Occupational diseases are diseases that are caused or aggravated by the work or work environment. Some key points: - Occupational diseases can have varying time frames between exposure and symptoms, from immediate to decades later. - Major causes of occupational diseases include physical, chemical, biological, and psychosocial hazards. Common examples are respiratory diseases from dusts or fumes, musculoskeletal disorders, and work-related stress. - Prevention of occupational diseases involves controlling exposures through substitution of hazardous materials, engineering controls, administrative controls, personal protective equipment, and health monitoring programs. The goal is primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention.

1. Occupational Diseases
By
MIDHUN RAJIV

2. Definition
• Occupational diseases
are diseases caused by work or work
environment
“any chronic ailment that occurs as a result of
work or occupational activity”
• Work-related diseases
are diseases initiated, hampered or easy to get by
work

3. • Occupational disease occur among workers
exposed to physical, chemical, biological or
psychosocial factors in the workplace.
• In some situations may also occur among the
general community as a consequence of
contamination of the environment from the
workplace.
e.g lead, pesticides

4. • Occur in varying time frames – from
instantaneous development of symptoms to
gradual development
• instantaneous reactions - exposure to chemicals such as
chlorine or ammonia gas
• a delay of some six to twelve hours with fumes of
aerosolized zinc
• a delay of weeks to months with lead poisoning
• a delay of decades with occupational carcinogens
• even the finding of congenital malformations in
children whose parents may have been exposed to
hazardous materials
• So, deaths from such diseases - difficult to
enumerate

5. • WHO - 100 million occupational injuries  0.1 million
deaths in the world
• India  17 million occupational non-fatal injuries (17% of
the world) & 45,000 fatal injuries (45% of the total deaths
due to occupational injuries in world) annually
• 11 million cases of occupational diseases in the world  1.9
million cases (17%) contributed by India
• Of 0.7 million deaths in the world, 0.12 (17%) from India
• Adverse occupational factors have been estimated to cost
2-14% of the gross national products for various countries

6. HAZARD EXAMPLES
Physical Noise, Vibration, Radiation, Heat
Chemical Dusts, Heavy & Heavy reactive Metals, Solvents, Gases, Fumes
Biological
AIR CONTAMINANTS
Human tissue & bodily fluids (blood) causing Hepatitis B,C,HIV ( AIDS)
Microbial pathogens causing Anthrax, TB, Brucellosis, asthma &
Tetanus.
Animal and animal products, Birds, Insects e.g Mosquitoes.
PARTICULATE
Dusts, Fumes, Mists, Aerosols, Fibers
GAS AND VAPOUR
Ergonomic/Mechanical Lifting & handling
Poor posture
Repetition
Poor equipment & workplace design
Psychosocial Organizational Psychosocial Factors
High demand & Low control
Violence and verbal abuse
Lone working, Shift work, Night work
Burn out due to Long working hours
Exposure to unnecessary tobacco or smoking.

7. Diseases in Large scale & small scale
Industries
• Gases – gas poisoning.
• Inorganic dusts:
 Coal dust - Anthracosis
 Silica - Silicosis.
 Asbestos - Asbestosis.
 Iron - Siderosis
• Organic dusts :
 Cane fiber - Bagassosis.
 Cotton dust – Byssinosis.
Asthma – among persons exposed to organic dust
• Chemicals – Burns, dermatitis, cancer, respiratory
illness
• Metals – lead, mercury, arsenic, chromium cause
poisoning

8. • Industrial neurosis, hypertension, peptic ulcer,
etc.
• Work-related stress – excessive working time
and overwork
• Violence – from outside the organization
• Bullying – emotional and verbal abuse
• Sexual Harassment
• Mobbing
• Burnout
• Exposure to unhealthy elements – tobacco,
uncontrolled alcohol

9. • Heat hyperpyrexia, heat exhaustion
• Occupational cataract, miner’s nystagmus
• Pressure: Caisson disease, air embolism, blast
(explosion)
• Occupational deafness
Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs)
• can affect the body’s muscles, joints, tendons,
ligaments and nerves. As well as the back, neck,
shoulders and upper limbs; less often they affect
the lower limbs.
• develop over time and are caused either by the
work itself or by the employees' working
environment

10. Occupational Dermatoses: Types:
o Acute contact eczema
o Chronic contact eczema
o Chloracne
o Photosensitization
o Hypo/hyperpigmentation
o Keratoses
o Benign tumors and epitheliomas
o Ulcerss

11. Diseases in Hospital Industry
• Hepatitis B Virus
• Hepatitis C Virus
• Tuberculosis – particularly among Healthcare
Workers
• Blood-borne Diseases – HIV/AIDS
• Anthrax
• Brucellosis
• Tetanus
• Occupational dermatosis

12. Diseases in Agriculture:
• Farmer’s lung- hypersensitivity pneumonitis
induced by inhalation of biological dusts.
• Silo filler's disease (SFD) - pulmonary exposure
to oxides of nitrogen – could manifest into
pulmonary oedema
• Leptospirosis.
• Hepatitis A, Typhoid.
• Pesticide :
– Pesticide are often applied by hand, or without proper
protection of workers who use spray equipment
• Zoonotic diseases – Related to livestock's.
• Occupational dermatosis

13. Industrial Hygiene
• It is defined as- “that science and art devoted
to the anticipation, recognition, evaluation,
and control of those environmental factors or
stresses arising in or from the workplace,
which may cause sickness, impaired health
and well-being, or significant discomfort
among workers or among the citizens of the
community.”

14. • Industrial hygienists analyze, identify, and
measure workplace hazards or stresses that
can cause sickness, impaired health, or
significant discomfort in workers through
chemical, physical, ergonomic, or biological
exposures.

15. WORKSITE ANALYSIS:
• first step
• determine what jobs and work stations are
the sources of potential problems
• measures and identifies exposures, problem 3
tasks, and risks. Eg: all jobs, operations, and
work activities.
• researches, or analyzes how the particular
chemicals or physical hazards at that worksite
affect worker health.

16. RECOGNIZING AND CONTROLLING HAZARDS:
• Engineering controls minimize employee
exposure by either reducing or removing the
hazard at the source or isolating the worker
from the hazard.
It include eliminating toxic chemicals and
substituting non-toxic chemicals, enclosing
work processes or confining work operations,
and the installation of general and local
ventilation systems

17. Work practice controls :alter the manner in which a
task is performed.
(1) changing existing work practices to follow
proper procedures that minimize exposures
while operating production and control
equipment;
(2) inspecting and maintaining process and control
equipment on a regular basis;
(3) implementing good housekeeping procedures;
(4) providing good supervision;
(5) mandating that eating, drinking, smoking,
chewing tobacco or gum, and applying
cosmetics in regulated areas be prohibited.

18. Administrative controls :include controlling
employees' exposure by scheduling
production and tasks, or both, in ways that
minimize exposure levels. For example, the
employer might schedule operations with the
highest exposure potential during periods
when the fewest employees are present.

19. Use of appropriate personal protective
equipments: Examples of personal protective
equipment are gloves, safety goggles,
helmets, safety shoes, protective clothing, and
respirators.
To be effective, personal protective equipment
must be individually selected, properly fitted
and periodically refitted; conscientiously and
properly worn; regularly maintained; and
replaced, as necessary.

20. Sickness absenteeism
• Sickness absenteeism occurs when employees
miss work for reasons stemming from health
problems.
• The rate of sickness absenteeism is linked to the
overall health of the workforce and also to
specific factors in each individual profession.
• Workplace policies and national standards also
impact the rate of sickness absenteeism as do
cultural norms and personal attitudes among
workers.

21. • medical professionals are largely responsible
for determining which illnesses are of
sufficient severity to warrant absence from
work.
• Absenteeism and job satisfaction are closely
linked.

22. The component of an occupational
history
• Job description/nature of job
• Hours of work/shift work
• Types of hazards
• Past occupation
• Other jobs
• Domestic exposures
• Hobbies
• Do other workers have a similar illness ?
• Relationship of illness to period away from
work

23. Additional information in occupational
history
• Smoking/ alcohol intake/drugs
• Similar complaints among other workers
• Time relationship between work and
symptoms
• Degree of exposure
• Use of protective device
• Methods of materials handling

24. Occupational diseases
ASBESTOSIS
Chronic inflammatory and fibrotic medical condition
Affecting parenchyma tissue of the lungs.
Causes
Chronic Inhalaion of asbestos
Clinical manifestations
 Dyspnea
 Reduction in lung volume
 Hypoxia
 lung cancer
 respiratory failure

25. PNEUMOCONIOSES
• IT IS A OCCUPATIONAL LUNG DISEASE CAUSED BY
INHALATION OF DUST.
• TYPES
 COAL WORKER PNEUMOCONIOSES
 ASBESTOSIS
 SILICOSIS-MINERS PHTHISIS,GRINDERS
ASTHMA,POTTERS ROT. CAUSED BY CRYSTALLINE SILICA
DUST.
 BAUXITE FIBROSIS-IT IS A FORM OF PNEUMOCONIOSES
CAUSED BY BAUXITE
 BERYLLIOSIS-BERYLLIUM
 SIDEROSIS-IRON
 BYSSINOSIS -COTTON

26. • The most common occupational diseases
• Are almost always preventable by a
combination environmental, personaland
medical measures

27. Occupational cancer
• The cause of cancer is still not completely
understood
• Epidemiological studies  has been
associated with certain exposures.

28. Occupational Disease in Developing
Countries
• Asbestos is the major cause of disability and ill
health

29. Preventing Occupational Disease
1. Measures Applied to the Process or Workplace
a. Substitution of a Non hazardous Substance for
Hazardous One
b. Installation of Engineering Controls and Devices
c. Job Redesign,Work Organization Changes and Work
Practice Alternatives
2. Measures Primarily Directed Toward Worker
a. Education and Advice
b. Personal Protective Equipment
c. Organizational Measures

30. The three levels of prevention
Primary Prevention
• Is designed to deter or avoid the occurrence of disease
or injury
Secondary Prevention
• Is designed to identify and adequately treat a disease
or injury process as soon as possible, often before any
symptoms have developed
Tertiary Prevention
• Is designed to treat a disorder when it has advanced
beyond its early stages, to avoid complications & limit
disability, to address rehabilitative and palliative needs

31. Primary Prevention Secondary Prevention
Control of new hazards Screening
Control of known hazards
Environmental monitoring
Biological monitoring
Identification of vulnerable
workers (pre employment medical
examination)
Periodic medical examination
Substitution
Engineering controls to minimise
exposure
Personal Protective Devices

32. • Tertiary prevention aims to minimise the
consequences in persons who already have
disease
• The goal is to limit symptoms or discomfort,
minimize injury to the body and maximize
functional capacity

33. Thank you..