Environmental monitoring
What is an occupational disease?
Apr
Occupational diseases are illnesses that arise from a worker’s job or profession. Individuals who are regularly exposed to harmful agents, encounter hazardous working conditions, or perform physically demanding tasks are at risk of developing occupational diseases.
1. What is an occupational disease?
According to Clause 9, Article 3 of the 2015 Law on Occupational Safety and Health, an occupational disease is defined as an illness caused by harmful working conditions associated with a particular occupation affecting the worker.
Occupational diseases can affect the health of workers, ranging from minor effects such as fatigue and headaches to more severe consequences like cancer, pneumonia, neurological impairment, vision loss, and even death.
Detecting and preventing occupational diseases is crucial for protecting workers’ health. Therefore, regulations and preventive policies are implemented to safeguard workers’ health and ensure a safe and healthy working environment.
Occupational diseases can occur across various industries, from construction and manufacturing to healthcare and services. Workers in these sectors may be exposed to harmful agents such as fine dust, chemicals, ultraviolet radiation, ionizing radiation, noise, and vibrations.
Some common occupational diseases include:
- Lung diseases: Workers in construction, mining, and shipbuilding may be exposed to fine dust and other harmful agents, causing lung diseases such as pneumonia, silicosis, and impaired lung function.
- Neurological disorders: Workers in chemical manufacturing may experience neurological effects, resulting in conditions such as paralysis, epilepsy, and vision impairment.
- Hearing disorders: Workers in noisy environments, such as machine shops, truck drivers, or shipbuilders, may suffer ear damage, causing hearing loss and tinnitus.
- Skin diseases: Workers in chemical production and shipbuilding may be affected on the skin, leading to dermatitis, rashes, and skin cancer.
Regulations and preventive policies for occupational diseases are essential to ensure workers’ health and safety. Protective measures include maintaining a safe working environment, providing personal protective equipment, minimizing exposure to harmful agents, and conducting regular health check-ups for employees.
2. Conditions for workers to receive occupational disease insurance benefits
According to the Social Insurance Law, workers with occupational diseases are entitled to social insurance benefits if they meet the following conditions:
- They are officially recognized as having an occupational disease by a competent health authority;
- They have fully and timely contributed to social insurance;
- They have participated in social insurance for at least 6 months up to the time of disease onset;
- They are not eligible for retirement benefits or unemployment allowances.
Additionally, workers with occupational diseases are entitled to other benefits such as sick leave, re-treatment and rehabilitation, health recovery cost support, vocational retraining support, and job placement assistance.
Furthermore, Article 8 of Decree 143/2018/ND-CP specifies conditions for receiving occupational accident and disease insurance benefits as follows:
- Conditions for occupational accident benefits are implemented according to Article 45 of the 2015 Law on Occupational Safety and Health;
- Conditions for occupational disease benefits are implemented according to Clause 1, Article 46 of the 2015 Law on Occupational Safety and Health;
- Assessment of work capacity reduction is conducted according to Article 47 of the 2015 Law on Occupational Safety and Health.
3. List of occupational diseases
According to Article 3 of Circular 15/2016/TT-BYT, which regulates the list of occupational diseases covered by insurance and provides guidance for diagnosis and assessment:
|
No. |
Type of occupational disease |
Diagnosis and assessment guidance |
|
1 |
Occupational silicosis |
Appendix 1 |
|
2 |
Occupational asbestosis |
Appendix 2 |
|
3 |
Occupational cotton dust disease |
Appendix 3 |
|
4 |
Occupational talc pneumoconiosis |
Appendix 4 |
|
5 |
Occupational coal dust disease |
Appendix 5 |
|
6 |
Occupational chronic bronchitis |
Appendix 6 |
|
7 |
Occupational asthma |
Appendix 7 |
|
8 |
Occupational lead poisoning |
Appendix 8 |
|
9 |
Occupational poisoning |
Appendix 9 |
|
10 |
Occupational mercury poisoning |
Appendix 10 |
|
11 |
Occupational manganese poisoning |
Appendix 11 |
|
12 |
Occupational trinitrotoluene (TNT) poisoning |
Appendix 12 |
|
13 |
Occupational arsenic poisoning |
Appendix 13 |
|
14 |
Pesticide poisoning |
Appendix 14 |
|
15 |
Occupational nicotine poisoning |
Appendix 15 |
|
16 |
Occupational carbon monoxide poisoning |
Appendix 16 |
|
17 |
Occupational cadmium poisoning |
Appendix 17 |
|
18 |
Occupational noise-induced hearing loss |
Appendix 18 |
|
19 |
Occupational decompression sickness |
Appendix 19 |
|
20 |
Occupational disease from whole-body vibration |
Appendix 20 |
|
21 |
Occupational disease from localized vibration |
Appendix 21 |
|
22 |
Occupational radiation disease |
Appendix 22 |
|
23 |
Occupational cataract |
Appendix 23 |
|
24 |
Occupational oil spot disease |
Appendix 24 |
|
25 |
Occupational skin darkening |
Appendix 25 |
|
26 |
Occupational chromium-induced contact dermatitis |
Appendix 26 |
|
27 |
Occupational skin disease from prolonged exposure to wet and cold environments |
Appendix 27 |
|
28 |
Occupational skin disease from exposure to natural rubber and rubber additives |
Appendix 28 |
|
29 |
Occupational leptospirosis |
Appendix 29 |
|
30 |
Occupational hepatitis B virus infection |
Appendix 30 |
|
31 |
Occupational tuberculosis |
Appendix 31 |
|
32 |
HIV infection due to occupational accidents |
Appendix 32 |
|
33 |
Occupational hepatitis C virus infection |
Appendix 33 |
|
34 |
Occupational mesothelioma |
Appendix 34 |
4. Guidelines for Diagnosis and Assessment of Occupational Diseases
Diagnosis and assessment of occupational diseases is the process of evaluating the health damage of workers caused by working in environments with occupational disease risks. This process is crucial for determining the severity of the disease, guiding treatment, and providing information for insurance and compensation claims for employees.
The guidelines for diagnosing and assessing occupational diseases include the following steps:
- Information collection: Identify basic information about the worker and their working environment, recording symptoms and signs of the disease.
- Medical examination: Conduct clinical, paraclinical examinations, and tests to determine the extent of health damage to the worker.
- Identifying causes: Analyze and evaluate causative factors, including work environment, tools and equipment, job characteristics, working hours, and harmful agents.
- Conclusion: Based on examination results and cause analysis, draw conclusions about the level of health damage and its relation to work.
- Report preparation: Prepare a report on the diagnosis and assessment results, propose treatment and prevention solutions, and provide information for insurance and compensation purposes.
The diagnosis and assessment process requires coordination among relevant authorities such as health agencies, labor and social affairs departments, environmental management authorities, and the worker’s workplace.
5. Health Examination and Treatment of Occupational Diseases for Workers
According to Article 21 of the 2015 Law on Occupational Safety and Health, the regulations on health examination and treatment of occupational diseases for workers are as follows:
- Employers must organize an annual health examination for workers; for workers in heavy, toxic, hazardous, or particularly heavy, toxic, and hazardous jobs, disabled workers, underage workers, and elderly workers, health examinations must be conducted at least every six months.
- During health examinations, female workers must undergo specialized obstetric examination, and workers exposed to occupational disease risk factors must be screened for occupational diseases.
- Employers must organize health examinations for workers before assigning work, before transferring to heavier, more hazardous jobs, or after recovering from occupational accidents or diseases, except in cases where the Medical Council has assessed reduced working capacity.
- Health examinations for detecting occupational diseases must be conducted at medical facilities meeting technical and professional requirements.
- Employers must refer workers diagnosed with occupational diseases to qualified medical facilities for treatment according to the occupational disease treatment protocols regulated by the Ministry of Health.
- Costs for health examinations, occupational disease detection, and treatment are borne by the employer and are deductible for corporate income tax purposes and accounted as routine operating expenses for administrative agencies and non-service public units.
6. Causes of Occupational Diseases for Workers
Occupational diseases occur due to prolonged exposure to harmful agents in the workplace. The main causes include:
- Exposure to toxic chemicals such as heavy metals, pesticides, solvents, acids, bases, and poisonous gases like CO, CO2, SO2, NOx, VOCs.
- Exposure to dust, pollen, bacteria, mold, viruses, and smoke particles in production workshops, factories, or manufacturing facilities.
- Exposure to radiation from machinery, equipment, or radiation sources.
- Repetitive physical activities over a long period, negatively affecting muscles, tendons, and joints.
- Exposure to physical factors such as noise, vibration, air pressure, high or low temperatures.
These causes can lead to long-term health effects and occupational diseases such as respiratory inflammation, skin diseases, back pain, joint degeneration, osteoporosis, and cancer. Ensuring worker safety in the workplace is therefore crucial.
7. Measures to Prevent Occupational Diseases in the Workplace
Occupational diseases are a serious concern for worker health. Prevention measures include:
- Enhancing education and awareness about occupational disease risks and prevention measures for workers.
- Organizing regular health examinations, especially for workers in hazardous environments.
- Ensuring proper and full use of personal protective equipment during work.
- Providing training on occupational safety, production technology, and safe use of protective equipment.
- Monitoring and controlling the work environment to ensure harmful and hazardous factors meet safety standards.
- Proper handling of toxic substances and industrial waste, and quick detection, reporting, and management of contamination or poisoning risks.
- Ensuring work schedules, rest, nutrition, stress reduction, and minimizing negative impacts of the work environment on worker health.
Implementing occupational disease prevention measures is the responsibility of enterprises, local authorities, related organizations, and workers themselves. Only with full compliance can the risk of occupational diseases be minimized.
8. The Role of Workplace Environmental Monitoring in Reducing Occupational Disease Risks
Workplace environmental monitoring plays a vital role in minimizing the impact of occupational diseases on workers. Monitoring equipment measures and tracks environmental factors harmful to workers’ health, including emissions, dust, noise, temperature, and humidity.
Environmental monitoring allows workers to be aware of workplace pollution levels, take preventive measures, reduce occupational disease risks, and enables employers to better manage and supervise the work environment, improving work quality and protecting worker health.
Additionally, monitoring helps evaluate the impact of new projects or production programs on the workplace and society, guiding preventive measures to reduce negative effects on workers’ health and the environment.
In summary, workplace environmental monitoring is crucial for reducing occupational disease risks, protecting worker health, and ensuring safety in the workplace.
9. Occupational Environmental Monitoring Company in Ho Chi Minh City
Nam Viet Company is a pioneer in providing workplace environmental monitoring services in Ho Chi Minh City. With a team of experienced specialists and engineers, the company offers advanced and effective monitoring solutions for businesses and organizations in the city.
Nam Viet’s environmental monitoring services include air and water pollution monitoring, noise measurement, light measurement, and sample analysis. All activities are performed using modern equipment and methods to ensure accurate and reliable results.
Nam Viet is committed to supporting clients in maintaining a safe work environment, minimizing occupational disease risks, and complying with relevant laws on workplace environmental monitoring.
If you are looking for workplace environmental monitoring services, contact Nam Viet Company for professional advice and support. We are committed to delivering the highest quality service and customer satisfaction.
