Occupational illnesses as a consequence of workers' physical load

Occupational illnesses are understood as diseases whose origin is associated with a particular profession. Nowadays they represent a serious threat for employers as well as for employees themselves, and have both economic and medical aspects.  From the economic point of view, the main relationship is among the insurer (agent), the employer (company) and the employee. Currently, costs are escalating. A significant proportion of the budget is spent for medical expenses (in the case of national healthcare). A significant number of compensations are also paid by companies (in cases where employment was ended due to the emergence of an occupational illness). From the medical point of view, the emphasis is on the seriousness of the disease itself, which is connected with social impacts on the worker and their latter professional fulfillment. 

The work process is very dynamic as it is based on demands and changes in production processes. Nowadays, a significant number of occupational illnesses are caused by the physical load on the worker while doing such work. With an emphasis on higher demands of production, the norms are being raised, bottlenecks are being removed, and the system is generally being made more efficient. However, the aforementioned workload is being increased at the same time and it is manifested in many forms, wih related complications and consequences. 

The main aim of this article is to analyse occupational illnesses caused by physical load, using methods of descriptive and mathematical statistics. Based on our own research among Czech companies and secondary data obtained from the research of the Czech State Health Institute, the research questions “What are the trends?” and “What are the most common occupational illnesses and why do they arise?” will be answered.  

By using appropriate corrective measures, the workload can be decreased and the consequences can be eliminated without having a negative impact on the production system’s efficiency. Based on many interviews with experts in ergonomics, we will offer reccomendations for corrective measures.