Occupational illnesses and diseases are medical conditions caused by working in a dirty or unsafe environment. According to the ILO (International Labor Organization), more than 2.3 million workers succumb to occupational diseases every year. So, if you live through a 9-5 grind and are concerned about your health and safety, you must learn everything you can about the numerous occupational diseases plaguing our world today. In most cases, work-related illnesses can prove to be fatal, disruptive, and disabling, depending on the infection you contract.
Moreover, individuals working in particular industries are at a higher risk of contracting work-related diseases than others. Some of them include people working in construction, manufacturing, hospitality/service, electrical, mining, agriculture, and healthcare, to name a few. Furthermore, symptoms alone aren’t enough to determine the cause of a work-related disease. In fact, you must thoroughly examine the biological, chemical, and physical risk factors of a workplace before classifying any illness as a work-related disease. In this article, we’ll look at a few things you must know about occupational diseases, such as the types, their symptoms, causes, and prevention methods. So, without further ado, let’s begin.
Most frequent occupational diseases.
Mesothelioma
Respiratory diseases are common in employees working with toxic chemicals and other harmful materials. In fact, construction and industrial workers are more prone to developing respiratory illnesses than others. A few occupational respiratory diseases typically include COPD, occupational asthma, tuberculosis, Asbestosis, and mesothelioma. Among the diseases mentioned above, mesothelioma is terminal and results from consuming and inhaling asbestos dust, causing pleural, peritoneal, or pericardial mesothelioma.
As far as mesothelioma treatment options are concerned, your doctor might recommend undergoing radiotherapy, chemotherapy, or surgery to remove the cancerous mass.
Asbestosis.
Like mesothelioma, Asbestosis too is a severe lung disease that typically results from long-term asbestos exposure. When asbestos particles are inhaled, they are trapped inside the chest cavity, leaving scar tissues on your lungs. Usually, electricians, construction workers, plumbers, demolition workers, ventilation installers, and insulation installers are more prone to contracting this lung disease. The following are a few tell-tale signs that suggest you may have Asbestosis; clubbed fingertips, wheezing, fatigue, persistent coughing, shortness of breath, and chest/shoulder pain. Furthermore, this type of asbestos-related lung disease has a latency period of twenty to thirty years. Meaning symptoms will probably show up in the long haul. If you were diagnosed with Asbestosis recently, visiting a doctor and undergoing treatment is the best course of action. Typically, treatment options include oxygen therapy, pulmonary rehabilitation, and inhaler use to ease breathing.
Loss of hearing.
According to the CDC ( Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), hearing loss is America’s most common work-related illness.
Employees exposed to high levels of sound and noise in the work environment like construction sites and factories are at an increased risk of experiencing hearing loss. In addition, isolated events such as explosions can also lead to temporary or permanent hearing loss.
That said, ear protection such as earplugs or earmuffs will protect you from permanent hearing damage. In some cases, regardless of the protective equipment you use, it is likely that you will experience temporary hearing loss if you’ve been exposed to noise environments for some time.
If you’ve lost your hearing due to a workplace incident, undergoing surgery or wearing hearing aids will help improve your hearing capability. However, that depends on the severity of the ear damage.
Contact Dermatitis and Skin Cancer.
Skin cancer and contact dermatitis are two common work-related skin diseases affecting workers worldwide. According to the CDC, contact dermatitis can be found in fifteen to twenty percent of all cases of work-related diseases in America.
Contact dermatitis usually appears as a painful rash on your skin. However, this disease isn’t life-threatening and will go away with proper care and treatment.
On the other hand, skin cancer is common in employees exposed to Ultraviolet rays on a daily basis. In addition, individuals who work outside, such as oil rig workers and farmers, are more prone to developing skin cancer than other professions.
Typically, the affected must undergo chemo or radiotherapy to treat skin cancer.
Tips to avoid contracting occupational diseases
Gather information about the diseases common in your industry.
First things first, you must gather as much information as possible about the occupational diseases plaguing the industry you work in. Then, study the impacts these diseases can have on your mind and body.
For instance, if your work in the industrial or construction sector, consider taking an Auditory test to ensure that your job isn’t damaging your hearing.
Follow prevention tips.
When you’re well-educated about the potential risk of occupational diseases, you must take the necessary prevention steps to avoid contraction. For instance, wearing a face mask like an N95 respirator is the best practice if you’re working around asbestos-containing materials.
Furthermore, vaccination to get immunized is necessary to avoid contracting tuberculosis. Moreover, you will also have to undergo a few exams and tests while on the job to ensure that you’re safe and secure.
Play your part in changing health and safety regulations.
People will often listen to your advice if you layout work-related risk factors in front of them. Educate your peers, coworkers, and managers about the harmful effects of harmful illnesses.
So, participate in policy changes and ensure that you’re working in an environment that is not only safe for you but others as well.
Use worker’s compensation if you’ve contracted an occupational disease.
If you’ve recently been diagnosed with a work-related illness, you can always file for worker’s compensation.
What’s more, if your employers don’t pay up for your physical and emotional suffering, you can always take the matter to court by filing a negligence lawsuit, which might help recoup the money you’ll need for expensive therapies and medical bills.
Conclusion.
You can contract an occupational disease or illness while working in any industry. However, it would be wise to learn about these work-related illnesses in advance to reduce your risk of contraction.
In the end, practice caution and ensure your management understands the hazards of exposing their employees to such harmful materials.
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