Analysis of individual occupational health risks for workers with basic occupations typical for oil processing enterprises

Abstract

At present a systemic approach based on occupational risk assessment methodology is a key to adequate detection of cause-and-effect relations between a disease and working conditions. Our research goal was to calculate and assess individual occupational health risks for operators and drivers employed at an oil processing enterprise. Our research object were parameters revealed via special assessment of working conditions and data obtained via periodical medical examinations performed on 198 operators and 160 drivers employed at an oil processing enterprise. A procedure for calculating individual occupational health risks took into account working conditions, individual health, working experience, and workers’ age. Influence exerted by working experience duration on health of workers from the examined occupational groups was estimated in three groups: working experience shorter or equal to 5 years; working experience equal to 6–10 years; working experience being longer than 10 years. Integral assessment of working conditions was obtained taking into account impacts exerted by occupational factors with different hazard categories, assessed risks of injuries and assessment of workers’ protection with individual protection means. We calculated integral parameters of working conditions assessment, hazard parameters at workplaces, and one-number integral values of individual occupational risks. We determined that 91 % drivers and 34.9 % operators ran high and extremely high occupational risks of diseases; those risks changed individually depending on hazard occupational factors at workplaces, age, working experience, and a worker’s health. It was shown that high individual occupational risks were much more frequent among drivers and operators with long working experience (6–10 years and longer) who had III–IV health groups and worked under hazardous conditions.