Definition of an occupational disease

An occupational disease is caused by the exposure to an occupational hazard. The victim must have been exposed to this occupational hazard at his work place.

An occupational illness is taken to mean any illness due exclusively or predominantly to harmful substances or certain tasks ( which are listed) at work and other illnesses which prove to have been caused exclusively or very predominantly by the exercise of an occupation.

 

The occupational hazard must be present during the usual work.

It is sometimes very difficult to fix the standing point of the occupational disease. For the recognition of the disease as an occupational disease there are objective medical criteria but also administrative criteria of presumption.

To be recognise as an occupational disease, a table for this occupational disease must exist : there are 118 tables of occupational diseases in the general health and social security system in France. By example the are only 8 reportable occupational diseases in United Kingdom.

By example the table n° 66 recognises asthma and allergic rhinitis as occupational diseases when they are associated with work-related exposure to any respiratory sensitiser :  inhalation of dust of vegetable substance, using of cyanoacrylate glue, at the workplace, etc

You can read also the following posts :

• List of the French tables of occupational diseases ( General Social security system)
• Diseases of an occupational nature
• Description of a table of occupational disease
• Occupational disease compensation
• Professional redeployment after occupational disease
• Respiratory diseases recognised as occupational diseases