Welders and cooks may be at greater risk of ocular melanoma (melanoma of the eye) than workers in other occupations, but that doesn’t mean the Industrial Injuries Advisory Council (IIAC) is willing to recognise it as a prescribed industrial disease in affected workers. An IIAC position paper notes: “The council found that there is consistent evidence that the risk of ocular melanoma is increased by welding. But there is uncertainty over the definitions of ‘welding’ in the published studies and an absence of robust evidence for a relationship between risk and exposure.  There may be an increase in the risk of ocular melanoma in cooks but the evidence base is limited. There is a lack of clarity over the definitions of exposure and very little information on the duration of exposure that would confer an increase in risk. Studies of other occupational populations suggest risks may be increased in some, but the evidence is neither strong nor consistent. After considering the evidence, the council concluded that there remains insufficient evidence to recommend any changes to the list of prescribed diseases for which people can claim Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit.”

Ocular melanoma and occupation, IIAC position paper 33.