Abstract
The list of occupational diseases established in the international and national legal system has played important roles in both prevention of and compensation for workers’ diseases. This report reviewed the historical development in the ILO list of occupational diseases and suggested implications of the trends. Since the first establishment of the ILO list of occupational diseases in 1925, the list has played a key role in harmonizing the development of policies on occupational diseases at the international level. The three occupational diseases (anthrax, lead poisoning, and mercury poisoning) in the first ILO list of occupational diseases, set up in 1925 as workmen’s compensation convention represented an increase of occupational diseases from the Industrial Revolution. Until the 1960s, 10 occupational diseases had been representative compensable occupational diseases listed in Convention No. 121, which implies that occupational diseases in this era were equated to industrial poisoning. Since 1980, with advancements in diagnostic techniques and medical science, noise-induced hearing loss, and several bronchopulmonary diseases have been incorporated into the ILO occupational list. Since 2002, changes in the structure of industries, emerging new chemicals, and advanced national worker’s compensation schemes have provoked the ILO to revise the occupational disease list. A new format of ILO list appended in Recommendation 194 (R194) was composed of two dimensions (causes and diseases) and subcategories. Among 50 member states that had provided their national lists of occupational diseases, until 2012 thirty countries were found to have the list occupational diseases having similar structure to ILO list in R194.
Highlights
The list of occupational diseases is a collection of diseases caused by exposure during work
The structures of the occupational disease lists in International Labour Organization (ILO) member states Among 50 member states that had provided their national lists of occupational diseases to prepare new ILO list in 2005, until 2012, 30 of these countries were found to have an occupational disease list with a similar structure to the ILO list in Recommendation 194 (R194), composed of a causes part and diseases part [43]
Since the original establishment of the ILO List of Occupational Diseases in 1925 (C18) with 3 occupational diseases [13], the list has played a key role in harmonizing the development of policies on occupational diseases and in promoting their prevention at the international level
Summary
The list of occupational diseases is a collection of diseases caused by exposure during work. Nine chemicals were listed as causes of occupational skin cancer, and eight musculoskeletal disorders that had not yet appeared in the ILO List as of C121 were included in the EU list (Table 2) This situation provoked the ILO’s revision of its occupational disease list in 1990–1991 by reviewing the law and practice of occupational diseases in the varying national legislation of the ILO member states, and of the current practices in diagnosis, reporting, and evaluation for compensation purposes, as well as by taking account of the lists in force along with national practices in 76 different states or countries [4]. The expert group recommended a new format for the ILO List of Occupational Diseases, which is composed of three categories: diseases by agents (chemical, physical, biological), diseases of a target organ (respiratory, skin, and musculoskeletal), and occupational cancer [4,35]. Pharmaceutical agents, osmium, selenium, copper, tin, zinc, and ozone
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