Occupational Health: understand what workplace accidents are, occupational diseases and the most recent updates on mental health in the professional environment

For many years, when people talked about workplace accidents, most people only imagined serious situations, such as falls, cuts, burns or machinery accidents. But occupational medicine has evolved greatly in recent years and today there is a broader understanding of how the professional environment can affect people's physical and emotional health.

The most recent updates to Brazilian occupational health standards have reinforced precisely this: worker health involves not only avoiding physical accidents, but also preventing mental illness, emotional overload and unhealthy professional environments.

In practice, this means that situations such as excessive pressure, abusive targets, exhausting work hours, moral harassment and psychological strain have received even more attention within workplace safety and health standards.

What is considered a workplace accident?

A workplace accident is any situation related to professional activity that causes injury, loss of functional capacity, absence from work or damage to a person's health.

This includes sudden accidents, illnesses developed over time and even some situations that occur on the journey between home and work.

Typical accident

It is the accident that happens during the exercise of professional duties.

Clinical example

A construction worker falls from a ladder whilst carrying out maintenance work at height and suffers a fractured arm.

In this case, there is a direct relationship between the work performed and the accident that occurred.

Also included in this category are:

• cuts from machinery;

• burns;

• electrical accidents;

• accidents involving biological material;

• crushing injuries;

• acute poisonings;

• falls in the workplace.

Commute accident

It is the accident that happens on the route between home and work or on the return home.

Clinical example

A nursing technician has a motorcycle accident whilst travelling to her shift and suffers a fractured leg.

Even though it happened outside the hospital, the case can be recognised as a commute accident.

However, it is important to understand that each situation needs to be analysed individually. Deviations for personal interests or interruptions unrelated to work may change this classification.

Occupational disease: when the problem appears gradually

Not all work-related illnesses happen suddenly.

Many diseases develop slowly after months or years of repetitive exposure, constant physical effort, excessive emotional pressure, repetitive movements, intense noise or inadequate environments.

These conditions are called occupational diseases.

Clinical example

An office assistant spends years working long periods typing without adequate breaks. Over time, she begins to feel pain in her wrists, tingling and loss of strength in her hands.

After medical assessment, she receives a diagnosis of work-related tendinitis.

Other common examples include:

• repetitive strain injuries;

• chronic back pain;

• hearing loss from excessive noise;

• respiratory diseases caused by dust or chemical products;

• burnout syndrome;

• anxiety related to the professional environment.

What has changed recently in worker health standards?

The most recent updates to NR-1, the standard that deals with occupational risk management in Brazil, have expanded companies' responsibility regarding workers' mental health.

Now, psychosocial factors have been officially included in occupational risk prevention. This means that situations such as:

• moral harassment;

• excessive psychological pressure;

• incompatible targets;

• exhausting work hours;

• emotional overload;

• toxic work environments;

must be observed, identified and prevented by companies.

This update represents an important change because it recognises that mental health is also part of occupational health.

Today there is greater understanding that emotional suffering related to work should not be viewed merely as "weakness" or an individual problem, but also as a consequence of the professional conditions to which a person is exposed.

The Schilling classification explained in simple terms

In occupational medicine there is a widely used classification to understand the relationship between disease and professional activity: the Schilling Classification.

Although the name is technical, the idea is simple.

It divides diseases into three groups.

Group I: work is the main cause of the disease

In this group, professional activity is directly responsible for the problem.

Example

A worker exposed to intense noise daily develops hearing loss.

Without that constant exposure, the disease would probably not occur.

Group II: work contributes to the appearance of the disease

Here, the disease can occur in anyone, but work greatly increases the risk.

Example

A person who works carrying weight daily develops lumbar disc herniation.

Work is not the only possible cause, but it contributed significantly to the problem.

Group III: work worsens an existing condition

In this case, work makes worse a disease that the person already had.

Example

A person with pre-existing anxiety begins working in an extremely demanding environment, with excessive pressure and intense work hours, and begins to experience frequent crises and difficulty maintaining their routine.

Here, the professional environment acts as an aggravating factor.

What is generally not considered a workplace accident?

Not every illness or accident that occurs during working hours is automatically considered a workplace accident.

Some situations may not have proven occupational relationship.

Examples

• diseases with no connection to the function performed;

• accidents caused exclusively by personal issues;

• pre-existing conditions with no relationship or worsening by work;

• situations outside the professional context.

Each case must be analysed individually through medical assessment and proper documentation.

What to do when a workplace accident occurs?

Many people are lost after an accident or when they begin to experience symptoms related to work.

Some measures are important:

• seek medical attention as quickly as possible;

• explain in detail how everything happened;

• keep examinations and documents;

• inform the company;

• observe persistent symptoms even after apparently minor accidents;

• seek help when experiencing frequent pain, physical limitations or emotional suffering related to work.

The earlier the assessment, the greater the chances of preventing complications.

How can the doctor help?

The doctor's role goes far beyond treating an injury.

Proper assessment helps to identify whether there is a relationship between the health problem and the professional activity performed.

In addition to diagnosis, monitoring can assist with:

• physical recovery;

• pain management;

• functional rehabilitation;

• guidance on returning to work;

• prevention of sequelae;

• early identification of occupational diseases;

• care for mental health related to the professional environment.

In many cases, recognising the problem early prevents significant worsening and improves quality of life.

Worker health is also prevention

Caring for occupational health does not only mean acting after an accident.

Safe environments, adequate breaks, correct ergonomics, protective equipment and attention to mental health are part of modern prevention in occupational medicine.

The recent updates to Brazilian standards reinforce precisely this: protecting worker health involves caring for both the body and emotional health.

This content is exclusively informative and educational in nature. It does not replace medical consultation, individual assessment, diagnosis or proper professional treatment.

Dr Rebeca Soares Andrade CRM-GO 39335