[Handling and decisions by the authorities of reported occupational tendon injuries of the upper extremities. Occupational diseases' registry E6b].
The aim of this investigation was to show how the Danish National Social Security Office, (the department of industrial injuries insurance (NSS)), handles the cases and makes the final decisions concerning the diseases in tendons in the upper extremity belonging to the list of occupational disorders in the Danish Workers' Compensation Act. Five hundred and nineteen notified cases were followed-up until the final solution and eventual compensation for permanent injury and loss of earning capacity. Two hundred and twenty-six cases had to be excluded because the criteria in the list of Occupational Disorders concerning unusual work and complete or partial inability to work were not fulfilled. Sixty-seven commenced work again after the notification and forty four did not reply to the NSS correspondence. One hundred twenty-seven had to be eliminated for other reasons. Fifty-five cases could be further investigated according to the workload criteria. fourteen were accepted and forty-one were rejected. Eight of these were paid a total compensation for permanent injuries amounting to 200,000 DDK and a capitalized compensation for loss of earning capacity amounting to 1,000,000 DDK. The notified diseases occurred among unskilled workers in their forties, equally frequently in men and women. It takes a long time to obtain the answers to NSS correspondence from doctors as well as the injured persons and therefore a total handling time of up to one year has to be expected. Our conclusion is that it is difficult to have these diseases accepted as being caused by the work because the criteria on the list about "unusual work" and "complete or partial inability to do normal work" exclude many cases from acceptance. Probably the criteria for workload should be changed so that it is based on an objective goal for the workload and the movements to a greater extent compared with the exposure time. Doctors who report the diseases should be more precise in the notified diagnosis, symptoms and the workload responsible.
Mathiesen
B
B
Arbejdsskadestyrelsen, København.
Stokkebye
J
J
D003718:Denmark / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007344:Insurance Claim Reporting / Q000191:economics / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000191:economics / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D012042:Registries; D013708:Tendon Injuries / Q000191:economics / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D014942:Workers' Compensation / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D016526:Workload