Factors of work environment hazardous for health in opinions of employees working underground in the ‘Bogdanka’ coal mine

Abstract

Introduction. Employees performing work underground in coal mines are exposed to the effect of many hazardous factors in their work environment which negatively affect their health. Objective. The objective of the study was to recognize the opinions of employes working underground in one of the coal mines concerning the occurrence of factors hazardous for health in their work environment. Materials and method. The study was conducted in a group of 700 persons working underground in the 'Bogdanka' coal mine in Łęczna (Eastern Poland). The study was carried out using a questionnaire. The results were statistically analyzed using software STATISTICA v. 7.1. Results. The vast majority of respondents (approximately 80%) reported that noise and dustiness at their workplace create risk for their health. More than a half of them mentioned that the microclimate in the mine threatens their health (high humidity and high temperature), and a half of respondents indicated vibration and poor lighting. The greatest differences of opinions concerning the effect of hazardous factors on health of persons employed in the mine were observed in the subgroups distinguished according to the work position. Health risk at a workplace was most often identified by those employed as miners. Conclusions. Among actions reducing the negative effect of the work environment on health is the introduction of new, safer technologies of coal mining. Also, the human factor is very important for work safety in mining, including the proper preparation of employees who undertake work in a mine. It is recommended that new, more effective educational programmes are implemented in the area of Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) at workplaces.

Time‐series transcriptome reveals inflammatory signature in monocytes and neutrophils following acute heat exposure in mine rescuers

“…Occupational exposure to extreme high temperature, as seen in industries such as steelmaking, tile production processes, mining, and rescuing, can lead to detrimental health effects (Lee et al., 2019). Especially, several studies showed that moisture and heat were the most commonly perceived adverse factors in the deep underground work environment (Liu et al., 2019; Strzemecka et al., 2019; Xie et al., 2020). Therefore, these studies have raised serious concerns about the impacts of extreme high temperature on occupational population health.…”

Coal mining environment causes adverse effects on workers

“…In coal mining activities, a range of occupational hazards including coal mine dust, exhaust gas, high temperature, high humidity, and noise form the coal mining environment ( 1 ). Respirable dust refers to dust particles with an aerodynamic diameter of less than 5 μm that can reach the deep respiratory tract and alveolar region, and the concentration of respirable dust directly affects the health of workers.…”

Pulmonary Capacity, Blood Composition and Metabolism among Coal Mine Workers in High- and Low-Altitude Aboveground and Underground Workplaces

“…These might be the reasons behind the high and increasing annual rates of coal-mining occupational health problems such as lung diseases (pneumoconiosis and silicosis), cardiopulmonary function injury and cardiovascular disease among mining workers [ 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 ]. In addition, underground miners usually work in high-humidity and high-temperature environments, which present additional risks to the cardiopulmonary functions [ 11 ].…”