Mirror held-up to occupational diseases and work of women at risk in Slovakia in 2012–2016

Summary

Introduction:
Important changes in the structure of industrial branches in Slovakia are connected with changes in industrial environment, shifts in numbers of workers exposed to changing character of high-risk jobs.

Objective:
The study primarily investigated the occurrence of occupational diseases in women, increasing requirements for their productivity in connection with exposure to various factors of work, which may unfavorably influence their health state. These problems have not been subject to targeted investigation for extended period of years in previous years not only in Slovakia, but also abroad.

Methods:
Analysis of the incidence of occupational diseases and their risk for women in Slovakia in the years 2012 to 2016. A comparison of changing numbers of women exposed to risk factors of working environment in the analyzed period and differences in the order of work factors men and women were exposed to in 2016. Selected data were processed from statistical sources of National Center of Medical Information and ASTR of the Slovak Republic. Methods of descriptive analysis were used.

Results:
In the period of observation 636 occupational diseases were notified in women (39.2% of all occupational diseases). In women, dominating diseases from excessive and unilaterally load of the extremities (repetitive strain injury) (439 cases), occupational infections (70), occupational diseases of allergic genesis (47 altogether) and diseases of the skin (28). Occupational diseases were most often notified in women at the age of 45 to 59 years. Most occupational diseases were notified in the Košice region, followed by Trenčín and Žilina regions, respectively. Women endangered by occupational diseases constituted only a small part of the notified diseases. Most jobs at risk concerned women in industry and public health service.

In 2016, 21,497 female workers were exposed to risk factors of the working environment in the 3rd and 4th categories of jobs (25.6% of all workers exposed to work at risk). There was a 1.6% increase of the work at risk compared with the year 2012. The increase was recorded in the noise risk (by 422), physical load (by 354), psychical strain (by 183), vibration (by 79) and biological factors (by 50 cases). In 2016, women were exposed to the risk jobs with psychical strain and to biological factors of the working environment more frequently than men. In the Slovak Republic in 2016 diseases from excessive and unilaterally load of the extremities (repetitive strain injury) were more frequent in women than in man (99 women compared with 74 men). Incidence of occupational diseases in the Slovak Republic in 2016, traditionally lower in women than in men concerned 12.2/100,000 working women, but the decreased between the years 2012 and 2016 was lower than in men.

Conclusion:
Occupational diseases belong to preventable diseases in both women and men. The decrease must be associated with increasing quality of primary prevention. The described analysis will provide arguments for priorities of implementation of complex measure for protection and support of health of working women. It has become obvious that the expected increase of physical and psychical load and strain for women at work not only in industry, transportation and construction must be treated more effectively. In the subjects working in medical and social care area, up to 80% of those presently registered in jobs at risk in Slovakia are women. The most important risk factors include: radiation, tuberculosis, exposure to cytostatic drugs, Sevofluran and formaldehyde. The exposure to physical load remains insufficiently mapped in all branches of occupation.

Keywords:
analysis of 636 occupational diseases – analysis of 81 persons endangered by occupational diseases – women – risk factors – categories – branches of industry and occupation – public health and social care