OBJECTIVES: This study aims to present an overview of the formal recognition of COVID-19 as occupational disease (OD) or injury (OI) across Europe. METHODS: A COVID-19 questionnaire was designed by a task group within COST-funded OMEGA-NET and sent to occupational health experts of 37 countries in WHO European region, with a last update in April 2022. RESULTS: The questionnaire was filled out by experts from 35 countries. There are large differences between national systems regarding the recognition of OD and OI: 40% of countries have a list system, 57% a mixed system and one country an open system. In most countries, COVID-19 can be recognised as an OD (57%). In four countries, COVID-19 can be recognised as OI (11%) and in seven countries as either OD or OI (20%). In two countries, there is no recognition possible to date. Thirty-two countries (91%) recognise COVID-19 as OD/OI among healthcare workers. Working in certain jobs is considered proof of occupational exposure in 25 countries, contact with a colleague with confirmed infection in 19 countries, and contact with clients with confirmed infection in 21 countries. In most countries (57%), a positive PCR test is considered proof of disease. The three most common compensation benefits for COVID-19 as OI/OD are disability pension, treatment and rehabilitation. Long COVID is included in 26 countries. CONCLUSIONS: COVID-19 can be recognised as OD or OI in 94% of the European countries completing this survey, across different social security and embedded occupational health systems.

Barcelona Institute for Global Health Barcelona Spain

Boston College Chestnut Hill Massachusetts USA

Center for Biomedical Research in Epidemiology and Public Health Network Madrid Spain

Centre Environment and Health Department of Public Health and Primary Care KU Leuven Leuven Belgium

Centre for Occupational and Environmental Health University of Manchester Manchester UK

Centre of Research in Occupational Health University Pompeu Fabra Barcelona Spain

Clinic of Occupational Pathology and Toxicology University Institute of Primary Health Tuzla Bosnia and Herzegovina

Department of Community Medicine UiT Norges arktiske universitet Tromso Norway

Department of Environmental and Prevention Sciences University of Ferrara Ferrara Italy

Department of Epidemiology Center for Public Health Medical University of Vienna Vienna Austria

Department of Health Policy and Management Ben Gurion University of the Negev Beer Sheva Southern Israel

Department of Labour Inspection Ministry of Labour and Social Insurance Nicosia Cyprus

Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences University of Bologna Bologna Italy

Department of Occupational and Environmental Health Center for Primary Care and Public Health Lausanne Switzerland

Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine University Hospital of North Norway Tromso Norway

Department of Occupational Diseases Nofer Institute of Occupational Medicine Lodz Poland

Department of Occupational Medicine and Clinical Toxicology Medical Faculty of P J Šafarik University and University Hospital of Louis Pasteur Kosice Slovakia

Department of Occupational Medicine and Epidemiology National Institute of Occupational Health Oslo Norway

Department of Occupational Medicine Charles University Prague Czech Republic

Department of Occupational Medicine Danish Ramazzini Centre Aarhus University Hospital Aarhus Denmark

Department of Occupational Medicine University of Tuzla Tuzla Bosnia and Herzegovina

Department of Preventive Medicine Nicolae Testemitanu State University of Medicine and Pharmacy Chisinau Moldova

Department of Public and Occupational Health Amsterdam University Medical Center University of Amsterdam Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute Amsterdam Netherlands

Department of Public Health Ashkelon Academic College Ashkelon Israel

Department of Public Health Kocaeli University Kocaeli Turkey

Epidemiology and Public Health Imperial College London UK

Epidemiology Research Unit Institute of Public Health University of Porto Porto Portugal

Epidemiology Unit Occupational and Environmental Medicine Epidemiology and Hygiene Department Italian Workers' Compensation Authority Rome Italy

External Service for Prevention and Protection at Work IDEWE vzw Leuven Belgium

Faculty of Medicine Ss Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje Skopje North Macedonia

Faculty of Medicine University of Belgrade Belgrade Serbia

Faculty of Medicine University of Sarajevo Sarajevo Bosnia and Herzegovina

Faculty of Medicine University of Tuzla Tuzla Bosnia and Herzegovina

Insitute of Occupational Medicine Edinburgh UK

Institute of Environmental Medicine Karolinska Institutet Stockholm Sweden

Institute of Forestry and Engineering Estonian University of Life Sciences Tartu Estonia

Institute of Health and Society University of Oslo Oslo Norway

Institute of Occupational Health of RNM Skopje Skopje North Macedonia

Institute of Occupational Traffic and Sports Medicine Ljubljana University Medical Center Ljubljana Slovenia

Institute of Public Health College of Medicine and Health Sciences United Arab Emirates University Al Ain UAE

Medical School Democritus University of Thrace Komotini Greece

National Center for Public Health Budapest Hungary

National Institute of Public Health Bucharest Romania

National Institute of Public Health Ljubljana Slovenia

Occupational and Environmental Health Unit Institute for Medical Research and Occupational Health Zagreb Croatia

Occupational and Radiation Medicine Center Paul Stradins Clinical University Hospital Riga Latvia

Occupational Diseases Clinic Ankara Occupational and Environmental Diseases Hospital Ankara Turkey

Occupational Health and Safety Authority Pieta Malta

Occupational Health Department HSE Dublin North East Lourdes Hospital Dublin Ireland

Occupational Medicine Team Finnish Institute of Occupational Health Helsinki Finland

School of Medicine Department of Public Health Koc Universitesi Istanbul Turkey

Serbian Institute of Occupational Health Belgrade Serbia

Service de Santé au travail Multisectoriel Luxembourg City Luxembourg

UMRESTTE University of Lyon Lyon France

University of Medicine and Pharmacy Carol Davila Bucharest Romania

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