Occupational Diseases

Definition and Examples

An occupational disease is a condition or illness caused by occupational exposure in the workplace. In order for an occupational disease to be covered under the workers’ compensation law, the employee must prove that work was the prevailing factor in causing both the medical condition and disability resulting from the claimed occupational disease.

Common examples of occupational diseases recognized by Missouri Workers’ Compensation Law are:

1. Injuries caused by repetitive motion. Examples include, but are not limited to carpal tunnel syndrome, trigger finger and epicondylitis.
2. Loss of hearing due to industrial noise. This can be a loss of hearing in one or both ears due to prolonged exposure to harmful noise in employment.

Radiation disability. This is a disability resulting from employment related exposure to various types of radiation.

This is not an exhaustive list of occupational diseases which are compensable under Missouri Workers’ Compensation Law. If you have a condition you believe is an occupational disease, you should: Notify your employer (the process is described below), seek medical attention, and/or consult a lawyer regarding the legal issues involved in pursuing a Workers’ Compensation Claim.

Glossary:

• Illness: Doença
• Exposure: Exposição
• Covered: Coberto
• Prevailing: Predominante
• Claimed: Reivindicado
• Recognized: Reconhecido
• Law: Lei
• Carpal tunnel syndrome: Síndrome do túnel de carpo (*)  
• Trigger finger: Dedo de gatilho
• Noise: Barrulho

Source:http://labor.mo.gov/DWC/Injured_Workers/occ_disease

Nota (*): A síndrome do túnel do carpo é uma neuropatia resultante da compressão do nervo mediano no canal do carpo, estrutura que se localiza entre a mão e o antebraço.
Fonte: http://www.minhavida.com.br/saude/temas/sindrome-do-tunel-do-carpo