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Standards for the recognition of COVID-19 as an acute occupational disease in Ukraine according to recommendations of the International Labor Organization

Standards for the recognition of COVID-19 as an acute occupational disease in Ukraine according to recommendations of the International Labor Organization

ISSN 2223-6775 Ukrainian journal of occupational health Vol.16, No 2, 2020

Standards for the recognition of COVID-19 as an acute occupational disease in Ukraine according to recommendations of the International Labor Organization

Basanets A. V.1, Hvozdetskiy V. A.1, Ostapenko T. A.1, Zhurakhivska N. V.1, Kharchuk L. V.2

https://doi.org/10.33573/ujoh2020.02.086

1State Institution "Kundiiev Institute of Occupational Health of the National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine "

2State Labor Service of Ukraine

Full article (PDF), UKR

Introduction. A significant part of cases of SARS-CoV morbidity, both in the world and in Ukraine, is associated with occupational exposure. COVID-19 is considered to be the first new occupational disease of the last decade, and in some countries of the world it is included in the list occupational diseases. The ILO estimates that 25 million work places will be lost in the world as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Purpose of the study. To summarize issues of recognition of the disease COVID-19 as an acute occupational disease in Ukraine and according to the international standards to determine the characteristics of prevalence of this pathology in different occupational groups.

Results. As a result of the study, it is found that methodological approaches to determining the relationship of acute infectious disease COVID-19 on work conditions in Ukraine are consistent with the international standards. In Ukraine, COVID-19 infection is included in the list of Occupational Diseases, and by the time of preparation of the paper the State Labor Service has registered 3077 emergency reports of this disease (information by 05.06.2020).The analysis shows that a significant number of workers exposed to COVID-19 are employed in the healthcare sector, but other occupational sectors also have a high proportion of workers with a high risk of infection. These primarily include workers of the social services sector, police officers, firefighters, workers of the penitentiary system, teachers of preschool and child care facilities, community service workers, and others.The Ministry of Health of Ukraine and the State Labor Service with the participation of experts from the State Institution "Kundiiev Institute of Occupational Health of the National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine" have developed and put into practice an algorithm for investigating cases of infection COVID-19 and its recognition as an acute occupational disease.

Conclusion. COVID-19 is included in the List of Occupational Diseases in Ukraine, and is recognized as being associated with the profession of workers having the risk of infection at workplace. Medical workers are one of occupational groups whose risk of COVID-19 infection is the highest. However, not worth to underestimate the risk for non-medical occupations (service sector, social services, teachers, penitentiary system, transportation, etc.). Not always a high risk of infection leads to a significant number of diseased, since the adequate use of safety measures are effective in preventing infection.

Key words: COVID-19, medical workers, occupational diseases

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