Introduction to Occupational Diseases: Clarifying the Concept

An occupational disease is, in fact, not a single specific illness.

Rather, “occupational disease” is a term defined by labor law. It refers to situations in which a person is injured or develops an illness due to their work, and the condition is widely recognized as having a certain level of causal relationship with their job. Behind this term come certain rights and responsibilities defined by law.

Because the definition is established by national legislation, the scope and criteria for recognizing occupational hazards vary from country to country. Some diseases may be classified as occupational diseases in our country, while in other countries they may not be recognized as such.

Dear readers, have you ever experienced—or heard about—a situation that might have been an occupational disease?

In the upcoming articles of this series, Introduction to Occupational Diseases: Clarifying the Concept

we will introduce different types of occupational diseases and clarify common misconceptions through clear and easy-to-understand text and illustrations.

Stay tuned!