Occupational Diseases

Germany: Parliamentary Question on Adding PTSD and Other Mental Disorders to Occupational Diseases List

Members of the German Bundestag’s Die Linke faction have tabled a formal parliamentary question on whether and when post-traumatic stress disorder and other work-related mental illnesses will be added to Germany’s official list of occupational diseases. While no legal change is proposed yet, the move backed by case law, expert evidence and international benchmarks signals mounting pressure on the labour ministry and its advisory board to expand recognition, compensation and prevention obligations for mental health risks in high-exposure jobs.

25 May 2026, 15:39dserver.bundestag.deGermany

Netherlands Safety Regions Implement PTSS Occupational Disease Recognition and Entitlements Scheme

Dutch safety regions have implemented a uniform scheme recognising post‑traumatic stress disorder as an occupational disease and granting harmonised income protection, medical cost reimbursement and related entitlements to employees and fire service volunteers, effective from 1 February 2026 with five‑year retroactive coverage. Boards of safety regions and their HR/EHS leads must align local regulations and processes with the PTSS rules, including advisory‑committee procedures, budgeting for long‑term medical and non‑medical support, and clear communication of the new rights to affected staff and volunteers.

23 May 2026, 09:16zoek.officielebekendmakingen.nlNetherlands

Louisiana SB 439 — Cancer Screening Requirements for Firefighters and Fire Service Employees

Louisiana has enrolled SB 439, a bill that would expand employer-funded cancer and precancer screening programmes for firefighters and fire service employees, with core obligations scheduled to take effect from August 2026 if it becomes law. Fire service employers in Louisiana should prepare screening programmes, provider arrangements, budgets and communications to meet the mandated schedules and to add oesophageal precancer screening from January 2027, while monitoring for final gubernatorial approval.

20 May 2026, 17:51legis.la.govUnited States

Germany BAuA Highlights Mental Health in 2024 Occupational Safety Report (SuGA 2024)

Germany’s federal occupational safety institute has published a 2026 journal article distilling SuGA 2024 data, showing record-low workplace accident and commuting-fatality rates but a growing burden from mental illness driving sickness absence and disability. The piece reinforces that psychosocial risk assessment under the Occupational Safety and Health Act is a core employer duty and signals that German OSH policy and prevention programmes will keep mental health and work intensity in high-strain service sectors under close scrutiny.

20 May 2026, 06:19baua.deGermany

Italy: Friuli Venezia Giulia Region Increases Workplace Health Inspections and Allocates Over €148 Million for 2026 Prevention

Friuli Venezia Giulia has announced increased workplace health inspections and over €148 million in 2026 funding for prevention through the regional health service. This signals a tighter enforcement environment for employers in the region, with more frequent controls and closer monitoring of occupational injuries and diseases informing future safety policy.

14 May 2026, 18:54regione.fvg.itItaly

Germany – Bavarian Higher Social Court Clarifies Criteria For Recognising Lumbar Spine Disorders As Occupational Disease BK 2108

In April 2025 the Bavarian Higher Social Court rejected a worker’s claim to recognise lumbar spine disorders as occupational disease BK 2108, clarifying that the 2021 reform did not relax or retroactively change the medical and exposure criteria governing such cases. The ruling confirms that general back pain remains insufficient, that the modified Mainz-Dortmund dose model and 2005 consensus medical criteria still set the standard for assessments, and that employers and insurers should expect high evidentiary thresholds for similar occupational-disease claims.

12 May 2026, 18:14gesetze-bayern.deGermany

Norway: Proposition 93 L (2025–2026) to Amend the National Insurance Act on Workplace Accidents and Burden of Proof

Norway has tabled Proposition 93 L (2025–2026) to broaden occupational injury coverage under the National Insurance Act and clarify how the reversed burden of proof applies to occupational diseases. If adopted, this would expand workers’ entitlement to compensation and increase employers’ and insurers’ exposure to workplace injury and disease claims, making stronger risk management and documentation around incidents more important.

9 May 2026, 13:18regjeringen.noNorway

Netherlands Adds Article 3a on Work-Related Hearing Aids to Reïntegratieregeling

In May 2026 the Netherlands amended the Reïntegratieregeling to add Article 3a, defining which workplace hearing aids must be financed under the health insurance regime rather than as UWV reintegration provisions, with retroactive effect from 1 January 2024. Employers and case managers should review how they fund hearing-related workplace accommodations so that devices forming part of the “full hearing solution” are claimed under the Zorgverzekeringswet, while UWV support is reserved for non-reimbursable, work-specific hearing technologies.

6 May 2026, 07:41zoek.officielebekendmakingen.nlNetherlands

Colorado Introduces SB26-184 to Expand Presumptive Workers’ Compensation Benefits for Firefighters

Colorado has introduced SB26-184 to broaden presumptive workers’ compensation coverage for firefighters by expanding the range of covered cancers, adding Parkinson’s disease and related neurological conditions, and raising the evidentiary bar for employers contesting claims. If enacted, this would significantly increase long-term occupational disease liabilities and benefit entitlements for public and private fire services in Colorado, signalling stronger protections for firefighters routinely exposed to carcinogens and neurotoxins.

4 May 2026, 20:06leg.colorado.govUnited States

Great Britain: Cardiff University Fined £280,000 Following HSE Prosecution Over Occupational Asthma

HSE has prosecuted Cardiff University after two laboratory employees developed disabling occupational asthma from long-term exposure to animal allergens, resulting in a £280,000 fine plus costs in April 2026. The case signals that universities and research institutions must rigorously apply COSHH-based controls and health surveillance for biological allergens or face significant enforcement, cost, and reputational risk.

1 May 2026, 17:40press.hse.gov.ukUnited Kingdom

Lithuanian Hygiene Institute Highlights Rising Occupational Diseases and Plans Workplace Health Networks

Lithuania’s Hygiene Institute reports that registered occupational disease cases nearly doubled between 2022 and 2025, highlights growing ergonomic and psychosocial risks, and reminds employers of existing break and workstation requirements under hygiene standard HN 32:2004. For employers with staff in Lithuania this signals rising scrutiny of workplace health, making it prudent to review screen-work organisation, ergonomics and occupational health capacity ahead of HI’s planned specialist and “health-promoting company” networks.

29 Apr 2026, 12:14hi.ltLithuania

Slovak National Labour Inspectorate Issues 2025 Workplace Injury Analysis

In April 2026 Slovakia’s National Labour Inspectorate released its annual analysis of 2025 workplace injuries, serious industrial accidents and occupational diseases for organisations under labour inspection. The report does not create new legal duties but gives HSE leaders an updated evidence base on accident patterns and causes to guide prevention priorities and anticipate potential inspection focus.

23 Apr 2026, 10:30ip.gov.skSlovakia

Massachusetts Bill H.4946 on Firefighter Cancer Screenings Referred to House Ways and Means

Massachusetts lawmakers are advancing Bill H.4946, which would require public employers to provide firefighters with access to cancer screenings through employer-sponsored health care benefits or equivalent programmes. If enacted, this would strengthen occupational health expectations for fire services and may affect benefit design, budgeting, and long-term health risk management for municipal and other public-sector employers.

22 Apr 2026, 21:00malegislature.govUnited States

Brazilian Chamber Committee Debates Proposal for National Worker Health System (Sinast)

In April 2026, a committee of Brazil’s Chamber of Deputies examined a proposal for a National Worker Health System (Sinast) and heard that the Health Ministry plans a national programme to monitor and prevent workplace deaths. If implemented, this framework would significantly strengthen integrated surveillance of occupational accidents and diseases, likely increasing future reporting and prevention expectations for employers, but it does not yet create direct legal obligations.

22 Apr 2026, 19:46camara.leg.brBrazil

Netherlands Advocate-General Issues Opinion on Employer Liability for RSI Under Article 7:658 BW

In April 2026, the Advocate-General at the Dutch Supreme Court issued an opinion in a case on employer liability for work-related RSI under Article 7:658 of the Dutch Civil Code, focusing on employees with congenital conditions and the burden of proof for causation. This opinion is a key signal for how future case law may treat RSI-related occupational disease claims and will be relevant for how Dutch employers manage ergonomic risks, documentation, and litigation exposure.

22 Apr 2026, 08:45deeplink.rechtspraak.nlNetherlands

European Parliament SANT Committee Draft Opinion on Psychosocial Risks, Stress and Mental Health at Work

The European Parliament’s Public Health Committee has issued a draft opinion proposing stronger EU rules on psychosocial risks, stress, and mental health at work, with detailed amendments that expand employer duties on risk assessment, safe staffing, telework, and return-to-work support. If carried through into the final directive, these provisions would materially raise expectations on organisations’ psychosocial risk management, particularly in health and social care, requiring earlier planning for staffing models, digital management practices, data collection, and occupational health training.

21 Apr 2026, 20:18europarl.europa.euEuropean Union

Spain: Extremadura Public Health Directorate Creates Asbestos Victim Assessment Team (EVVA) and Certification Procedure

Extremadura’s public health authority has created an Asbestos Victim Assessment Team (EVVA) and a formal procedure for certifying asbestos-related diseases needed to access Spain’s new national asbestos compensation fund. This gives current and former workers a clearer route to claim compensation and means employers and HSE teams should ensure asbestos exposures and occupational disease cases are properly documented and that they can support affected employees with the required medical and administrative evidence.

17 Apr 2026, 08:14doe.juntaex.esSpain

Italy INAIL Publishes 2020–2024 Agriculture Injury and Disease Analysis Highlighting Rising Commuting Risk

Italy’s INAIL has published updated 2020–2024 statistics showing slightly fewer agricultural workplace injuries overall but a sharp rise in commuting accidents and reported occupational diseases. These trends highlight persistent road, machinery, ergonomic and biological risks in farming, signalling where employers and regulators may intensify prevention, investment, and One Health–based risk management.

16 Apr 2026, 16:18inail.itItaly

Italy INAIL Publishes 2026 Dossier on Female Workplace Injuries and Diseases

INAIL’s 2026 Dossier Donne shows that female workers in Italy face rising occupational injuries and diseases, with particularly high exposure to commuting and road‑related accidents, workplace violence in health and care sectors, and musculoskeletal and carpal tunnel disorders across an ageing workforce. These trends do not create new legal obligations but signal where Italian prevention policy and inspections are likely to tighten, giving employers a clear evidence base to strengthen gender‑sensitive risk assessments, commuting and road‑safety measures, violence prevention, and ergonomic controls in their health and safety programmes.

16 Apr 2026, 15:53inail.itItaly

Brazil Chamber Committee To Hold Hearing On National Worker Health System Proposal

In April 2026, Brazil’s Chamber of Deputies will hold an interactive public hearing on creating a National Worker Health System to address under-reported occupational illness, informality, and precarious working conditions. If this initiative advances into formal legislation it could reshape how employers in Brazil coordinate worker health surveillance, reporting, and prevention with public health services, so companies should monitor the debate and anticipate more integrated OH&S expectations.

14 Apr 2026, 18:55camara.leg.brBrazil