Compensation for Asbestos-Related Diseases in Japan: Utilization of Standard Classifications of Industry and Occupations

Our plain-English summary of Compensation for Asbestos-Related Diseases in Japan: Utilization of Standard Classifications of Industry and Occupations, by K. Sawanyawisuth, S. Furuya, E.K. Park, et al (Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention, 2017).

The study

• Authors: K. Sawanyawisuth, S. Furuya, E.K. Park, J.P. Myong, J.P. Ramos-Bonilla, O. Chimed Ochir, K. Takahashi
• Journal: Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• Published: 2017;18(7):1779-1782
• Cited by: 2 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher · Free full text

Abstract

Background: Asbestos-related diseases (ARD) are occupational hazards with high mortality rates. To identify asbestos exposure by previous occupation is the main issue for ARD compensation for workers. This study aimed to identify risk groups by applying standard classifications of industries and occupations to a national database of compensated ARD victims in Japan. Methods: We identified occupations that carry a risk of asbestos exposure according to the International Standard Industrial Classification of All Economic Activities (ISIC). ARD compensation data from Japan between 2006 and 2013 were retrieved. Each compensated worker was classified by job section and group according to the ISIC code. Risk ratios for compensation were calculated according to the percentage of workers compensated because of ARD in each ISIC category. Results: In total, there were 6,916 workers with ARD who received compensation in Japan between 2008 and 2013. ISIC classification section F (construction) had the highest compensated risk ratio of 6.3. Section C (manufacturing) and section F (construction) had the largest number of compensated workers (2,868 and 3,463, respectively). In the manufacturing section C, 9 out of 13 divisions had a risk ratio of more than 1. For ISIC divisions in the construction section, construction of buildings (division 41) had the highest number of workers registering claims (2,504). Conclusion: ISIC classification of occupations that are at risk of developing ARD can be used to identify the actual risk of workers’ compensation at the national level.

Creative Commons Attribution License

In plain English

This study used an international standard list of industries (ISIC) to sort people in Japan who received government Workers' Compensation for asbestos-related diseases. The diseases covered were mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer, asbestosis, benign asbestos pleural effusion and diffuse pleural thickening. For industry sections and divisions with available data, the authors divided each one's share of compensated workers by its share of Japan's 2010 workforce, and called the result a 'compensated risk ratio'. No confidence intervals were given. In total, 6,916 workers were compensated between 2008 and 2013. The methods, however, say the data covered 2006 to 2013. Construction had 3,463 compensated workers and the highest ratio, 6.3. Manufacturing had 2,868 compensated workers. Within manufacturing, 9 of 13 divisions had ratios above 1, and non-metallic mineral products was highest at 11.7. Within construction, construction of buildings had 2,504 compensated workers. The authors concluded that the classification can be used to identify the actual risk of workers' compensation at the national level. They noted that the ratios could be underestimated and might not apply to other countries.

We wrote this plain-English summary from the full article with the help of AI, and a second AI model checked each sentence against the article. It is not the authors' wording; the abstract and the article are their own account.

What the study did and found

• Design: Analysis of national compensation records: compensated workers were classified by ISIC industry codes, and for sections and divisions with available data, each category's share of compensated workers was divided by its share of the 2010 workforce
• Who was studied: 6,916 workers in Japan who received Workers' Compensation for asbestos-related diseases between 2008 and 2013. Relief Compensation cases (environmental exposure) were not included. The reference population was the 2010 Japanese workforce.
• Exposure: Work in occupations and industries listed as carrying a risk of asbestos exposure. The list came from a Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare document plus other sources, and was coded by ISIC. No fiber types or doses were given.
• Main results:
  • Construction (section F) had the highest compensated risk ratio among ISIC sections, 6.3.
  • Manufacturing (section C) and construction (section F) had the most compensated workers: 2,868 and 3,463 of the 6,916, respectively.
  • Within manufacturing, 9 of 13 divisions had a ratio above 1. Non-metallic mineral products (division 23) was highest at 11.7.
  • Within construction, construction of buildings (division 41) had the most compensated workers, 2,504. Ratios could not be calculated for construction divisions because workforce data were not available.
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that ISIC classification of at-risk occupations can be used to identify the actual risk of workers' compensation for asbestos-related diseases at the national level.
• Limitations the authors state:
  • The ratios could be underestimated because of the standardized worker population used.
  • The 2010 workforce was used as the reference, which could differ from the workforce during 2008 to 2013.
  • The proportion of workers in mining was low because of Japan's 2005 asbestos ban.
  • Ratios could not be calculated for all ISIC levels because of lack of data.
  • The results may not apply to other countries.
  • Some jobs may have been misclassified in ISIC categories.

Topics

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Asbestos Exposure, Workers’ Compensation.

Related studies

• Double standards: the multinational asbestos industry and asbestos-related disease in South Africa — J. McCulloch, G. Tweedale (2004)
• Compensation scheme for complementary and alternative medicine use in asbestos-related diseases in New South Wales, Australia — C. Oak, H.J. Choi, et al. (2012)
• Incident chronic obstructive pulmonary disease associated with occupation, industry, and workplace exposures in the Health and Retirement Study — S.R. Silver, W.A. Alarcon, et al. (2021)
• Workers' compensation for nonmalignant asbestos-related lung disease — C. Nevitt, W. Daniell, et al. (1994)
• A guide to compensation for asbestos-related diseases — M.G. Britton, D.T. Hughes, et al. (1981)
• Compensation for environmental asbestos-related diseases in South Africa: a neglected issue — N. Ndlovu, J.T. Naude, et al. (2013)

Browse more research in Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention, or return to medical research.