Occupational diseases in the Netherlands: incidence, type, consequences and risk factors

Year 2017, Volume 2, Issue 1(4), 33 - 33, 01.11.2017

Anita Venema Romy Steenbeek Liza Van Dam Ernest De Vroome

Abstract

Objectives:
Occupational diseases are common and result in a substantial disease burden and
high sickness absence. Reliable data on the incidence and a better
understanding of the risk factors will help to develop preventive measures.

Methods: Several sources of measuring occupational diseases were analysed and compared:
1) Surveillance Project for Intensive Notification (diagnosed by an
occupational physician, Netherlands Center for Occupational Diseases 2015); 2)
National Working Condition Surveys and 3) Morbidity and mortality data from the
National Institute for Public health and the Environment.

Results: The incidence of occupational diseases in the Netherlands ranges from
0.19% (diagnosed by an occupational physician, workers) to 1.6% (self-reported,
diagnosed by a medical doctor, self-employed) to 3.2% (self-reported, diagnosed
by a medical doctor, employees). In 2013 an estimated 4,100 people died in the
Netherlands as the result of an occupational disease (900 employees and 3,200
pensioners).

The most common self-reported occupational diseases among employees are
musculoskeletal disorders (1.7%) and mental disorder (1.4%). The most common
occupational disease diagnosed by occupational physicians is common mental
disorders (0.8%). The risk of an occupational disease for employees is highest
in the healthcare (4.0%), industry (3.7%) and construction (3.6%) sectors.

Multivariate analyses show that occupational risks that contribute most to
musculoskeletal occupational diseases are repetitive movements (OR=2.25;
PAF=40%), uncomfortable work posture (OR=1.62; PAF=18%) and high workload
(OR=1.57; PAF=18%). For occupational mental diseases the most important risks
are low engagement (OR=2.27; PAF=34%), a conflict with the supervisor (OR=1.51;
PAF=17%) and a high emotional workload (OR=2.85; PAF=14%).

Conclusion: Longitudinal measurements of self-reported occupational diseases
can provide information to reduce the risk of occupational diseases at work and
to reveal the effectiveness of preventive measures.

 

Keywords:
statistics, diseases, work, health, prevention

Keywords

Occupational diseases in the Netherlands: incidence, type

References

• Anita Venema, Romy Steenbeek, Liza Van Dam, Ernest De Vroome The Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research (TNO), Leiden, The Netherlands