Purpose: Asbestos was used in large quantities in the past in Taiwan; however, few cases of occupational asbestos-related diseases (ARDs) have ever been recognized and compensated. We carried out this study to understand how patients with ARDs perceived disease causation and how they had experienced workers’ compensation (WC) claims. Methods: In-depth face-to-face interviews were conducted with 16 patients with ARDs from July 2014 to March 2017. They all had worked in industries known for high asbestos exposure. Results: Only three patients had filed WC claims, and of them only two patients were approved. Reasons for the low compensation rate of ARDs could be divided into institutional barriers and noninstitutional barriers. The former was related to the flaws of the WC system and occupational health examination system. The latter was related to the knowledge status, causal interpretation, and social situations of individual workers. Conclusion: Despite the strong link to occupational exposure to asbestos, most ARDs were not recognized as occupational diseases in Taiwan. The Labor Occupational Accident Insurance and Protection Act, recently passed in April of 2021, has responded to the call for reform by adding two clauses to address the under-compen- sation problems of occupational diseases with a long latency period. The new legislation may help improve the recognition of ARDs and other occupational diseases. However, additional efforts are needed to remove non-institutional barriers hindering workers’ability to ensure their compensation rights.
Date:
2022-01
Relation:
Safety and Health at Work. 2022 Jan;13(Suppl.):S229-S230.
