April 25 to May 1 is the publicity week of the Occupational Disease Prevention Law.
For a long time, the focus of occupational disease prevention and control work has mostly focused on "blue-collar" people, and it is difficult to define the work pressure and occupational tension of "white-collar" people.
At a press conference held by the National Health and Health Commission on April 25, Wu Zongzhi, director of the Occupational Health Department of the National Health and Health Commission, said that not only should we pay attention to the prevention and treatment of traditional occupational diseases such as pneumoconiosis, occupational poisoning, and noise deafness, but also Prevention of work-related diseases such as work stress, mental health, and musculoskeletal diseases.
Pay attention not only to the "blue-collar" workers on the front line, but also to the "white-collar" workers.
Be alert to new occupational diseases and take precautions
Are "white-collar" people considered occupational diseases due to high work pressure, occupational stress and low back pain caused by overtime work?
They are not currently included in the occupational disease catalogue, will they be updated in the future?
"According to the Law on the Prevention and Control of Occupational Diseases, occupational diseases are occupational diseases caused by workers' exposure to dust, radioactive substances and other toxic and harmful factors during occupational activities." said Li Tao, chief expert on occupational health at the China Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Tension and low back pain are not currently listed in the classification of occupational diseases, so it can not be regarded as occupational diseases.
However, the provisions of the Law on the Prevention and Control of Occupational Diseases reflect the idea that diseases that are not included in the occupational disease catalogue should also be actively prevented, requiring that "the equipment, tools, appliances and other facilities of the employer shall meet the requirements of the physical and mental health of workers".
Li Tao explained that occupational stress, as the name suggests, is mental and psychological tension caused by occupational activities; low back pain is a work-related disease caused by long-term overloading of the low back due to work or poor work styles.
Since it is a work-related disease, the employer should take active measures to prevent it. For work-related diseases that are not included in the catalog, it should increase the dissemination of disease prevention knowledge, continue to improve the health literacy and skills of the professional population, and strive to achieve labor The goal of fewer people getting sick and not getting sick.
On December 7, 2021, 17 departments including the National Health Commission jointly issued the "National Occupational Disease Prevention and Control Plan (2021-2025)". The prevention and control of occupational diseases should also take into account the prevention of new occupational disease hazards.
"Occupational health work in the new era is faced with new requirements. To implement occupational health protection actions, we must change from disease treatment to health." Wu Zongzhi said that it is necessary to comprehensively carry out occupational health protection actions and create a strong social environment. Occupational health culture.
Strengthen the prevention of work-related diseases such as mental health and musculoskeletal system diseases of employees.
Actively carry out the construction of healthy enterprises, strive to be "occupational health experts" series of activities, and vigorously promote the monitoring of occupational health literacy of key groups.
Revise relevant measures to solve "difficulty in identification of occupational diseases"
Although occupational diseases caused by "blue-collar" people exposed to six categories of factors, including dust, chemical factors, physical factors, and radioactive factors, have been included in the scope of protection, there was a problem of difficulty in identification before.
Taking pneumoconiosis as an example, the average incubation period is more than 10 years. Many workers worked in multiple employers before the onset of the disease, and some migrant workers did not even sign labor contracts.
In the occupational disease diagnosis after many years, it is impossible to prove the labor relationship with the employer, and also cannot prove the occupational disease hazard factors and the degree of harm that they are exposed to, which may eventually lead to the difficulty in identifying occupational diseases and the inability to enjoy the relevant treatment of occupational diseases.
"In response to the difficulty in diagnosing occupational diseases reflected by the society, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress has revised the Law on the Prevention and Control of Occupational Diseases many times, cancelling the group diagnosis by more than three doctors who have obtained occupational disease diagnosis qualifications, canceling the administrative examination and approval of occupational disease diagnosis institutions, and requiring the health administration The department strengthens the standardized management of occupational disease diagnosis institutions." Li Tao introduced that the new occupational disease diagnosis and identification management method revised according to the Occupational Disease Prevention and Control Law has made the diagnosis and identification of occupational diseases as convenient as possible.
For example, the new measures stipulate that workers only need to provide the occupational disease diagnosis materials that they have mastered, and the materials for occupational disease diagnosis and identification are mainly provided by the employer; if there is no evidence to deny the inevitable connection between occupational disease hazard factors and the clinical manifestations of patients, it should be diagnosed as occupational disease ; Clarified the time limit for the diagnosis and treatment of occupational diseases, and shortened the time for identification, investigation and issuance of certificates to 10-40 days.
Relevant departments also strengthened the construction of occupational health and radiation health technical service institutions.
According to statistics, there are 5,067 institutions for occupational health examinations and 588 institutions for occupational disease diagnosis, respectively, basically achieving the goal of "being able to perform physical examinations in counties and districts and diagnose in cities and towns".