Situation regarding health problems in the workplace

In 2007, the National Institute of Statistics conducted a survey on accidents at work and work-related health problems. Its findings reveal that 5.7% of persons aged 15 years and over who are working or have worked in Romania suffer from at least one health problem caused or aggravated by their work. Musculoskeletal disorders, mainly affecting the back, are most frequently reported, followed by breathing or lung complaints, as well as heart disease.

The National Institute of Statistics (Institutul Naţional de Statistică, INS) carried out a survey in the second quarter of 2007 entitled ‘Accidents at work and work-related health problems’, as an annex to the Household Labour Force Survey (Ancheta Integrată asupra Forţei de Muncă în Gospodării, AMIGO) (RO0804019I). The target group for the survey included persons aged 15 years and over who work or have previously worked in Romania. The survey results are available in both Romanian and English.

About the survey

For this survey module, the coverage of the concept ‘work-related health problems’ exceeds the boundaries of national legislation regarding occupational hazards. The physical or mental health problems caused or aggravated by a workplace or occupation covered by the study include:

• health problems related to a trade or profession, caused by toxic – physical, chemical or biological – agents characteristic of certain workplaces, resulting in overexposure of various bodily organs or systems to these conditions during the work process;

• diseases caused by many factors where some determinant factors are professionally related.

The survey definition thus includes occupational diseases grouped according to their classification and as defined under the Health and Safety at Work Law No. 319/2006, as well as temporary or permanent disability cases, and any other health-related problems. Such complaints are included if respondents deem that they were caused by their working conditions or occupation, irrespective of whether a worker required medical assistance, medical leave of absence or absence from work. However, a number of complaints were excluded from the list of health-related problems, such as injuries, lesions, poisoning caused by accidents at the workplace, and the illnesses or diseases these have triggered.

Data relating to the respondents’ health and the relationship between their health and occupational activity are the result of self-assessments carried out by the respondents themselves.

Main survey findings

Number and distribution of affected persons

The current or previous occupation held by respondents triggered or aggravated at least one health problem for 818,300 persons, corresponding to 5.7% of all respondents. Of this group, 49.3% of people were men and 50.7% were women. More specifically, 68.9% of respondents in this group complained of only one health problem, and 31.1% complained of two or more.

Among women, 33.9% complained of two or more health problems, compared with 28.1% of men.

Effect of occupational status

The data reveal differences in the health problems reported not only between men and women, but also between professions, trades and occupations (Table 1). Almost one third of the persons affected by health problems reported two or more illnesses caused or aggravated by work. The proportion of employees reporting two or more health problems is lower than for non-employees.