Author Description

As scientists continue to uncover the existence of previously unsuspected hazards in the workplace, it is increasingly apparent that many illnesses once thought to be "ordinary diseases of life" are in fact traceable to conditions of employment. This book clearly establishes that the existing system of workers' compensation in the United States is inadequate to meet the needs and claims of workers who suffer severe disabilities caused by contact with pesticides, vinyl chloride, asbestos, and a host of other industrial substances. The book points out that the present system, which is based on a century-old German model, encompasses injuries or death incurred directly on the job or in the workplace but causes considerable difficulty for workers seeking compensation for diseases of complicated origin, involving long latency periods. Citing examples from scores of court cases, including data from nationwide surveys of closed court cases, the book shows that major reforms of the existing workers' compensation laws are called for. Separate chapters are devoted to the incidence of occupational disease (which is much greater than previously believed), the critical issue of etiology and diagnosis of disease, and occupational disease and the law. One chapter compares the handling of cases on a state-by-state basis. Another goes outside of the U.S. to describe approaches to workers' compensation in England, France, Belgium, Denmark, Switzerland, Germany, the Netherlands, and Ontario. Readers who are currently involved in the reform debate will be particularly interested in this chapter, which reveals policy alternatives that eliminate the need for costly adversary proceedings and drawn-out litigations. The book concludes with the author's assessments and recommendations, a list of major references cited, an appendix matching worker classifications with the kinds of diseases associated with each group, and an index. Professionals concerned with such a