Short Communication

Profile of Occupational Diseases in the Czech Republic

Petr Brhel

Department of Occupational Medicine, University Hospital and Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic

Corresponding author: Assoc. Prof. Petr Brhel, M.D., Ph.D.
    Department of Occupational Medicine
    University Hospital
    656 91 Brno, Pekarská 53, Czech Republic
    Fax number: (+420)-5-43182905
    E-mail adress: petr.brhel@fnusa.cz

CEJOEM 2001, Vol.7. Nos.3-4.:282-287

Key words:
Occupational diseases, repetitive strain injury, hand-arm vibration syndrome, pneumoconioses, occupational dermatoses

Abstract:
This paper presents the profile of occupational diseases in the Czech Republic. In a retrospective study the author analyzes causes, structure, and occurrence of occupational diseases diagnosed and notified over the period of 5 years (from 1996 to 2000). In this five-year period, a total of 10,459 occupational diseases were recorded. In 2000, the incidence amounted to 38.3 cases per 100,000 insured employees. In the total number of cases, the percentage of men was higher (62%) than that of women (38%). Disorders due to physical hazard were the most frequent (38.7%), followed by respiratory disorders (20.3%), occupational dermatoses (19.9%), and occupational infections (18.2%). During the period of the investigations, the decreasing trend of occupational diseases, which began in 1992, continued. More detailed information is provided in tabular form.

Received: 11 December 2001
Accepted: 20 February 2002

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