Introduction: Mortality associated with occupational diseases is an important element in the design of public policies in occupational health. Given the lack of records, this work aimed to estimate the mortality associated with occupational diseases in Chile.
Materials and Methods: The general mortality statistics in Chile in 2014 were obtained, and the mortality related to occupational diseases was calculated through the attributable fraction method, using the risk estimates used by the International Labor Organization. Additionally, the Potential Years of Life Lost (PYLL) were calculated.
Results: 4476 deaths due to occupational exposure were estimated for 2014, with malignant tumors being the leading cause of death in men (51.4%) and cardiovascular diseases in women (45.3%). Men contribute more than three times more than women in the PYLL indicator. The mortality rate was 80 per 100,000 people per year. By comparison, the death rate from accidents was 4.5 per 100,000 people.
Discussion: The impact of diseases on mortality due to occupational causes is substantially more significant than that of accidents. Still, it is veiled by the absence of mortality records due to these causes. On the other hand, Chile shows an alarming social loss, with around 32,000 Potential Years of Life Lost. These figures can raise awareness in the sector about what occupational diseases represent for workers and society in general
Keywords:
Occupational diseases, Mortality, Attributable fraction, Potential Years of Life Lost
Author Biography
Juan Pérez-Franco, Superintendencia de Seguridad Social
Departamento de Psiquiatría y Salud Mental Sur, Universidad de Chile.
Pérez-Franco, J. (2023). Mortality attributable to occupational diseases in Chile, 2014. Revista Chilena De Salud Pública, 26(2), p. 164–171. https://doi.org/10.5354/0719-5281.2022.71182
