Documents Saarela, Kaija Leena 4 results

"BACKGROUND: Work-related mortality is a relatively new concept which aims to widen occupational health and safety; to take into account not only recognized fatal occupational accidents and diseases but also other work-related deaths. Few countries in the world have a register for work-related diseases.
METHODS: Estimates are calculated using baseline world mortality scenarios of all diseases for the year 2000 and attributable fractions made for work-related diseases in Finland, as adjusted.
RESULTS: It is estimated that about 2 million work-related deaths take place annually. Men suffer two thirds of those deaths. The biggest groups of work-related diseases are cancers, circulatory diseases and communicable diseases.
CONCLUSIONS: Information about work-related diseases is needed for prevention, as people in developed countries are working longer, and the age of retirement is being raised in many countries. As a result, workers are being exposed to different kinds of substances and working conditions for a longer time. In developing countries, work exposures may already start in infancy. Due to industrialization, workers in developing countries are facing new conditions with a lack of relevant knowledge and skills. With the help of information, nations can direct resources and skills for appropriate purposes such as regulatory measures on health and safety at work."

"Information of occupational accidents is not standardized worldwide. Especially, developing countries do not have reliable information on their occupational accidents due to lack of proper recording and notification systems. The number of accidents is under-reported but figures are still used as a baseline for occupational safety work. In this paper global estimates of occupational accidents are presented for 175 countries. These estimates are based on figures from selected countries in eight different regions. Global estimates help to compare different countries and regions to each other to detect improvements in safety and safety work. In 1998 the average estimated number of fatal occupational accidents was 350000 and there were 264 million non-fatal accidents. Global estimates are needed to guide national policies and decision-making."

"Objective: This paper reviews the present indicators, trends, and recent strategies to tackle major global and European problems in safety and health at work.Methods: We reviewed employment figures, mortality rates, occupational burden of disease and injuries, reported accidents, surveys on self-reported occupational illnesses and injuries, attributable fractions, and the most recent information on the problems from published papers, documents, and electronic data sources of international organizations, European institutions/agencies, and public websites. We identified and analyzed programs and strategies to reduce the work-related negative outcomes at various levels.Results: Work-related illnesses that have a long latency period and are linked to ageing are clearly on the increase, while the number of occupational accidents has gone down in industrialized countries thanks to prevention and structural changes. We have estimated that globally there are 2.3 million deaths annually for reasons attributed to work. We refer to prevention methods as a “toolbox” and categorize the following as “individual tools”: legislation and enforcement, information on the existing state of problems and capacities (profile), knowledge of solutions and good practices, communication and promotion to increase awareness, and collaboration and networking for exchange of good practice. Global, regional, national, and sectoral strategies and systems cover these issues, reflecting their respective priorities.Conclusion: In the present political situation and serious economic downturn, legal measures need to be supplemented with economic justification and convincing arguments to reduce corner-cutting and avoid long-term disabilities, premature retirement, and corporate closures due to a poor work environment."

"Occupational diseases are a widely studied area. Work-related diseases covering also occupational diseases are multi-factorial diseases among a working population. Work-related diseases are estimated to be a much bigger problem than expected. It is important to estimate the number of work-related diseases because they have a heavy impact on worker, enterprise and society. In addition to the physical and psychosocial effects, the costs of work-related diseases are considerable Estimates have been calculated using global regional estimates of disease mortality and adjusted attributable fractions produced for work-related diseases in Finland. The estimated number of fatal work-related diseases has remained the same during the two-year period, being about 2 million at the global level. However, changes have been noticed inside the regions associated with the proportion of fatal work-related disease types. The most usual fatal work-related disease groups are cancers (25%), circulatory diseases (21%) and communicable diseases (28%). Though estimates of fatal work-related diseases have some limitations, they are needed for prevention. Changes in social structure such as corporations merging, outsourcing and production flow in developing countries affect the number of occupational accidents and work-related diseases. Both at national and company level investments in safety and health can decrease the number of work-related diseases. In addition they can increase e.g. employees' job satisfaction, commitment to the company and productivity."