Work-related illnesses. Provinces

Medical Discharge

In situations of temporary disability, this is a medical declaration in the medical discharge report that follows an examination of the worker, which establishes a full capacity to work. The medical discharge certificate is issued by the doctor from the Public Health Service, the INSS or the Social Security's work-related injury and illness mutual insurance society (for professional contingencies). Up to the maximum duration of 365 days for temporary disability processes, both the INSS and the ISM may issue a medical discharge report for all purposes. Once the maximum duration period for temporary disability has been used up (365 days), the INSS and the ISM are the only competent bodies for issuing the medical discharge, granting an extension of up to a maximum of 180 days more or opening a Permanent Disability file.

Sick Leave

Medical declaration, by means of a medical sick leave certificate, issued by a doctor of the Public Health Service, or the work-related accidents and occupational illness mutual insurance society, which determines leave from work and, if applicable, the right to cash benefits for temporary disability. It is the act that initiates the actions leading to the declaration or rejection of the right to the subsidy.

Occupational Disease (OD)

A disease that is contracted as a result of employed work doing any of the activities that are specified as causing the disease in question on the Table of Occupational Diseases approved by the Ministry of Employment and Social Security. The disease must be caused by the action of the elements or substances that are outlined in this table for each occupational disease. For self-employed work in the Special Schemes for Self-Employed Workers and Sea Workers, an occupational disease is any disease contracted as a direct and immediate result of work being carried that determines their inclusion in the special scheme. On many occasions occupational diseases are caused by the effects of a specific harmful agents, which are present in the working environment where the worker carries out their activity and which are subject to long incubation periods. As a result the manifestations and incapacitating effects can present themselves a long time after having contracted an occupational disease and the worker could even have stopped carrying out the work that caused it.

The codified list of professional illnesses in accordance with the classification by causing agent can be found in Royal Decree 1299/2006, of November 10, which passes the table of professional illnesses in the Social Security system and establishes the criteria for the reporting and registration of the same.