Occupational disease is a disease caused by factors harmful to health that occur in the workplace or are related to the way it is performed. It can develop as a result of constant stay of the body in an inconvenient position, regular performance of aggravating activities or being in an environment with a high concentration of noise, dust, chemical compounds, etc.

There are many occupational diseases, and the symptoms of each of them differ from each other. An occupational diseaseis claimed only if it can be established indisputably or with a high probability that the disease in question was caused by employment in occupational exposure. This means that the disease must be closely related to the conditions and specifics of the work performed. It can occur both during and after employment.

Any case or suspicion of an occupational disease should be immediately reported to the competent state sanitary inspector and the competent district sanitary inspector. This can be done by the employer, as well as the employee himself (or a former employee). Also, every doctor and dentist who suspects an occupational disease in his patient is obliged to inform the relevant authorities about it.

Among the occupational diseases that affect Poles, we can mention:

• Pneumonia, a chronic respiratory disease associated with prolonged inhalation of dust. It is manifested primarily by a bothersome cough, as well as respiratory and circulatory failure. Miners, repair crews and welders are particularly exposed to its occurrence.
• Infectious diseases, including, above all, borreliosis and viral hepatitis. Most often, health care workers are sick with them.
• Voice damage most common in teachers
• Hearing damage, occurring most often in people working in noise.
• Chronic diseases of the peripheral nervous system, including inflammation of the tendons of the extensors of the wrist or carpal tunnel syndrome. They are especially exposed to people who perform activities related to, for example, operating a machine on a daily basis, consisting in continuous repetition of the same movements, especially when bending or straightening the wrists excessively.
• Skin diseases that occur most often in refinishers, lab technicians, hairdressers and printers.
• Cancer – occupational cancer diseases are those that are the result of the employee’s exposure to ionizing radiation or other carcinogens.

A detailed list of occupational diseases can be found in the annex to the Regulation of the Council of Ministers of 30 June 2009 on occupational diseases.

Source: https://www.bhp-center.com.pl/choroby-zawodowe-jak-je-rozpoznac/

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