The paper presents the trends in the evolution of occupational diseases in Romania in comparison to the EU and the US, as incidence of occupational diseases, their interrelationship with the exposure to occupational risk factors in the working environment, the dynamic changes over time of the traditional structure and of the hierarchy framework of employees’ check-up regarding the risk factors. The analysis covers the period 2010 - 2015 and was made in quantitative terms (statistical data) and qualitative terms (study concerning the causal factors of the employee’s work environment). The data are presented as absolute figures and the average annual incidence rates are presented per 100 000 people employed in this industry

L. I. Cioca

L. Ivascu

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852  METALURGIJA 55 (2016) 4, 852-854L. I. CIOCA, L. IVASCUINVESTIGATING OCCUPATIONAL DISEASES IN THE METALLURGICAL INDUSTRYReceived – Prispjelo: 2016-01-05Accepted – Prihvaćeno: 2016-05-10Review Paper – Pregledni radL. I. Cioca, Faculty of Engineering, “Lucian Blaga” University of Sibiu, Romania, L. Ivascu, Faculty of Management in Production and Trans-portation, Politehnica University of Timisoara, RomaniaThe paper presents the trends in the evolution of occupational diseases in Romania in comparison to the EU and the US, as incidence of occupational diseases, their interrelationship with the exposure to occupational risk factors in the working environment, the dynamic changes over time of the traditional structure and of the hierarchy frame-work of employees’ check-up regarding the risk factors. The analysis covers the period 2010 - 2015 and was made in quantitative terms (statistical data) and qualitative terms (study concerning the causal factors of the employee’s work environment). The data are presented as absolute figures and the average annual incidence rates are pre-sented per 100 000 people employed in this industry.Key words: metallurgical industry, diseases, injuries, illnesses, risksINTRODUCTIONThe human body is a complex system of motility habits and skills and thus work efficiency is dependent on the physical and psychological state of the human resource [1]. Metallurgical industry [2] is one of the most demanding industries, in terms of working condi-tions with increased risk factors, being vital to us to know the evolution of occupational diseases in order to prevent the risk of injury and to make the employees’ work more efficient [3]. It is an essential ring in the  European Union (EU) industrial supply chain, as it  produces components and finished goods used in other production sectors. Therefore, this paper aims to  identify the trajectory of the metallurgical industry in terms of occupational diseases, for the period 2010 – 2015. In Romania, the metallurgical industry is privat-ized 100 %, and the share of foreign capital is about 80 %. In 2010, the Romanian metallurgical industry achieved a benefit of about 562 million Euros (0,93 % of the EU total) with a labour productivity of approxi-mately 14 800 Euro / employee (i.e. 25 % of the EU average).In 2013, it provided jobs for around 10 % of the EU - 27 industrial workforce. In 2015, there was a decrease in jobs, since in 2010 the metallurgical sector covered approximately 11 % of the total number of jobs in the EU. The metallurgical industry provided 12 % of all jobs in the industrial sector [4].ISSN 0543-5846METABK 55(4) 852-854 (2016)UDC – UDK 669.011:338.45:313.1:338.978:368.025.6=111OCCUPATIONAL DISEASES IN ROMANIA BETWEEN 2010 AND 2015According to the National Institute of Statistics of Romania, the incidence of occupational diseases per type of activity shows that, in 2015, the most cases of diseases were reported in the construction industry (38,70 % of the total reported cases), the metalliferous ore extraction (12,54 %), and the manufacture of motor vehicles for road transport, trailers and semi-trailers (12,40 %) [5, 6]. In 2015, there were 335 cases of  musculoskeletal disorders, 246 cases of silicosis, and 61 cases of bronchial asthma. Occupational diseases caused by musculoskeletal disorders top the list in Ro-mania as they do worldwide [6]. The evolution of the Figure 1  The evolution of the number of new occupational diseases reported in Romania between 2010 and 2015853L. I. CIOCA et al.: INVESTIGATING OCCUPATIONAL DISEASES IN THE METALLURGICAL INDUSTRYMETALURGIJA 55 (2016) 4, 852-854number of new reported cases of occupational diseases in Romania for the period 2010 - 2015 is shown in Fig-ure 1, in which only the new cases reported are consid-ered, without the cases reported in other years, for which the disease has recurred or worsened itself. It can be noticed that professional morbidity vary widely in recent years, the highest level being recorded in 2010, with approximately 27 % more occupational illnesses than in 2015 [4, 5].The evolution of the number of occupational dis-eases reported in the metallurgical industry in Romania is shown in Figure 2.number of declared cases of diseases at national level (NTAD) divided by the total number of employees (NT) per 100 000 workers:  (1)The incidence index for the metallurgical industry (2) is defined as the total number of declared cases of diseases in the metallurgical industry (NMIAD) divided by the total number of employees (NT) per 100 000 workers:  (2)Table 1 shows an overview of the occupational mor-bidity in Romania, emphasizing the data related to the metallurgical industry. The data show that the number of new cases of illnesses in the metallurgical industry is between 6,15 % and 8,04 % out of the total number of new cases reported in Romania.Since 2011, there has been a decrease in the number of new cases due to the new technology that reduces the effort and the harmful conditions of work and NOD de-creases the most in 2015 with 18 %. In Romania, the incidence index was 21,53 %000 in 2015, with 4,8 % lower than the previous year.OCCUPATIONAL DISEASES IN THE EUROPEAN UNIONIn Europe, musculoskeletal disorders are the most common health problems related to work, affecting mil-lions of workers. In the European Union, 25 % of work-ers suffer from backaches and 23 % report muscular pains [4, 7, 8]. In the metallurgical industry, most work-ers suffer from bronchial asthma and silicosis, i.e. ap-proximately 62 %. The situation in the EU metallurgical industry is shown in Table 2. The metallurgical industry represents 26 % of the total production value and 11 % of GDP (Gross domestic product) [4, 7, 8]. The incidence rate of occupational diseases has a downward trajectory, registering in 2015 a value of 22,43 %000, due to a great concern within the EU for developing the 2020 Strategy for the development of sustainable job places.Figure 2  The evolution of the number of new occupational diseases in Romania in the metallurgical industry between 2010 and 2015In 2014, the metallurgical industry in Romania re-corded 67 new reported cases and it ranked fifth, ac-cording to individual branches of industry, representing 6,5 % of the total reported cases [4, 5]. The construction industry came first with 370 new reported cases, repre-senting 35,70 % of the total cases in Romania.The evolution of the number of new cases is in de-cline, with a decrease of approximately 17 % in 2015, as compared to 2011. The most numerous new cases in the metallurgical industry were recorded in 2010, i.e. 101 new reported cases, representing 7,21 % of the total number of cases reported in Romania [4].The total incidence index is an indicator that is used to identify the condition and efficiency of the sector analyzed. The incidence index (1) is defined as the total Table 1 Occupational morbidity in the metallurgical industry in Romania between 2010 and 2015Dimension / Value 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015NOD Value 1 065 945 908 989 1 036 1 024NODMI Value 71 76 70 66 67 63Percentage / % of NOD 6,67 8,04 7,70 6,67 6,46 6,15Ii / %000 22,30 19,63 18,76 21,07 21,79 21,53Iimi / %000 1,48 1,57 1,44 1,40 1,40 1,33Number of employees in the metallurgi-cal industry64 203 59 213 61 259 35 757 32 050 32 123Total number of employees in Romania 4 774 000 4 812 000 4 840 322 4 693 585 4 753 821 4 754 896Legend: NOD - The number of new occupational diseases reported in Romania, NODMI - The number of new cases of occupational diseases reported in the metallurgical industry, Ii – the total incidence index in Romania, Iimi – the incidence index in the metallurgical industry854L. I. CIOCA et al.: INVESTIGATING OCCUPATIONAL DISEASES IN THE METALLURGICAL INDUSTRY METALURGIJA 55 (2016) 4, 852-854OCCUPATIONAL DISEASES IN THE UNITED STATESIn the United States (US) [7], on an industrial level, it is estimated that approximately 1,2 million people who worked in 2014 / 2015 suffered from an illness caused or aggravated by the work place, and 35 % of those were reported cases. The situation of the occupa-tional diseases in the metallurgical industry in the US is shown in Table 3. In the US, about 70 % of the new cases of occupational diseases, for the year 2014 / 2015, were musculoskeletal or stress disorders, depression, or anxiety.RESULTS AND LIMITATIONSComparing the situation of EU-28, US, and Roma-nia for 2012 and 2015, in term of the incidence index in the metallurgical industry, Iimi, it is observed that in 2015, the EU value drops by 16 %, in US falls by 9 %, and in Romania decreases by 7 % (Figure 3).Considering the situation shown above, the primary hierarchical framework for controlling the employees’ exposure include the following: anticipation, recogniz-ing risks, controlling risks education, and the legislation in force (Figure 4).On an efficiency scale of the methods (noted from + to -), the engineering techniques are gaining value, be-ing in antithesis with the employees’ equipment which should bring additional safety. The data analysis pre-sented in the previous sections leads to several results, such as:–  in 2015, there was a decrease in the metallurgical industry by 7,3 % in the US and by 15,1 % in the EU - 28, in comparison to 2012, due to the inclu-sion of new objectives in the 2020 Strategy;–  the decrease in the incidence of occupational mor-bidity is due to improved working conditions (due to technological developments and the legislation in force);–  from the perspective of the limitation, the decrease in the incidence of occupational morbidity may also imply that some of the cases are not even re-ported.Figure 3  The evolution of the incidence index in the metallurgical industry between 2012 and 2015 in EU-28, US and RomaniaFigure 4  The preliminary hierarchical framework for controlling the worker’s exposure to danger sourcesTable 3  The occupational diseases in the US metallurgical industry between 2012 and 2015 [7]Dimension 2012 2013 2014 2015NODMI 4 010 3 860 3 765 3 761Ii / %000 19,87 19,21 18,87 18,86Iimi / %000 2,31 1,98 1,88 1,86Table 2  The occupational diseases in the EU metallurgical industry between 2012 and 2015 [4]Dimension 2012 2013 2014 2015NODMI 14 340 13 231 12 300 12 180Ii / %000 24,34 23,47 22,61 22,43Iimi / %000 2,48 2,21 2,11 2,08REFERENCES[1] L. I. Cioca, L. Ivascu, E. C. Rada, V. Torretta, G. Ionescu, The Study of Sustainable Development and Technological Impact on CO2 Reducing Conditions: Case Study of Ro-mania”, Sustainability 7 (2015), 1637-1650.[2] G. Dobrota, M. D. Ungureanu, The Dimensioning of Per-formance in Metallurgical Industry from Romania, Meta-lurgija 54 (2015) 3, 583-586.[3] G. Amza, D. Dobrota, Risk Estimation of Air Polluation Produced by a Welded Construction Company, Metalurgi-ja 51 (2012) 4, 494-496.[4] European Agency for Safety and Health at Work, http://http://ec.europa.eu/health.[5] National Institute of Statistics, Online http://www.insse.ro/cms/files/publicatii/[6] Labour Inspection of Romania, Online www.protectia-muncii.ro[7] Health and Safety Executive (HSE), Online http://www.hse.gov.uk/Statistics[8] M. Zanko, P. Dawson, Occupational Health and Safety Management in Organizations: A Review, Int. J. Manage. Rev. 14 (2012) 3, 328-344.Note:  The responsible translator for the English language i s Ioana Matiu, Sibiu, Romania

Investigating occupational diseases in the metallurgical industry

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