COVID-19 as an Occupational Illness: An International Comparison of Recognition Regulation in Selected Countries

ABSTRACT

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the practices of occupational health in many aspects. Due to heavy caseloads, the traditional approach of contact tracing may not be implemented comprehensively, impeding the determination of causality of workplace exposure on COVID-19. The current study examines measures adopted by selected countries for recognizing work-related COVID-19. Material and Methods: Regulation and rules of recognition of work-related COVID-19 in various countries were obtained through a systematic review of published literature and official government websites. The US, France, Germany, South Korea, Taiwan were among the fifty countries included in the comparative analysis. Data on approved and total claims cases were obtained through open data of national Workers’ Compensation systems and analyzed by types of regulation. Results: Some countries stuck to the case-by-case investigation of causality, while others introduced unique measures, including the rebuttable presumption of compensability. In the latter cases, the work-relatedness of patients from certain high-risk occupations was automatically recognized unless the dominant evidence proved the contrary. As with traditional understandings, health care professionals and first responders were defined as high-risk in most presumption rules. However, in the context of substantial community transmission, occupations with frequent public contact, like aircrews, customs personnel, and store clerks, were also included in some countries. Conclusions: The presumption rules had an active role in facilitating the compensation of work-related COVID-19.