10. RESULTS OF SUBSYSTEM 7: HEALTH EFFECTS AND RISKS RELATED TO OCCUPATIONAL ENVIRONMENT

10.1 Organization of monitoring activities

This new Subsystem in the Environmental Health Monitoring System involves the employees health impairment monitoring as a consequence of the negative influence of working condition and the occupational environment factors. The Subsystem includes nationwide monitoring data on the incidence of occupational diseases as well as that of occupational disease outbreak hazards (the health effects monitoring), exposure monitoring (jobs and workplaces categorization), and the monitoring the negative influence of the selected working conditions and the occupational environment factors on employees’ health. Namely, this is a question of unilateral, long-term and excessive physical load as well as chemical carcinogens, including the establishment of workplaces and jobs registries.

Breakdown of Subsystem 7:

The breakdown of the Subsystem facilitates its amplification with new tasks according to current needs and potential.

10.2 Monitoring of health data on occupational diseases and job categorization

10.2.1 Monitoring of health effects

The monitoring of health effects has been in operation for about ten years and is fully stabilized now. The incidence of occupational diseases and occupational disease outbreak hazard was lower in 2000 than in previous years (Table 10.1). The total number of occupational diseases reached 1751; 1691 cases of occupational diseases and 60 cases of occupational disease outbreak hazard from among 1713 employees (incidence rate per 100 000 insured subjects being 38.3); a diagnosis of occupational disease was made in 1104 males and 647 females. The highest number of occupational diseases was reported in Northern Moravia (34 % of cases). The majority of them ensued in coal mining (389 cases) and in medical care (246 cases). According to origin, the diseases were most frequently caused by physical factors (698 cases). In decreasing order, respiratory tract and lung diseases (363 cases), skin diseases (363 cases), infections and diseases caused by parasites (287 cases), health affections caused by chemicals (36 cases), and diseases caused by other factors and agents (4 cases) followed.

The following were the most frequently reported occupational diseases (according to the Annex to Government Decree No. 290/1995 Coll. - List of occupational diseases):

Most cases of occupational disease outbreak hazard were reported in Northern Moravia (52 %). The most frequently reported cases were hearing disorders caused by noise (23 cases). A review of occupational diseases occurrence and occupational disease outbreak hazard in the year 2000 according to regions, and trends in number of occupational diseases over the past 15 years are presented in Figs. 10.1 and 10.2.

10.2.2 Monitoring of exposure

10.3 Monitoring of the selected exposure and health effects parameters

10.3.1 Monitoring the health effects of selected occupational environment factors

10.3.2 Registry of occupational exposure to chemical carcinogens

Within Subsystem 7, updating of stored data is planned. The expansion of monitoring to exposed workers in the remaining enterprises in the regions where a registry was already established in the period of 1998-1999 according to the Chief Public Health Officer’s promotion project “Health Promotion” (Ústí n/L, Èeské Budìjovice, Pardubice) is intended. The establishing of regional registries in further regions according to the new administrative structure to cover all workplaces with this risk in the Czech Republic is being contemplated as well.

For economic reasons, it is not possible to cover all regions at once. But to serve the foreseen goals, the system can be fully utilized on a nationwide scale, only upon full coverage of workplaces with occupational carcinogen risks. Therefore, the speeding up of this process is much needed.

10.4 Partial conclusions

With the exception of the part “Monitoring Health Effects”, i.e. the Central Registry of Occupational Diseases and the Central Registry of Occupational Disease Outbreak Hazard, the other parts of Subsystem 7 are newly arising projects without any relevant outputs.

The monitoring of occupational diseases incidence has been in stabilized operation for almost ten years. In 2000, the total number of occupational diseases reached 1751, of which 1691 were occupational diseases and 60 were hazards of such from 1713 employees. The most frequently diseases were those caused by physical factors. Among the most frequently reported occupational diseases were the affection of the peripheral nerves from unilateral excessive long-term burdening of the extremities, pneumoconioses, and peripheral nerve disorders of the upper extremities caused by vibrations.

Table 10.1 Reported occupational diseases and threat of occupational disease in 1996-2000

 

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

Occupational diseases total

2 543

2 376

2 111

1 885

1 751

    – occupational diseases

2 519

2 350

2 054

1 844

1 691

    – threat of occupational disease

24

26

57

41

60

Occupational diseases - males

1 565

1 551

1 261

1 192

1 104

Occupational diseases - females

978

825

850

693

647

Incidence rate (number/100 000 employees)

55.2

51.6

45.8

40.9

38.3


Fig. 10.1 Professional diseases distribution according to regions and gender
Fig. 10.2 Professional diseases, 1985–2000

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