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. 2022 Mar 1;48(2):158-168.
doi: 10.5271/sjweh.4001. Epub 2021 Nov 22.

Global, regional and national burden of disease attributable to 19 selected occupational risk factors for 183 countries, 2000-2016: A systematic analysis from the WHO/ILO Joint Estimates of the Work-related Burden of Disease and Injury

Frank Pega  1 , Halim Hamzaoui, Bálint Náfrádi, Natalie C Momen
Affiliations

Global, regional and national burden of disease attributable to 19 selected occupational risk factors for 183 countries, 2000-2016: A systematic analysis from the WHO/ILO Joint Estimates of the Work-related Burden of Disease and Injury

Frank Pega et al. Scand J Work Environ Health. .

Abstract

Objectives: We provide a brief introduction to the objectives, data, methods and results of the World Health Organization (WHO)/International Labor Organization (ILO) Joint Estimates of the Work-related Burden of Disease and Injury (WHO/ILO Joint Estimates), which estimated the burden attributable to 19 selected occupational risk factors.

Methods: The WHO/ILO Joint Estimates were produced within the global Comparative Risk Assessment framework, which attributes the burden of one specific health outcome (ie, disease/injury) to a specific occupational risk factor. For 39 established occupational risk factor-health outcome pairs, estimates are produced using population attributable fractions (PAF) from recent burden of disease estimates. For two additional pairs, PAF are calculated from new databases of exposure and risk ratios produced in WHO/ILO systematic reviews. Attributable disease burdens were estimated by applying the PAF to total disease burdens.

Results: Globally in 2016, it is estimated that 1.88 [95% uncertainty range (UR) 1.84-1.92] million deaths and 89.72 (95% UR 88.61-90.83) million disability-adjusted life years were attributable to the 19 selected occupational risk factors and their health outcomes. A disproportionately large work-related burden of disease is observed in the WHO African Region (for disability-adjusted life years), South-East Asia Region, and Western Pacific Region (for deaths), males and older age groups.

Conclusions: The WHO/ILO Joint Estimates can be used for global monitoring of exposure to occupational risk factors and work-related burden of disease and to identify, plan, cost, implement and evaluate policies, programs and actions to prevent exposure to occupational risk factors and their associated burden.

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Conflict of interest statement

Authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Total number of work-related deaths and DALYs, by occupational risk factor, 183 countries, for the year 2016. Source: WHO and ILO (20).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Total number of work-related deaths and DALYs, by health outcome, 183 countries, for the year 2016. Source: WHO and ILO (20).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Death rates (per 100 000 working-age population, ie, age ≥15 years) in 2016 from the 41 pairs of occupational risk factors and health outcomes. Source: WHO and ILO (20).
Figure 4
Figure 4
DALY rates (per 100 000 working-age population, ie, age ≥15 years) in 2016 from the 41 pairs of occupational risk factors and health outcomes. Source: WHO and ILO (20).
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