Hundreds of millions of people worldwide work in conditions that cause ill-health or are unsafe, according to a recently revised fact sheet from the World Health Organisation.
Work-related injuries and diseases kill an estimated 1.1 million people every year, roughly equivalent to global annual fatalities from malaria, including 300,000 fatalities from 250 million workplace accidents each year, says the WHO.
Workplace accidents often "lead to partial or complete incapacity to work and generate income". Some 160 million new cases of work-related diseases occur annually worldwide, including "respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, cancer, hearing loss, musculoskeletal and reproductive disorders, mental and neurological illnesses".
Meanwhile, work-related stress and overwork are "strongly associated with sleep disturbance and depression, as well as with elevated risks of cardiovascular diseases, particularly hypertension", says the WHO.
Even in industrialised countries, only 20 to 50 per cent of workers have access to adequate occupational health services. While making working conditions safe and healthy is in the interests of workers, employers, governments and the public at large, this "seemingly obvious and simple" idea has "not yet gained meaningful universal recognition". This is partly because of a perception "that there will always be plenty of young and strong workers to replace the old ones". The global burden of occupational diseases and injuries is probably underestimated: "Reliable information for most developing countries is scarce, mainly due to serious limitations in the diagnosis of occupational illnesses and in the reporting systems. WHO estimates that in Latin America, for example, only between 1 and 4 per cent of all occupational diseases are reported."
But even in developed countries, there is an "unwillingness to recognise occupational causes of injuries or health problems" and a "failure to report them even when recognised", says the WHO. The World Health Organisation says: "The history of occupational health is that of a struggle between workers fighting for protection and preventative measures or compensation, and their employers seeking to deny or reduce their liability for work-related diseases and injuries. This conflict has greatly influenced statistical reporting. As a result, the burden of disease due to occupational exposures is normally underestimated." The economic losses due to occupational illnesses and injuries are "enormous" and, apart from health considerations, the improvement of working conditions is a sound economic investment, says the WHO. It cites the International Labour Organisation's (ILO) estimate that the overall economic losses resulting from work-related diseases and injuries in 1997 were approximately 4 per cent of the world's gross national product.
In 1992, the direct cost paid out in compensation for work-related diseases and injuries in the EU was 27 billion ECUs while, in 1994, the overall cost of all work accidents and work-related ill-health to the British economy was estimated between £6 billion sterling and £12 billion sterling.
In 1992, total direct and indirect costs associated with work-related injuries and diseases in the US were estimated to be $1.71 billion, "surpassing those of AIDS and on a par with those of cancer and heart disease", says the WHO.
Hundreds of millions of workers are at risk from exposure to physical, chemical, biological, psychosocial or ergonomic hazards in the workplace. Some 30 per cent of the workforce in developed countries and up to 70 per cent in developing countries "may be exposed to heavy physical workloads or ergonomically poor working conditions", leading to injuries and musculoskeletal disorders.
Most affected are miners, farmers, lumberjacks, fishermen, construction workers, warehouse workers and healthcare personnel. Meanwhile, between 10 and 30 per cent of workers in developed countries - and up to 80 per cent in developing countries - face physical hazards like noise, vibration, ionising and non-ionising radiation, heat and other unhealthy microclimatic conditions that can adversely affect their health. Workers are also exposed to "hundreds" of biological agents, like viruses, bacteria, parasites, fungi and moulds, in occupational environments ranging from agriculture to offices.
"The hepatitis B and C viruses, HIV/AIDS infection and tuberculosis (particularly among healthcare workers), and chronic parasitic diseases (particularly among agricultural and forestry workers) are some of the most common occupational diseases resulting from such exposures," says the WHO.
"Thousands" of toxic chemicals also pose serious health threats to workers, "potentially causing cancer, respiratory and skin diseases as well as adverse effects on reproductive function. Workers can be and often are exposed to hazardous chemical agents such as solvents, pesticides and metal dusts. Workers may also be exposed to various types of mineral and vegetable dusts" such as silica, asbestos and coal dust which can cause irreversible lung diseases, says the WHO.
