The new list of occupational diseases includes covid-19, burnout and cancer

The Ministry of Health announced on Wednesday (29) the update of the list of occupational diseases. The ordinance including 165 new pathologies, identified as causing damage to the physical or mental integrity of the worker, has already been published.

Pathologies include Covid-19, musculoskeletal disorders and some types of cancer.

Mental disorders such as burnout, anxiety, depression and attempted suicide have also been added to the list. It was also recognized that the use of certain drugs can be a consequence of exhausting working hours and moral harassment, in the same way as alcohol abuse, which was already included in the list.

The adjustments have received the favorable opinion of the Ministries of Labor and Employment and Social Security and will come into force in 30 days.

With the changes, public authorities must plan care and surveillance measures to prevent these diseases in the workplace, enabling safer and healthier working environments.

The changes also support inspection by labor auditors, promote access to social security benefits and provide greater protection for workers diagnosed with listed diseases. The update takes into account all occupations. In other words, it applies to formal and informal workers, working in urban or rural areas.

List of occupational diseases

The list of occupational diseases was established in 1999. The document consists of two parts: the first presents the risks for the development of diseases and the second establishes the diseases for identification, diagnosis and treatment.

With the update the number of diagnostic codes goes from 182 to 347. The list is visible in the Official Journal of the Union.

According to the Ministry of Health, the update constitutes a priority for the new management and reflects the resumption of the leading role in the national coordination of workers’ health policy.

The inclusions were evaluated by the National Network for Global Health Care at Work (Renast) in its 11th meeting known as Renastão, which started on Monday (27) and ended on Wednesday (29), in Brasilia.

Founded in 2002, Renast plays a strategic role in the development of comprehensive care for workers’ health and involves the Ministry of Health and the health departments of states, municipalities and the Federal District.

According to data from the Notifiable Diseases Information System (Sinan), managed by the Ministry of Health, almost 3 million cases of occupational diseases were treated by the Unified Health System (SUS) between 2007 and 2022. Of all the notifications, the 52.9% are linked to serious accidents at work.

According to Sinan data, 26.8% of notifications were generated by exposure to biological material; 12.2% for accidents with poisonous animals; and 3.7% due to repetitive strain injury (RSI) or work-related musculoskeletal disorders. In 2023 alone, there will already be over 390 thousand reported cases of occupational diseases.