Occupational diseases in the Czech Republic and the European Union. Legislation, comparative studies

Occupational diseases are negative effects of chemical, physical or biological factors of working environments on the human health. They have serious social and economical consequences. In the Czech Republic, issues concerning occupational diseases are processed in detail, and the system works good in comparison to other EU members. Since the EU accession, EU law became relevant, besides national legislation. According to EU law it is recommended for member states to submit a list of the occupational diseases that are supposed to be assumed by national law. EU action in health and safety at work has its legal basis in Article 137 of the EU Treaty and also in other legislations. The EU tries to support the prevention of occupational diseases by providing information and guidance. EU recommendations consider a healthy, efficient, skilled and motivated workforce to be a key element of the socioeconomic development. Approximating national and EU law seems problematic today, because every member state has its own attitude towards occupational diseases. They all differ in their legislation, terminologies, diagnostic criterias, statistics and their social systems. However despite these difficulties, some EU member states, including the Czech Republic, try to adapt EU law and EU recommendations