Return to Work Regulations 1986

Diseases and kinds of Diseases

Kinds of Employment

INFECTIOUS DISEASE

1.

Anthrax

All work involving animals or animal carcasses (such as animal handler, pelt handler, abattoir worker, meat inspector).

2.

Brucellosis

All work involving animals or animal carcasses (such as veterinarian, farmer or farm worker, abattoir worker, laboratory worker).

3.

Hepatitis A

All work involving contact with human waste (such as child care workers, carers of intellectually disabled persons, workers in rural or remote indigenous communities, sewage workers, plumbers).

4.

Hepatitis B and C

All work involving contact with human bodily secretions (such as health care worker, embalmer, person who handles body substances, clinical laboratory staff, worker in long-term correctional facilities, police, member of the armed forces, emergency services worker).

5.

HIV/AIDS

Health care workers and laboratory workers who become HIV positive after a needle stick injury.

6.

Leptospirosis

All work involving animals or animal carcasses (such as farmer or farm worker, abattoir worker, forestry worker, hunter, veterinarian, livestock transport operator) or work with animal or human waste (such as plumber).

7.

Orf

All work involving sheep or sheep carcasses (such as sheep farmer or farm worker, goat farmer or farm worker, abattoir worker, meat inspector).

8.

Q-fever

All work involving contact with animals or animal parts in a rural setting (such as abattoir workers, stock workers, stock transporters, shearers, hide processors, farmers, veterinarians).

9.

Tuberculosis

All work involving contact with persons or animals in situations where tuberculosis prevalence is likely to be significantly higher than the general community (such as health worker, clinical laboratory worker, funeral parlour staff, farmer, veterinarian), or person with silicosis.

MENTAL HEALTH DISEASE

9A.

Post-traumatic stress disorder

All work as a first responder, including as a volunteer, but not including a person trained as a first responder who has not attended in person at an emergency situation or incident.

MALIGNANCY

10.

Salivary gland

All work involving ionizing radiation.

11.

Nasopharynx

All work involving formaldehyde, wood dust.

12.

Oesophagus

All work involving ionizing radiation.

13.

Stomach

All work involving ionizing radiation.

14.

Colon and rectum

All work involving ionizing radiation.

15.

Liver

All work involving vinyl chloride monomer, Hepatitis B virus or Hepatitis C virus exposure related to occupation.

16.

Nasal cavity and para-nasal sinuses

All work involving ionizing radiation, leather dust, nickel, wood dust.

17.

Larynx

All work involving strong inorganic acid mist, asbestos.

18.

Lung

All work involving arsenic, asbestos, beryllium, bis(chloromethyl)ether, cadmium, chromium VI, diesel engine exhaust, environmental tobacco smoke, ionizing radiation, nickel, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, Radon-222 and its decay products, silica dust (crystalline), soot (chimney sweeping).

19.

Bone

All work involving ionizing radiation.

20.

Skin (melanoma)

All work involving solar radiation, polychlorinated biphenyls.

21.

Skin (non-melanoma)

All work involving ionizing radiation, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, solar radiation.

22.

Mesothelioma

All work involving asbestos.

23.

Breast (female)

All work involving ionizing radiation.

24.

Ovary

All work involving asbestos.

25.

Kidney

All work involving ionizing radiation, tricholoroethylene.

26.

Bladder

All work involving 2-naphthylamine, benzidine, cyclophosphamide, ionizing radiation, ortho-toluidine, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons associated with aluminium production.

27.

Brain

All work involving ionizing radiation.

28.

Thyroid

All work involving ionizing radiation.

29.

Leukaemia (excluding chronic lymphatic leukaemia)

All work involving benzene, butadiene, cyclophosphamide, formaldehyde, hepatitis C virus exposure related to occupation, ionizing radiation.

30.

Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma

All work involving ionizing radiation.

DISEASES OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM

31.

Parkinson's disease

All work involving manganese.

32.

Peripheral neuropathy

All work involving metals (such as lead, mercury and arsenic), organic solvents (such as n-hexane, carbon disulphide and trichloroethylene), pesticides (such as organophosphates), acrylamide.

33.

Noise induced hearing loss

All work involving exposure to persistent or intermittent noise above 85dB(A).

RESPIRATORY DISEASES

34.

Occupational asthma (excluding pre-existing asthma worsened due to exposure to workplace irritants)

All work involving sensitising agents or irritants.

35.

Coal workers' pneumoconiosis

All work involving coal.

36.

Asbestosis

All work involving asbestos.

37.

Silicosis

All work involving silica.

38.

Other pneumoconiosis

All work involving exposures known to occasionally cause pneumoconiosis such as beryllium, tin, iron oxide, barium, aluminium, cobalt, tungsten.

39.

Byssinosis

All work involving cotton, flax, hemp, sisal dust.

40.

Extrinsic allergic alveolitis

All work involving damp material of biological origin, such as mouldy hay, straw, grain and feathers.

HEPATIC DISEASES

41.

Non-infectious hepatitis

All work involving agents known to cause hepatitis (particularly organic solvents).

42.

Chronic active hepatitis

All work involving contact with human bodily secretions (such as health care worker, embalmer, person who handles body substances, clinical laboratory staff, worker in long-term correctional facilities, police, member of the armed forces, emergency services worker) – for a person with known Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) or Hepatitis C Virus (HCV), where the HBV or HCV was contracted through employment in such work.

43.

Hepatic cirrhosis

All work involving contact with human bodily secretions (such as health care worker, embalmer, person who handles body substances, clinical laboratory staff, worker in long-term correctional facilities, police, member of the armed forces, emergency services worker) – for a person with known HBV or HCV, where the HBV or HCV was contracted through employment in such work.

SKIN DISEASES

44.

Contact dermatitis (irritant and allergic)

All work involving sensitising agents or irritants.

45.

Occupational vitiligo

All work involving para-tertiary-butylphenol, para-tertiary-butylcatechol, para-amylphenol, hydroquinone, or the monobenzyl or monobutyl ether of hydroquinone.

MUSCULOSKELETAL DISEASES

46.

Raynaud's disease

All work involving vibration from powered tools and equipment.

47.

Bursitis (at the elbow or knee)

All work involving prolonged external friction or pressure or repetitive motion at or about the elbow or the knee.

ACUTE POISONING/TOXICITY

48.

Acute poisoning / toxicity (includes acute damage to the heart, lungs, liver, kidney, nervous system and blood)

All work involving acrylonitrile, alcohols, antimony, arsenic, benzene, beryllium, cadmium, carbon disulphide, chromium, copper, fluorine, glycols, hexane, ketones, lead, manganese, mercury, mineral acids, nitroglycerine or other nitric acid esters, osmium, oxides of nitrogen, ozone, pesticides consisting of organophosphate and organochlorine compounds, herbicides and related compounds, pharmaceutical agents, phosgene, phosphorus, selenium, styrene, thallium, tin, toluene, vanadium, zinc, chemical asphyxiants (such as carbon monoxide, hydrogen cyanide, hydrogen sulphide, methylene chloride), benzoquinone and other corneal irritants, toxic halogen derivatives of aliphatic or aromatic hydrocarbons, toxic nitro- and amino-derivatives of benzene, and other less common, specific substances known to result in poisoning/toxicity that have not been named here.