Occupational Disease Law and Legal Definition
Occupational disease is any ailment that occurs as a result of work or any occupational activity. An occupational disease is identified when it is shown that it is more prevalent in a given body of workers than in the general population, or any other worker populations. Occupational hazards that are of a traumatic nature are not considered to be occupational diseases.
In many jurisdictions, under the worker’s compensation law there is a presumption that specific disease are caused by the worker being in a particular work environment and the burden is on the employer or insurer to show that the disease is not due to the work environment.
There are different types of occupational diseases like occupational lung disease, occupational skin disease and the like. A few occupational diseases are asbestosis among asbestos miners, coalworker's pneumoconiosis among coal miners, byssinosis among workers in cotton textile industry, Eczema, sunburn, skin cancer, lead poisoning.
Legal Definition list
Related Legal Terms
- Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
- Agent of Disease
- Agricultural Disease Emergency
- Alzheimer's Disease
- Bona Fide Occupational Qualification
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC]
- Communicable Diseases
- Dental Diseases and Conditions
- Disease Management Programs
- Disease or Injury Traceable to the Extra Hazards of the Military Service
