Legislation on professional respiratory diseases

Abstract

The legally protected occupational pathology consists of work accidents and occupational diseases. Diseases are considered to be occupational when there is a relationship of demonstrable causality between exposure to a determinate occupational risk and a specific disease. To facilitate recognition, different organisations (International Labour Organisation, European Community) draw up, update and recommend the use of lists that are voluntarily adopted by member states. In the case of the Spanish state, the system of the closed list has been adopted. The current list was published in 1978 and the system of notification and registration currently in use is in need of urgent reform, which has been started. It is frequently difficult to identify the work-related origin of occupational diseases and they are often treated in the public health care system without their relation to work being recognised. Knowledge of some basic aspects of the labour legislation by the health workers and the inclusion of a few questions during the anamnesis of patients would make their identification and adequate treatment possible.