Working conditions and health status in workers in boiler and welding production in power engineering

Introduction. Preserving the health of qualified workers of older age groups is especially important under conditions of exposure to occupational hazards.

The purpose of the study was to assess the influence of occupational hazards on the development of occupational and somatic diseases among workers of various age groups in the main occupations of mechanical engineering.

Materials and methods. The study tested the results of hygienic research at workplaces of an enterprise in the power engineering industry in the manufacture of welded metal structures. We assessed the health status in workers based on the results of an in-depth medical examination and ultrasound examination of the vessels of the upper extremities with assessment of blood flow indices. Using a survey method, data were obtained on assessing the influence of production factors on the health status in workers.

Results. The working conditions in the main occupational workers groups were assessed as harmful grades 1–3, the priority occupational hazards were: increased noise, and at the workplaces of electric gas workers there were also fibrogenic aerosols, chemical substances, and heavy physical work. Electric and gas welders and boilermakers work in the most unfavourable conditions, about 30% of whom continue to work after reaching retirement age. We have established a significant gain in the incidence of arterial hypertension and sensorineural hearing loss among workers over 40 years of age and an increase in the prevalence of all chronic diseases in the age group over 60 years.

Limitations. The study is limited by the number of workers examined and the lack of ability to assess the health status of the studied contingent of workers over time.

Conclusion. In conditions of exposure to elevated noise and other occupational hazards, there is an enhancement in the prevalence of work-related and somatic diseases in workers over 40 years of age. With advancing age, the rise in the vascular resistance index is observed, however, the first signs of peripheral blood flow disturbance are often recorded at a young age. In this regard, it is necessary to introduce methods of early diagnosis and prevention of occupational and work-related pathology.

Compliance with ethical standards. The study was approved at the meeting of the Local Medical Expert Commission of North-West Public Health Research Center (St. Petersburg, Russia) No. 2021/30.4 dated March 16, 2021.

Contribution:
Kiryanova M.N. – concept and design of the study, data collection and processing, text writing, editing;
Markova O.L. – data collection and processing, text writing;
Kuprina N.I. – data collection and processing, text writing;
Kovshov A.A. – text writing, editing.
All authors are responsible for the integrity of all parts of the manuscript and approval of the manuscript final version.

Conflict of interest. The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Acknowledgement. The study had no sponsorship.

Received: May 3, 2024 / Accepted: June 19, 2024 / Published: September 10, 2024