Occupational diseases: The silent killers

Occupational diseases kill 6 times as many people each year compared to industrial accidents but go largely unreported, according to a report released Wednesday by the International Labour Organizaton (ILO). An estimated 2.34 million people die each year from work-related accidents and diseases. From the estimated 6,300 work-related deaths that occur every day, 5,500 are the results of diseases resulting from work environments.Occupational disease covers a wide range of illnesses, which are contracted as a result of exposure to risk factors that come from work. The can include mental and musculoskeletal disorders (MDs) or pneumoconiosis (a lung disease resulting from the constant breathing of dust or harmful particles). The ILO estimates that work- related accidents and diseases result in an annual 4% loss in global gross domestic product (GDP), or about US$2.8 trillion in direct and indirect costs of injuries and diseases.


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