10. HEALTH RISKS IN THE OCCUPATIONAL ENVIRONMENT AND THEIR CONSEQUENCES |
10.1 Organization of monitoring activities
This subsystem includes the
Subsystem 7 is comprised of two projects and their subdivisions, as follows:
10.2 Monitoring of health data on occupational diseases and job categorization
10.2.1 Monitoring of health effects – The Register of Occupational Diseases and Occupational Disease Threat
In the Czech Republic in the year 2004, there has been reported a total
of 1,388 cases of
In the year 2004 the greatest numbers of cases of
The greatest numbers of
Just as in the three previous years, most of the occupational diseases
were reported from the sector of economic activities in medical and social
care and in veterinary activities (OKEČ N85 – 185, i.e. 13.3 % of cases).
The
10.2.2 Monitoring of exposure to individual factors in the occupational environment, based on the categorization of jobs and workplaces
In the year 2004 there continued the processing of drafts for the categorization of jobs and workplaces submitted by employers, and the publishing of decisions by public health institutions that have legalized those drafts. The finalization of this phase of occupational categorization is expected to come off in the course of the year 2005.
Of the total number of 4,959,100 employees (Statistical Yearbook of the
Czech Republic 2004) as of May 17, 2005, there have been registered in the
Job Categorization Information System, in the job categories 2, 2R, 3, and
4 a total of 1,748,275 exposed subjects, i.e. 35 % of all employees (18,781
per 100,000 employees). In jobs at risk (categories 2R, 3, 4) there have
been registered 401,233 persons representing 8 % of all employees in the
Czech Republic (4,314 per 100,000 employees). In category 4, that being
The greatest number of employees, out of all those registered, (job categories 2, 2R, 3, 4) were exposed to the factor of Physical load – 775,731 subjects, Mental load – 679,743 subjects, and Noise – 650,457 subjects. Relatively low is the number of employees exposed to Chemical substances, namely 141,082. On the other hand, in jobs at risk (i.e. categories 2R, 3, 4) the greatest number of employees were registered in the file of risk factor Noise. The numbers of employees exposed in jobs by factor are presented in Tab. 10.2b.
Approximately one third of registered employees is exposed to more than
one factor; 7.7 % to more than four. Tab. 10.2c presents data on the numbers
of employees (in categories 2, 2R, 3, 4) exposed to
The data presented should be considered as being preliminary in as the registration of all jobs has not been finished yet.
10.3 Monitoring of selected parameters of exposure and health effects
10.3.1 The Register of Occupational Exposures to Chemical Carcinogens – REGEX
An updating of the 2003 database has been carried out by the Regional Public
Health Institutes in Ústí nad Labem, České Budějovice, Karlovy Vary, Hradec
Králové, Jihlava, Zlín, Olomouc, and Ostrava. Data from the Regional Public
Health Institute Plzeň in the nationwide database have not been updated
(data as of Dec. 31, 2002). Data from Region Pardubice and Region Central
Bohemia have remained at the level that had been processed by the former
Regional Public Health Center prior to the reorganization of the public
health service. Data from the regions Liberec, Prague and South Moravian
are not in the nationwide database yet. It still holds that the REGEX system
shall be fully functional for application in preventive healthcare measures
and for an analysis of the objective risk in
The number of exposed subjects registered in the central register REGEX as of Dec. 31, 2004, was 4,326 subjects (3,876 in the preceding year) with 6,223 entries (5,253 in the preceding year). The numbers of employees registered in the Register of Exposures to Carcinogens by regions as of Dec. 31, 2004, are presented in Fig. 10.3. The numbers of employees registered according to the most frequent exposure to carcinogens are presented in Tab. 10.3.
10.4 Partial conclusions
In the Czech Republic in the year 2004, in all, there have been reported
1,388
In the course of 2004 there continued the processing of drafts for the categorization of jobs and workplaces. In the Job Categorization Information System, as of May 17, 2005, there have been registered in categories 2, 2R, 3 and 4 in all, 1,748,275 exposed subjects, i.e. 35 % of all employees (18,781 per 100,000 employees). Approximately one third of the employees registered, are exposed to more than one factor. In the categories at risk (2R, 3, 4), there have been registered 401,233 subjects, representing 8 % of all employees in the Czech Republic (4,314 per 100,000 employees). In category 4, i.e. workplaces under great risk, in the Czech Republic there have been included 19,434 subjects, i.e. 209 per 100,000 employees.
In the year 2004 there has not been finalized the involving of all regions
in the inclusion of employees exposed to carcinogens in the Register of
Tab. 10.1a Notified professional diseases
Professional diseases/calendar year |
1996 |
1997 |
1998 |
1999 |
2000 |
2001 |
2002 |
2003 |
2004 |
Professional diseases total |
2,541 |
2,376 |
2,111 |
1,886 |
1,751 |
1,677 |
1,600 |
1,558 |
1,388 |
– occupational diseases |
2,517 |
2,350 |
2,054 |
1,845 |
1,691 |
1,627 |
1,531 |
1,486 |
1,329 |
– threat of occupational disease |
24 |
26 |
57 |
41 |
60 |
50 |
69 |
72 |
59 |
Professional diseases – males |
1,563 |
1,551 |
1,261 |
1,192 |
1,104 |
1,034 |
977 |
972 |
826 |
Professional diseases – females |
978 |
825 |
850 |
694 |
647 |
643 |
623 |
586 |
562 |
Incidence rate |
55.2 |
49.1 |
44.1 |
41.1 |
38.7 |
37.4 |
35.8 |
35.1 |
31.6 |
Tab. 10.1b Notified professional diseases in regions, 2004
Region |
Chapter of Occupational Diseases Registry |
||||||
I |
II |
III |
IV |
V |
VI |
Total |
|
Karlovy Vary |
|
|
1 |
8 |
1 |
|
10 |
Liberec |
|
20 |
2 |
13 |
16 |
|
51 |
Plzeň |
2 |
28 |
11 |
11 |
3 |
|
55 |
Zlín |
|
24 |
13 |
14 |
4 |
1 |
56 |
Ústí nad Labem |
|
20 |
7 |
7 |
26 |
|
60 |
Vysočina |
|
22 |
7 |
8 |
23 |
|
60 |
Prague |
2 |
11 |
4 |
14 |
39 |
|
70 |
Hradec Králové |
1 |
22 |
9 |
40 |
20 |
|
92 |
Pardubice |
6 |
19 |
15 |
36 |
15 |
1 |
92 |
South Bohemian |
2 |
59 |
6 |
21 |
10 |
|
98 |
South Moravian |
|
29 |
43 |
21 |
22 |
|
115 |
Olomouc |
1 |
67 |
14 |
37 |
17 |
|
136 |
Central Bohemian |
11 |
62 |
81 |
25 |
18 |
|
197 |
Moravian-Silesian |
1 |
189 |
69 |
17 |
20 |
|
296 |
CZ |
26 |
572 |
282 |
272 |
234 |
2 |
1,388 |
I – O. diseases caused by chemical substances
II – O. diseases caused by physical factors
III – O. diseases of respiratory pathways, lung, pleura and peritoneum
IV – O. diseases of skin
V – O. diseases infectious and parasitic
VI – O. diseases caused by other factors
Tab. 10.2a Number of exposed employees in categories of hazardous work (categories 2R + 3 + 4) in regions, at May 17, 2005
Region |
Females |
Males |
Total |
Number/100,000 employees |
Karlovy Vary |
2,830 |
6,590 |
9,420 |
4,154 |
Zlín |
7,226 |
11,144 |
18,370 |
4,146 |
Plzeň |
4,499 |
14,374 |
18,873 |
4,225 |
Liberec |
7,814 |
12,169 |
19,983 |
5,811 |
Vysočina |
5,870 |
14,167 |
20,037 |
4,925 |
Pardubice |
5,898 |
15,367 |
21,265 |
5,420 |
Olomouc |
8,282 |
17,327 |
25,609 |
5,709 |
Hradec Králové |
9,828 |
15,830 |
25,658 |
5,762 |
South Bohemian |
9,122 |
22,077 |
31,199 |
6,161 |
Prague |
12,119 |
21,661 |
33,780 |
1,409 |
South Moravian |
12,378 |
21,840 |
34,218 |
3,698 |
Ústí nad Labem |
12,937 |
27,288 |
40,225 |
7,128 |
Central Bohemian |
13,504 |
30,075 |
43,579 |
5,447 |
Moravian-Silesian |
11,568 |
45,271 |
56,839 |
5,958 |
CZ |
124,866 |
276,367 |
401,233 |
4,314 |
Categories of work: 2R – potentially hazardous work, 3 and 4 – hazardous
work.
Data stem from Information system of jobs and workplaces categorization.
Tab. 10.2b Number of exposed employees in categories of hazardous work (categories 2R + 3 + 4) by factors, at May 17, 2005
Factors |
Total |
Females |
Males |
Noise |
225,403 |
42,240 |
183,163 |
Dust |
61,787 |
10,085 |
51,702 |
Biological factors |
53,855 |
40,248 |
13,607 |
Physical load |
50,164 |
29,405 |
20,759 |
Psychical stress |
47,337 |
19,049 |
28,288 |
Vibrations |
41,741 |
1,674 |
40,067 |
Chemicals |
30,121 |
9,734 |
20,387 |
Operating position |
16,056 |
5,937 |
10,119 |
Thermal stress |
15,181 |
2,589 |
12,592 |
Selected labours |
11,663 |
5,678 |
5,985 |
Non-ionizing radiation and elmag. fields |
10,531 |
2,646 |
7,885 |
Optical stress |
6,579 |
1,981 |
4,598 |
Cool stress |
1,635 |
155 |
1,480 |
Ionizing radiation |
737 |
237 |
500 |
Tab. 10.2c Number of exposed employees with concurrently acting risk factors
No. of risk factors |
No. of exposed employees (category of work 2, 2R, 3, 4) |
1 |
604,919 |
2 |
457,678 |
3 |
384,316 |
4 |
165,518 |
More than 4 |
135,137 |
Total |
1,748,275 |
Tab. 10.3 Number of employees in Registry of Occupational Exposures to Chemical Carcinogens, at Dec. 31, 2004 (according to carcinogen listed as the first)
Chemical substance, factor, workplace |
No. of employees |
Cytostatic agents, Cis-platine |
870 |
Steel and iron foundry |
494 |
Benzene |
408 |
Coking plants |
286 |
Formaldehyde |
217 |
Cadmium and comp. |
184 |
2-naphtylamine |
179 |
Cytostatic agents, Ionizing radiation |
176 |
Coal gasification |
160 |
Ionizing radiation |
142 |
Epichlorohydrine, Styrene, Formaldehyde |
75 |
Vinylchloride |
67 |
Benzene, PAHs |
67 |
Ethylenoxide, Formaldehyde |
58 |
Asbestos |
55 |
Hardwood dust |
53 |
Epichlorohydrine, Styrene |
53 |
Styrene |
52 |
Epichlorohydrine, Tetrachloroethylene, Tetrachloromethane, Hexachlorobenzene |
51 |
Formaldehyde, Ionizing radiation |
48 |
Nickel and comp. |
27 |
Products of oil processing |
26 |
Hydrazine |
20 |