Occupational diseases, increasing at the National Coal Company
Only in the first two months of the year, National Coal Company Petrosani (CNH) employees have accumulated almost 20,000 days of sick leave shows the company data.
Articol de Ilie Pintea, 19 Aprilie 2012, 07:34
Revitalization and improvement of mining in Romania are priorities declared by the government, within the context which the activity seems to be profitable again.
On the market, the resources price is constantly growing, but beyond the figures that those from the centre would like, the system, in the territory the system is in the same prolonged coma.
Valea Jiului miners' wages are almost never fully paid and working conditions are almost inexistent.
Of the almost 8,000 National Coal Company (CNH) employees , 10 percent are monthly on sick leave.
The hard underground work seems to give strong imprint on Valea Jiului workers.
According to the National Coal Company Petroşani (CNH) data, they accumulate in the first two months of this year 20,000 days of sick leave, almost 54 years.
Even though the number of employers decreased by 900 after the layoffs in October 2011 disease sheets increased during the first two months of this year compared to the same period last year.
Occupational diseases, increasing
Experts say that a possible explanation for this phenomenon could be an increased incidence of occupational diseases and disorders related to stress.
Ileana Bodea, the Head of the Safety and Health at Work in the Labour Territorial Inspectorate Petroşani says that occupational diseases have dramatically increased.
"Almost doubles from year to year, and lately we have many diseases reported due to manual handling of loads and more.
"If it's made an analysis in time, there are more cases related to silicosis, cardiovascular diseases related to stress, not only stress at work; it’s very difficult to separate workplace stress with home stress but cumulatively they reach these conditions leading to deaths at workplace." said Ileana Bodea.
The large number of disease sheets is a constant problem for the National Coal Company (CNH), with the suspicion that many are granted without miners suffering from a real affection.
10 percent of miners are missing every day due to sickness, because in this way a miner can earn better than going to work; he is paid 100 percent of salary, while employees do not receive their full salary, but only according to the production coefficient made.
Translated by Ioana Vioreanu
MTTLC, Bucharest University
