{"id":84076,"date":"2024-12-13T12:57:06","date_gmt":"2024-12-13T12:57:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ecoonline.com\/glossary\/occupational-illness-2\/"},"modified":"2025-10-07T11:18:00","modified_gmt":"2025-10-07T10:18:00","slug":"occupational-illness","status":"publish","type":"glossary-item","link":"https:\/\/www.ecoonline.com\/en-us\/glossary\/occupational-illness\/","title":{"rendered":"Occupational Illness Meaning & Definition"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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What is an Occupational Illness?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

An occupational illness is defined as a chronic illness or disease that is caused primarily due to exposure to a workplace hazard. Typically, occupational illnesses generally manifest due to prolonged exposure to such hazards<\/a>, including harmful chemicals<\/a> or materials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Any illness caused due to exposure to a workplace hazard is an occupational illness. It is necessary for employers to ensure that they provide a safer work environment to employees and to reduce the spread of occupational illnesses or diseases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, it\u2019s generally a bit difficult to prevent occupational illnesses, as illnesses usually develop over a longer period of time. Thus, establishing a relation between cause and effect is generally not easy. By the time the symptoms appear, some illnesses usually advance to a stage where they require extensive treatment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Is incident reporting the key to culture change? Get this 17-page guide discussing how reporting incidents, close calls and observations can help transform your safety culture.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

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Why Are Occupational Illnesses Important?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

For a business, it\u2019s incredibly important to take steps to mitigate occupational illnesses and diseases. They pose a serious threat to business continuity<\/a> and could result in a litany of lawsuits that could affect the company\u2019s going concern.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More importantly, occupational illnesses result in lost work hours<\/a>, with employees losing productivity and not being able to work. The business then bears the losses, as employees often require compensation while they rest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to Define an Occupational Illness<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Occupational illnesses can be defined through a specific criteria, which varies depending upon local legislation. However, according to a research paper published in Proceedings of the Royal Society of Medicine #58<\/a>,<\/em> there are nine points that can be used to identify occupational illnesses:<\/p>\n\n\n\n