Assessment of occupational a priori health risk at the workplace

Abstract

Introduction. The results of the occupational risk assessment are additional to a special assessment of the working conditions for obtaining quantitative information on the likelihood of developing health disorders. Occupational risk models have not been approved yet, and the proposed approach allowed assessing a priori risk from various harmful factors and conditions, predicting workload, and elevating the effectiveness of preventive measures. Materials and Methods. The assessment of a priori occupational risk from exposure to noise, chemicals and stress-related risk factors was performed at the workshop No. 1 of the oil refinery «KINEF» LLC using the proven models. The results of studies and measurement, conducted in 2020 within the special assessment of working conditions, were used as an input data. Results. The levels of occupational risk caused by exposure to a chemical factor did not reach values significant for the development of occupational disease, regardless of service length. The levels of occupational risk from exposure to noise at individual workplaces formed a risk level significant for the development of occupational diseases with the work experience of more than 30 and 40 years. At individual workplaces, the risk associated with the work intensity is relevant for the work experience of more than 20 years. There were identified persons whose professional experience allows determining the risk levels significant for the development of occupational diseases. Limitations. The limitations of the study are uncertainties associated with conducting a special assessment of the working conditions. Conclusion. Occupational risk assessment makes it possible to supplement the existing approaches with a quantitative assessment of the probable damage to workers health, to identify the vulnerable groups of employees, to determine the length of service considering the exposure factors.