Occupational risk factors for the health of workers in foundries of mechanical engineering enterprises (literature review)

Prevention of diseases associated with working conditions is a priority measure to preserve the health and extend the working life of workers.
A search was carried out for reports during 2003–2023, contained in Russian and international databases: Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed, CyberLeninka, RSCI, describing the characteristics of factors in the working environment and the labour process and their impact on the health of workers in foundries of mechanical engineering enterprises.
The main harmful (classes 3.1–3.3) factors of the working environment and labour process in the foundry production of machine-building enterprises were established to be noise, general and local vibration, heating microclimate, silicon-containing dust, chemicals - carbon oxide, nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, heavy vapours metals, acrolein, etc., physical overload. In the structure of occupational morbidity among workers, the main share of nosologies accounted for chronic toxic dust bronchitis (38.4–61.68%), silicosis (10-16.82%), sensorineural hearing loss (12.15–42.8%), and vibration disease (4.6–9.35). Silicosis was more often recorded in farmers, core workers, molders, cleaners, sensorineural hearing loss and vibration disease – in molders and trimmers. Occupational polymorbidity of occupational diseases caused by the combined influence of several harmful production factors was revealed. As a result of simultaneous exposure to heterogeneous production factors, workers may also develop several, both occupational and work-related, general diseases. However, the assessment of the cause-and-effect relationships of health disorders with the influence of factors in the working environment has not yet been properly reflected in scientific research.
Conclusion. To develop reasonable individual and group medical, preventive, and health programs for foundry workers, it is necessary to conduct comprehensive clinical and laboratory studies and assess the cause-and-effect relationships of health problems with working conditions.

foundry, working conditions factors, occupational health risk, review