What is Occupational Disease? What are the Occupational Disease Groups?

What is Occupational Disease?
Occupational disease According to Article 14 of the Social Insurance and General Health Insurance Law No. 5510, "Occupational disease is a temporary or permanent illness, physical or mental disability suffered by the insured due to a recurring reason due to the nature of the work he/she works or does, or due to the conditions of execution of the job." It is defined as . In line with this definition, in order for a disease to be considered among occupational diseases, it must occur due to the characteristics of the job. In other words, the existence of a cause-effect relationship between the disease and the work performed is one of the main criteria for the disease to be considered an occupational disease

What are the Causes of Occupational Diseases?
There are various factors that cause occupational diseases. The main causes of occupational diseases are as follows:

Chemical factors: Chemicals are among the most frequently exposed risk factors in workplaces. Solvents, gases, acids, pesticides and heavy metals are chemical risk factors.

Physical factors: The unsuitability of the workplace environment, such as noise, vibration, temperature, humidity level and lighting, can cause various health problems in employees over time.

Biological factors: Occupational diseases in this group are diseases that are generally seen as a result of exposure to biological agents such as viruses, bacteria, fungi and parasites in the working environment. For example, diseases such as brucellosis, tuberculosis, anthrax, Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever and salmonellosis, which are more common in farmers, butchers, veterinarians or breeders, are evaluated in this group. In addition, the risk of occupational diseases due to biological factors is high, especially in healthcare workers. Especially diseases such as Hepatitis B, AIDS and rubella are more common among healthcare workers.

Dusts: Chemical dusts such as cotton dust, iron dust, coal dust and biological dusts such as flax dust and sugar cane dust are among the top factors that cause occupational diseases..


What are the Occupational Disease Groups?
Occupational diseases are divided into different groups according to the parts of the body where they occur. When occupational diseases are grouped in Turkey, the classification is made by taking into account the factor that causes the disease and the organ affected by the disease. According to this classification, occupational diseases are divided into 5 groups. Accordingly, the main groups of occupational diseases are as follows:

1. Group A occupational diseases (chemical-induced occupational diseases): It has an important place among chemical-induced occupational diseases. When we look at the diseases caused by chemical factors, we see that lung diseases such as silicosis, asbestosis, bronchitis, skin diseases, and neurological diseases due to lead poisoning are at the top of the list. In addition, the risk of lung cancer due to chemical agents is also high.
2. Group B occupational diseases (occupational skin diseases): Skin diseases that occur as a result of factors that people are exposed to at work are generally considered occupational dermatosis. Skin diseases have an important place among occupational diseases. Skin diseases constitute approximately 30-40% of occupational diseases. Physical factors such as heat, cold, humidity and radiation, chemicals such as solvents, chrome and paint, biological agents such as viruses and bacteria, and mechanical factors such as pressure and trauma can be considered among the main factors that cause occupational skin diseases. Infectious diseases such as contact dermatitis, hair follicle inflammation, skin cancer, chemical burns and candida are among the most common occupational skin diseases.
3. Group C occupational diseases (occupational respiratory system diseases): Respiratory system diseases also have an important place among occupational diseases. The risk of respiratory system diseases is higher, especially in those who work in environments where dust is dense. Dust is one of the main risk factors for occupational diseases. For example, respiratory system disorders such as silicosis caused by silica dust, which is an inorganic dust, coal workers' pneumoconiosis due to exposure to hard coal and anthracite dust, especially in those working in mines, asbestosis due to inhalation of asbestos dust, and siderosis due to iron dust, have an important place among occupational diseases. In addition, occupational respiratory diseases do not occur only due to inorganic dust. Respiratory system disorders such as bizinosis caused by cotton dust are among the most common health problems among Group C occupational diseases.
4. Group D occupational diseases (occupational infectious diseases): Infectious diseases that occur due to the employee's exposure to microorganisms such as parasites, viruses, bacteria and fungi in the work performed are considered as group D occupational diseases. Especially healthcare workers are at risk of occupational infectious diseases such as Hepatitis B, AIDS, tuberculosis and anthrax.
5. Occupational diseases caused by group E physical factors: Physical characteristics of the working environment such as humidity, temperature, pressure, lighting, etc. may have effects on human health. For example, over time, hearing problems may occur in those who work in a noisy environment, and circulatory system problems may occur in those who work in extremely hot or cold environments. In addition to the above, ILO (International Labor Organization) also attaches importance to psychological risk factors such as not enjoying the job, being exposed to mobbing (psychological pressure at work), and not getting along with colleagues among the causes of occupational diseases.

What are the Ways to Prevent Occupational Diseases?
It is possible to be protected from occupational diseases by taking some precautions in the workplace. For this purpose, it is important to first eliminate the risk factor in the environment, take precautions to minimize the risk in cases where it is not possible to completely eliminate it, and use personal protective equipment. For example, in an environment where employees are exposed to dust, appropriate ventilation systems and/or wetting the environment with water at regular intervals can help minimize the risk of dust-related occupational diseases. In addition, depending on the conditions of the working environment, the use of personal protective equipment such as masks, gloves, glasses and ear protection by employees can help prevent occupational diseases. Occupational diseases are diseases that occur as a result of repeated and long-term exposure to risk factors. Therefore, it is difficult to know exactly when the disease started. However, today it is possible to diagnose occupational diseases at an early stage with regular medical check-ups. If you work in a job where risk is high, do not forget to make an appointment with a specialist doctor and have regular check-ups.