Analysis of occupational diseases in Slovakia in 2005–2014 also viewed from aspect of the risk work category

Overview

Introduction:
The objective of the work was to evaluate changes in the incidence and structure of occupational diseases (OD) in men and women exposed to various factors of the working environment who were performing works at risk in Slovakia in the period of ten years. The analysis of the collected data should stimulate further direction of primary prevention, and intensify protection and support of health at work.

Groups and Methods:
The retrospective analysis of OD in the Slovak Republic evaluated all 47 items of the List of OD of Slovakia valid from 1st January 2004. The processing of the results employed descriptive methods of statistical analysis.

Results:
In the period of 2005–2014, 4,220 occupational diseases were notified, and 36.8% of them affected women (n = 1,552), most often from diseases from overload of upper extremities and occupational infectious diseases. The number of OD decreased between 2005 and 2014 by 9.7%. In 2014, the incidence of OD was 1.8/100,000 per all working persons.

Diseases caused by physical load of upper extremities (2,701 notifications altogether) were most frequently notified, with 64% incidence. Within the observed period, 412 occupational infections were notified (9.8% of OD), among them 245 infections and parasitic diseases (among them 65 cases of virus hepatitis and 38 tuberculosis), especially in medical personnel, the other cases were other infectious diseases. The 323 cases included loss of hearing defects from noise and 275 cases occupational diseases of the skin and both of them were less than the presumed real occurrence considering the number of employees registered in corresponding categories of work at risk. Allergic diseases of respiratory system related to work were notified in 163 cases. In total, 123 cases of silicoses and coal miner pneumconioses were notified, 24 occupational diseases from asbestos and asbestoses associated with malignant lung tumors. Occupational poisoning cases demonstrated markedly decreasing trend. There were 96 cases of occupational poisoning and 32 cases of tumors following long term exposure of human chemical carcinogens. Within the reported period, 23 malignant lung tumors from radon were in miners working underground in ore mines in Slovakia. There were 13 cases of severe hyperkinetic dysphonia, insufficiency of mm. laryng. int. and severe phonastenia in vocal professionals. In the specific “free” item No. 47, there were 40 other health disorders associated with work.

The number of employees exposed to work at risk in the 3rd and 4th category decreased between the year 2005 and 2014 by 16.1% up to 99,114 persons. This number included 21,356 women, who comprised 21.5% of all cases of work at risk, mainly in industrial production and in the area of public health and social aid in the Slovak Republic. The decrease of jobs at risk of the 4th category over 10 years by 46.2% is encouraging. The number of women over this period of decreased as much as by 72.5% (869 female employees in 2014).

Conclusions:
ODs belong to preventable diseases, and their decreased number is associated with increased quality of primary prevention. The health protection and promotion is guaranteed by the government and is arranged by the employer in collaboration with preventive and protection services. Appreciable role in the chain of prevention is played by the better awareness of the importance of OD prevention also among employees.

Keywords:
occupational diseases – occurrence and incidence – analysis of 4,220 notified cases – longitudinal observation – work at risk –women