Evaluating informativeness of work capacity level via «Work Ability Index» questionnaires

Abstract

Introduction. Evaluating functional state of workers engaged intohazardous work conditions, researchers use not only traditional objective study methods, but also subjective parameters including sociologic polls of workers, with subjective evaluation of working process character, fatigue degree, time dimension, lifestyle, etc.Objective. To compare informativeness of integral criteria of work capacity according to WAI (Work Ability Index) questionnaires with other methods traditionally used in occupational physiology.Materials and methods. Th e study covered workers of plate rolling production in JSC «Arselor Mittal-Temirtau». Physiologic and statistical methods were used.Results. Comparative analysis of work capacity index via WAI with other methods traditionally used in occupational physiology demonstrated that WAI dynamics completely corresponds to central nervous system capacity dynamics, partially corresponds to cardiovascular functional strain dynamics, minimally corresponds to neuromuscular apparatus activity. WAI index can indirectly outline body resistance level assessed by transitory disablement morbidity parameters.Conclusions. Work capacity index by WAI could be directly extrapolated to levels of central nervous system strain and workers’ resistance (evaluated by transitory disablement morbidity), because the correlation dependences revealed completely correspond to dynamics of work capacity index by WAI. Such correspondence was not seen for cardiovascular system and neuromuscular apparatus.