WHAT TO DO WITH AN OCCUPATIONAL DISEASE?
Occupational disease
Previous step (mandatory for all workplaces).
Register on the web portal INPSASEL then forming the Committee on Safety and Health at Work. Failure to do this step in determining the disease will not be able to take any steps.
Step 1: the alleged occupational disease.
A simple look like this can make a difference in a legal dispute or misunderstanding against an inspector INPSASEL.
First, a multidisciplinary team (occupational medicine, hygiene, ergonomics and safety) must participate. If the disease is related to an ergonomic problem then you should involve a ergonomist. If the disease is related to a hygienic problem (noise, heat stress, lighting, vibration, chemicals and others) then you must engage a hygienist. The occupational physician involved performing the analysis of the relationship between what happened (deficiency causes ergonomics, hygiene) and developed pathology, and verifying the necessary paraclinical interconsultations specialists before reaching a conclusion. There are other data that must be provided by the department of human resources (eg, employment history including holidays). Once completed filling the report is discussed among members of the security service and occupational health (medical doctors, nurses, hygienists, ergonomists and safety) and the health and safety committee at work. The report must be delivered to INPSASEL as instructed by the website.
It is essential that the team conducting the investigation of occupational disease is trained on it and have previous experience, to avoid improper filling and waste of time. The work of the department of safety and health at work is to determine only a suspicion or presumption of occupational disease and relate the findings obtained during the investigation. Only physicians INPSASEL can determine whether a relationship or nonoccupational after reviewing the report previously approved by the committee of safety and health at work.
You need moderation by medical doctors to write medical reports evaluations. The NT-02-2008 states that there should be five criteria for establishing occupational relationship. The work of the Occupational Safety and Health at Work is to investigate this relationship, placing what is considered relevant to the case in the format of declaration of occupational disease INPSASEL and if five criteria are met then conclude on the presumption of occupational disease send the report and allow physicians INPSASEL finally determine whether or not occupational.
Step 2. Conduct research on the five criteria of occupational disease.
The NT-02-2008 establishes a clear and simple way how to perform this procedure. There is also the Instructions for Filling the Research Report Occupational Disease.
It is therefore essential to recognize that this step is an investigation and make no presumption or suspicion to the end of it.
In short the five criteria are:
-Clinical criteria: is the determination of the pathology by the occupational physician. In most cases it is not necessary to make reference to occupational specialists (psychiatrists, orthopedic surgeons, neurologists, internists, general surgeons, urologists, dermatologists, otolaryngologists, etc.) and the information must be transformed caring the words used. From here the occupational research most of the time.
-Paraclinical criteria: when appropriate, refers to tests performed, for example, blood lead, spirometry, audiometry, x-rays, EKG, EMG, CT scans, MRI, etc.. But not only the review, is its cross-sectional and longitudinal interpretation, for example, in the case of disorders of hearing, one audiometric exam is performed, but it is analyzed as mandated by COVENIN 1565:1995 standard should be compared with audiometry base.
-Hygiene criteria: examining working conditions, hazardous processes, means and objects, personal protective equipment, work environment, technical reference values, etc.. For example, in the case of a worker with hearing impairment, determine the occupational noise (Leq), verify the personal protective equipment if necessary (hearing protection), source controls, if the Leq exceeds 82 decibels (85 decibels half) you need to start performing measurements on the source and behavior of workers, etc.. This includes criteria relating to ergonomics.
If the employer has to date assessments of jobs, this step quickly and cheaply meets further assessments jobs are intended to prevent occupational disease and accident.
Epidemiologic criteria: refers to morbidity (statistics) of the pathologies in the workplace recorded by the Department of Safety and Health at Work. Today is not justified that a workplace has not updated quarterly statistics. In some cases it is necessary to supplement with national and international statistics. If none exist, the team must perform a study surveys the affected population, which does not benefit the majority of the time the employer.
Legal criteria: refers to a set of steps mandatory, such as the presence of an active Safety Committee and Health at Work, existence of a Programme on Safety and Health at Work active, fulfilling the steps and time for disclosure of research and occupational disease, training plans, plans for addressing hazardous processes, the presence of Department of Safety and Health at Work active, medical evaluations (pre-employment, prevacaciones, posvacaciones, discharge, etc..).
General conclusions end of the case: at this point participants can perform a brief analysis about the case and the possible relationship of pathology criteria.
Step 3: Perform the 24-hour declaration establishing disease suspicion or presumption of occupational disease.
The filling of the form must be compulsorily performed by members of the Department of Safety and Health at Work. Should involve all social actors involved: prevention delegates, representatives of the employer, the worker concerned, members of the Occupational Safety and Health at Work, lawyers, representatives of the Department of Human Resources. This step is done quickly if the investigation of the case was made well in advance. It is impossible to do everything in 24 hours if the occupational physician establishes a presumption without sufficient knowledge of the case.
The employer is responsible for carrying out this process within 24 hours of issuance of presumption or suspected occupational illness has passed.
Step 4. Provide evidence of having declared the occupational disease to the corresponding online DIRESAT.
The employer or his representative must personally bear the certification issued by the online system to the respective DIRESAT (INPSASEL), which should require signature or seal as evidence of having been delivered.
Bases and legal foundations
The INPSASEL published a Research Report Instructions of Occupational Diseases. To access the portal INPSASEL can do so via the link:
The link button that says "Register as user" allows you to open an account with username and password as the email, along with additional data. Do not lose this password as it is important to notify and report accidents and illnesses on the "Login as user".
The Formal Declaration of Accidents and Occupational Diseases is based on article 73 of the LOPCYMAT: The employer must report the accident at work immediately before the INPSASEL, the Committee on Occupational Safety and Health and the unions. Formal notification of occupational accidents and occupational diseases must be made within 24 hours following the accident or the diagnosis of the disease.
The Technical Standard for Occupational Disease Statement (NT-02-2008) INPSASEL specifies in detail what to do, what documents should be used, actions and requirements for notification and investigation of occupational diseases to the INPSASEL by centers work to ensure that workers' rights enshrined in the LOPCYMAT.
Field of application according to the same technical standard
Applicable to all the work done as a dependent, on behalf of an employer, whatever their nature, the place is run, whether or not for profit, public or private, and generally all personal services, where there is employer, workers, whatever form it takes, within the territory of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.
Also who perform their work in cooperatives or other associations, community, productive character and service, whatever their nature, where to run, whether or not for profit, will be covered by the provisions of this Standard.
The law and the technical standard, defined occupational disease as follows:
They are incurred or aggravated during work or exposure to the environment in which the worker is required to work, such as those attributable to the action of physical and mechanical agents, not ergonomic, weather, chemical, biological disease states, psychosocial and emotional factors, which manifest themselves by an organic lesion, enzymatic or biochemical disorders, functional disorders or mental, temporary or permanent imbalance.
Investigation of occupational disease
- Is performed by the Department of Safety and Health at Work .
- Please explain what happened, make the appropriate diagnosis and take the necessary corrective measures.
- It is based on the analysis of the work activity, considering the tasks, activities and operations that are executed or executed during the exposure time.
- Must identify hazardous processes, unsafe, unsanitary or dangerous conditions that existed or persist in that job.
- When the workstation the employee involved does not exist or has been modified at the time of the study a retrospective investigation of the case based on the declaration of the affected employee, and must be ratified, if possible, with workers witnesses who worked in the same conduct workstation in nearby positions, with the presence of the Delegate of Prevention and / or Committee on Occupational Safety and Health.
- Should be presented in a written report must also be reviewed by the Committee for information, analysis, proposals and action plans.
Elements to be considered for the investigation of occupational disease to his statement
1. The following information of the worker:
- Name, surname, identity card number, date of birth, marital status, date of admission and date of discharge (if applicable), home address, dominant hand, sex, current work status and ethnicity.
- Sleep extra hours worked during the time of exposure to hazardous processes associated with the disease, describing the number of holidays enjoyed, the duration of each, and if performed tests before, during or after withdrawal, stating the type of examination, at least in the last year.
- Received written information about the principles of prevention of unsafe or unhealthy conditions in the work environment of the post or posts held.
- Education received as to the promotion of safety and health, the prevention of occupational accidents and diseases, as well as in regard to the use of personal protective equipment, used in cases where there are no forms of control at source or in the medium.
- Employment history, mentioning the company and activities performed chronologically.
- Description of the position or positions held, indicating the usual jobs. The information must be described chronologically, in view of the positions held during the time of exposure to hazardous processes associated with the disease.
2. Data Management Safety and Health at Work:
- Department of Safety and Health at Work: It shall state whether or not, if own or joint, conformation and date, time, functions performed during the period in which it is conducting research with people who make up the data personal identification and their positions.
- Programme on Safety and Health at Work: whether there was a Programme on Safety and Health at Work during the time of exposure to hazardous processes or risks associated with the object, means, organization and division of labor. If it be so, must indicate whether he was prepared under the criteria of the Technical Standard and Safety Program Occupational Health (NT-02-2008).
- Committee on Occupational Safety and Health: if I had committee, specifying the date of incorporation, the claims made by the Delegates of Prevention and actions taken by the Committee on Safety and Health in relation to the workstation.
- Sign of the worker in the Venezuelan Institute of Social Security (IVSS) mention the date of registration of the worker in the IVSS and attach a copy of proof of registration with the agency and participation of retirement (in the cases that apply).
3. Occupational hygiene criteria:
- Exposure time jobs: it should reflect the daily and weekly hours, including long working overtime, as well as compliance with work permits and medical leave, during the time of exposure to hazardous processes and risks associated with disease.
- Working conditions associated pathology and dangerous processes from the process of work: intrinsic to the work object and its transformations, derived from the means of labor, resulting from interactions with the media and work object, derived from the work organization.
- Monitoring or evaluation of the conditions and working environment and job done. Expressing the results and expressly indicating the technical reference values, as current legislation.
- Description or etiologic agents.
- Checks carried out: at the source, in the middle, administrative controls, personal protective equipment used in the workplace under study, with its technical specifications, demonstrating the inability to use control measures at the source or in the middle, justifying its use.
- Health and safety issues considered in the design of the workplace.
- In cases where the affected employee has worked in many different jobs during his time in the company, shall conduct a study for each relevant post occupied, in relation to the pathology presented, considering the elements that are in the point 2 of this Technical Standard Statement of Accidents and Occupational Diseases (NT-02-2008).
4. Epidemiological data:
- General and specific morbidity (based on pathology in charge and the job of the worker) registered by the Department of Safety and Health at Work corresponding to the three years prior to the date of the study and at the time of the appearance of the first manifestations of the disease
- Report results of surveys or interviews (anonymously), paid to workers who occupy or occupied similar jobs at the post office and investigated (only in the case that morbidity does not reflect this disease in the worker and research or study disease-type skeletal muscle).
- Summary of medical leave, which indicates the most common reasons for absenteeism and the area to which they belong.
5. Clinical judgment:
- The Department of Safety and Health at Work, shall identify the signs, symptoms, medical history, relevant medical records, pre-employment test (indicating the health condition of the working income or worker), newspapers and egress, medical diagnosis and whatever they were made to work in the office and workstation, under study.
6. Criterion paraclinical:
- The Department of Safety and Health shall indicate support assessments and clinical judgment support (laboratory, diagnostic imaging, spirometry, audiometry, etc.), paid to the worker concerned or the affected worker.
Responsibility of the Department of Safety and Health at Work in Investigation of occupational disease
- Conducting the study of the jobs of the company and in the case of the worker concerned, individual study, which includes all those positions and offices held by him, considering: working methods and machines, tools and supplies for work, work organization, psychological, cognitive, cultural and anthropometric characteristics of the same, with the participation of the affected worker Prevention Delegates and the Committee on Occupational Safety and Health.
- Ensure the health surveillance of workers, through periodic examinations (pre-employment, pre and post holiday, graduation and special) and production processes, executing actions identification, evaluation and control of environmental conditions and work, which may affect both physical and mental health of workers or that may affect the external environment of the workplace or the health of your family, in order to design suitable jobs to workers.
- Prepare the research report occupational disease, with the participation of delegates and Prevention Delegates, Committee on Occupational Safety and Health.
- Suggest an employer, partners and the Committee on Occupational Safety and Health, action plans or changes required in existing jobs or studied, as well as preventive when introducing new equipment, technologies or methods of work organization way in order to ensure that the design of the workstation allows the development of a harmonious relationship between the worker or the worker and the workplace.