Background: Data on occupational diseases constitute an important element of the bulk of information on the health of workers as well as on the sanitary conditions prevailing in their work environment. Yearly records of the incidence of occupational diseases, and the annual analyses of the incidence data render it possible to identify high-risk groups, so that preventive measures can be taken to reduce the risk of the resultant pathologies.
Methods and materials: This work is based on the information included in the "Occupational Disease Reporting Forms" received by the Central Register of Occupational Diseases in 2003. The forms specified the diagnosed disease, patient's age and gender, period of occupational exposure to agents responsible for the disease development, branch of the national economy and the region of the country. The incidence was specified in terms of indices per 100 000 paid employees.
Results: A total of 4365 cases of occupational diseases were diagnosed in Poland in 2003. The incidence rate was 46.6 cases per 100 000. The highest rates were recorded for chronic vocal organ diseases (11.7), pneumoconiosis (8.6), bilateral permanent hearing loss (7.9), contagious or parasitic diseases (5.9) and skin diseases (2.3). In 60.7% of patients with diagnosed occupational disease, the period of exposure to a relevant harmful agent was over 20 years. The highest incidence of occupational diseases was recorded in the mining industry in general (372.5 cases per 100 000) and in the coal mining industry in particular (439.4 cases per 100 000 paid employees).
Conclusions: In 2003, the incidence of occupational diseases continued to decrease in Poland. This downward tendency has been observed since 1999. A lower number of cases of hearing loss, contagious or parasitic diseases, chronic voice disorders and of skin diseases mostly contributed to the general decrease in the incidence of occupational diseases.