trend

Year 2007• The total number of new cases on national level:

1353• Incidence: 73.9 per 100.000 exposed employees• Trend: during the past ten years there was a

decrease in the number of occupational diseases reported

Occupational diseases in Romania

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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

Occupational diseases by activity

Activity Incidence per 100.000 exposed

Total 73,9Manufacture of basic metals 446,4

Transport 437,5

Radioactive minerals extraction and process 344,1

Manufacture of other non-metallic mineral products 300,3

Manufacture of machinery and equipment 287,0

Mining of coal 128,0

Research and development 118,4

Manufacture of textiles 94,9

Occupational diseases with increased frequency

In EU1. Musculo-skeletal disorders2. Hearing loss do to noise exposure3. Skin diseases (silicosis or lung diseases due to inhalation of dust containing

free silica dust is on the 10th place out of 15)

In Romania, the first three places are occupied by (2007):1. Hearing loss do to noise exposure2. Silicosis3. Poisoning

Yet, the occupational morbidity in Romania is changing

• Here is the trend in number of silicosis cases reported in the past ten years !

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2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007

• Here is the trend in number of musculo-skeletal disorders reported in the past eight years !

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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

Yet, the occupational morbidity in Romania is changing

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Counties with an increased incidence of occupational diseases

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Bistriţa

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I ncidence per 100.000 exposed employees2006

2007

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).

Occupations with the highest number of occupational diseases

132120

87

41 39 35 31 2721 19

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150No new cases

• 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

To resume…

The Finnish ModelWorkplace promotion and maintenance

of work ability Author: Matti Ylikoski

Source: Workplace health promotion course (ELWHP), project for Transfer of Innovation in the Leonardo da Vinci 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)”.

  

OHS approaches

multidisciplinary interdisciplinary

• Monofactorial• Risk and

risk factor oriented• Preventive service• Adaptive

1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000

• Correction &control

•Curative & protective

1850

Demand ofprofessional competence

Need ofinterdisciplinarity

• Comprehensive• Multidisciplinary• Health promotion• Well-being• Productivity

• Multi-factorial

• Work ability• Health promotion

"bi -

disciplin

ary"

"monodisc

iplinary

"

"inte

rdisc

iplinary

"

"tri -

disciplin

ary"

Stages in the development of Finnish OHS

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

What’s good for you is good for business

• A good health of employees includes preventive measures

• And not only, MUCH MORE• From prevention to promotion on the “win-win”

principle• And not only, MUCH MORE

• From promotion to well-being on the “win- win - win” principle

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

http://hw.osha.europa.eu

What’s good for you is good for businessAn European campaign regarding risk assessment