Occupational diseases in Costa Rica

Occupational diseases in Costa Rica go hand in hand with its economic, political, and social development, the surfacing of the Reformist Party (1923) with Jorge Volio promoting the enactment of the first bill of occupational accidents in charge of the Insurance Bank.    Ivan Molina and Steven Palmer in their book “History of Costa Rica” (1961), highlight that the “expenses in education, health, retirements, and public infrastructure (that also included school and health infrastructure) went up from 24% of the National Budget between 1890 and 1901 to a 39% between 1920 and 1929”. With the goal of improving social welfare, in 1927 the Ministry of Public Health and Work is born, which is joined by the creation of the Communist Party (1931) by Manuel Mora as a defender of the labour rights, particularly for the workers at the banana plantations and the urban areas. In 1943, with the enactment of the social and individual warranties, the Caja Costarricense del Seguro Social is created, and granted constitutional rank.    In 1978 the Instituto Nacional opens its doors to directly tend to the working population and in 1982 the reform of the IV Title of the Workers Code “Of the Protection of Workers during their Labour” is enacted, and for the first time it includes, in Article 224, aside from a table containing physical impediments, an entry regarding occupational diseases circumscribed to pneumoconiosis and bronchopulmonary illnesses caused by the inhalation of dusts and fumes of animal origin, vegetable or mineral; airway diseases cause by the inhalation of gases and vapours; dermatosis and intoxications and on Article 225 it allows the Executive Branch the inclusion of other diseases either by the Instituto’s  Board of Directors or by the Labour Court.