ABSTRACT
The International Labour Organization (ILO) defined occupational diseases as having a specific or a strong relation to occupation generally with only one causal agent. The main elements present in the definition of an occupational disease are: (a) the causal relationship between exposure in a specific working environment or work activity and a specific disease and (b) the fact that the disease occurs among a group of exposed workers with a frequency higher than that observed in other workers or in the general population. 1 This definition is distinguished from that of work-related diseases – with multiple causal agents, where factors in the work environment may play a role, together with other risk factors, in the development of such diseases, which have a complex aetiology. Diseases affecting working populations, defined as without causal relationship with work, such as back pain, but which may be aggravated by occupational hazards to health are further distinguished from occupational diseases. 2 Currently, 1.9–2.3 million deaths annually are attributed to occupation, 1.6 million deaths attributed to work-related diseases and 217 million cases of occupational diseases are documented globally every year. 3
