Occupational diseases in the automotive industry in Czechia – Geographic and medical context

Abstract

Objectives:The automotive industry represents the most important industrial sector in Czechia. The objective of this study has been to analyze the occurrence of occupational diseases (OD) in the automotive industry during the period from 2001 till 2014. Material and Methods: Data on OD cases was retrieved from the National Registry of OD. Further, we conducted a survey in automotive companies with focus on occupational health services and positions of the companies in global production networks (GPNs). An analysis of OD distribution in the automotive industry was performed (age, gender, company size and its role in GPNs, regional distribution of studied companies, and regional unemployment rate), and was accompanied by assessment of the quality and range of occupational health services. Results: Employees older than 40 years old have nearly 2.5 times higher probability of OD occurrence as compared with employees younger than 40 years old (odds ratio (OR) = 2.41, 95% confidence interval (CI): 2.05-2.85). Occupational diseases occurrence probability was 3 times higher for women than for men (OR = 3.01, 95% CI: 2.55-3.55). Occupational diseases incidence rates increased with the size of the company (0 OD/10 000 employees in micro enterprises to 57 OD/10 000 employees in large enterprises). A particularly steep rise in OD incidents in the automotive industry was observed in the Plzeň Region between 2001 and 2011. An association between OD incidents and the unemployment rate was not statistically confirmed. Conclusions: A statistically significant increase in OD incidents dependent on company size may be arguably attributed to a higher quality of occupational medical services in bigger companies, which ensures better detection and diagnosis of OD. In the Plzeň Region, the rapid increase in OD incidents was mainly caused by a change in the production process of automobile textiles in one factory due to the introduction of a glue containing isocyanates, which are potent allergising agents. This led to an increase in occupational allergic diseases -bronchial asthma in particular. Int J Occup Med Environ Health 2017;30(3): [455][456][457][458][459][460][461][462][463][464][465][466][467][468]

Occupational risk factors for shoulder chronic tendinous pathology in the Spanish automotive manufacturing sector: a case-control study.

“…These ndings are consistent with those reported by other authors, who reached similar conclusions. [17][18][19].…”

Occupational diseases in the automotive industry from medical and geographic viewpoints - comparison between the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic

“…In this study we extended our previous research covering the period of 2001-2014 and involving the Czech Republic only (14). Here we analyzed the situation in the years 2001-2017 both in Czechia and Slovakia.…”

“…First, the data from the Czech National Registry of Occupational Diseases and from the database of the Slovak National Health Information Centre was obtained. OD cases which occurred in the economic activity under Division 29 of the NACE classification (manufacture of motor vehicles) were retrieved and divided according to the identification number of the enterprises where the diseases originated (13,14). The other classification criterion was the size of the companies (number of employees) in terms of EU 2003/361/EC methodology.…”

“…This applies both to the absolute number of the reported OD cases and to the relative incidence. One significant exception is the automotive industry, where the significant increase in ODs is remarkable (12)(13)(14). The same has occurred in the Slovak Republic (hereinafter Slovakia), which ranks first in the world according to the production of automobiles per inhabitants (15).…”

Occupational risk factors for shoulder chronic tendinous pathology in the Spanish automotive manufacturing sector: a case-control study.

“…authors who found an OR of 1.4 [18]. Speci cally, the largest OR was found when the hand tool put pressure on the palm, followed by when the mechanical pressure was exerted on the ngers [19][20]. In any case, the use of hand tools deserves further study in order to determine its impact more precisely.…”