Work and health

Abstract

The article reviews the relation of work with health. The work environment, work place relations, work accidents, work related diseases and stress at work influence in many ways the health of the working population. The modern working conditions with the rapid development of the service sector, of automatization and of computerization, have produced many new physical, biological, psychological and social risk factors. Concerning work accidents, it has been estimated that eight million workers loose their lives every year in the countries of the European Union. The cause or these accidents is multifactorial, involving complex environmental and behavioral aspects. The most common work related diseases are those of the respiratory and the musculoskeletal systems. Many studies reveal the effects of work on the incidence of a number of cancers and of cardiovascular disease. Office work is associated with headaches, vertigo and fatigue. These disturbances in people working with computers, are often accompanied by musculoskeletal, ophthalmological and psychological disorders. Many health problems have also been attributed to stress at work produced by the intensity of the work load and by poor work organization. Stress at work is responsible for musculoskeletal, dermatological and ophthalmological disorders, headaches and fatigue. Long-term effects include increased incidence of cardiovascular diseases, hypertension and cancer of the digestive tract.