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A major challenge over the pandemic period was to establish the criteria for recognizing COVID-19 as an occupational disease. The European Center for Disease Prevention and Control has attempted to estimate the incidence of COVID-19 in individual occupational groups and economy sectors in the European Union and the United Kingdom, and to identify possible factors increasing the transmission of the virus at workplaces. Legal regulations of various countries in the world allow COVID-19 to be recognized as an accident at work and/or an occupational disease. In Poland, an occupational disease is defined as a disease caused by harmful factors occurring in the work environment or connected with performing a given job, included in the official list of occupational diseases. When assessing occupational exposure in the healthcare sector, it should be considered that healthcare workers include all persons in contact with patients or their biological material, as well as employees who are not medical professionals but who share a common space with patients due to the nature of their work. The latter group includes administrative and technical employees, control and rescue service workers, people supporting medical staff, and employees of nursing homes. In the case of non-medical occupations, the decision to recognize COVID-19 as an occupational disease should be made on an individual basis, after confirming a significant risk of contracting a SARS-CoV-2 virus infection at the workplace and in the absence of evidence of a non-occupational source of infection. An assessment of occupational exposure should always include evaluating the possibility of SARS-CoV-2 transmission. Med Pr Work Health Saf. 2023;74(5):435-42., (This work is available in Open Access model and licensed under a CC BY-NC 3.0 PL license.)

The COVID-19 pandemic, despite the restrictions and preventive measures applied, has rapidly spread and reached Poland. The adaptation to the dynamically changing epidemiological situation requires a prompt implementation of effective preventive measures. The aim of the publication is to provide current knowledge to all persons involved in the preventive care system, i.e., employees, employers and professionals of occupational medicine, about the epidemiological situation related to SARS‑CoV- 2, as well as recommendations and possible solutions. In order to analyze these issues, a review of literature was conducted based on medical research databases: PubMed, SCOPUS, and the Web of Science Core Collection. The literature was supplemented with studies found on websites of the Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization. Data on the cases of and deaths due to COVID-19 come from reports provided by the Ministry of Health, data published on the websites of the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control, and ourworldindata.org. By the time of submitting the publication, 34 154 cases and 1444 deaths due to coronavirus had been recorded in Poland. Data from published studies suggest that the virus is mainly transmitted via droplets or through contact with contaminated objects and surfaces. Therefore, in the absence of an effective vaccine, preventive actions are based mainly on strategies that minimize the risk of pathogen transmission. In addition to discussing the current epidemiological situation, diagnostic procedures, risk groups and COVID-19 characteristics, the paper presents recommendations and proposed solutions for employers and employees regarding the prevention of SARS‑CoV- 2, along with currently applicable laws and recommendations on employee prophylactic examinations during the pandemic. Subsequently, COVID-19 was discussed in the aspect of an occupational disease and other health threats related to the pandemics. The epidemiological situation regarding coronavirus indicates the need to take immediate and effective actions to minimize infection transmission among employees, and to develop procedures for a quick and effective ability to locate the COVID-19 outbreaks in workplaces. Med Pr. 2021;72(1):69-87., (This work is available in Open Access model and licensed under a CC BY-NC 3.0 PL license.)

Objectives: The aim of the study was to investigate and assess the incidence of silicosis cases acknowledged as occupational diseases in Poland in 2000-2019.Material and Methods: The cases of all medically recognized pneumoconioses, including silicoses, certified as occupational diseases were studied. The records were extracted from the Central Register of Occupational Diseases, the only official Polish central electronic data base of occupational diseases.Results: During the period 2000-2019, 2066 confirmed cases of silicoses and 10 665 cases of other pneumoconioses including asbestosis and coal workers' pneumoconiosis were reported to the Central Register of Occupational Diseases. Silicoses accounted for 12.8-21.2% of all pneumoconioses. The number of confirmed silicoses cases was growing along with the length of latency period and was the highest for the period of ≥40 years (513 cases). Over 70% of silicoses cases occurred after occupational exposure >20 years. The most workers who evolved silicosis were employed in manufacturing, predominantly casting of iron, mining and quarrying and construction.Conclusions: The number of confirmed cases of silicosis in Poland decreased in 2000-2019 but the disease still remains an important health problem. Prevention is crucial to reduce further disease incidence. The medical monitoring standards of exposed workers should be improved. Developing new diagnosing guidelines with the use of other imaging examinations, like high-resolution computed tomography, has to be considered. The analysis should contribute into the implementation of silicosis preventative programmes, both at the enterprise and national level. Int J Occup Med Environ Health. 2022;35(5):561-70. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]