Features of Occupational Health Risks in the Russian Arctic (on the Example of Nenets Autonomous Okrug and Chukotka Autonomous Okrug).

Aleksandr Kovshov,Sergei Gorbanev,Sergei Syurin

doi:10.3390/ijerph18031061

Abstract

Working in the Arctic increases the risk of occupational diseases, which is especially important in the context of acute shortage of manpower in the region. The purpose of the study was to comparatively evaluate the working conditions and occupational pathology in Nenets Autonomous Okrug (NAO) and Chukotka Autonomous Okrug (ChAO) of Russia. We analyzed the results of socio-hygienic monitoring “Working Conditions and Occupational Morbidity” in 2008–2018. Despite similar climatic and socio-economic conditions, significant differences exist in the health risks of the working populations of the two regions. In NAO two-thirds of workers were employed at facilities with satisfactory sanitary and epidemiological well-being, while in ChAO only 13% of workers had such conditions. In NAO, almost all occupational diseases (93.2%) were due to exposure to noise among civil aviation workers. In ChAO, health problems mainly occurred among miners (81.5%). The most common of these were noise effects on the inner ear (35.2%), chronic bronchitis (23.1%), and mono- and polyneuropathies (12.5%). In 2008–2018, the occupational pathology risk in ChAO was higher than in NAO: RR = 2.79; CI 2.09–3.71. Thus, specificity of technological processes and forms of labor organization create significant differences in health risks for workers. It is necessary to use modern mining equipment to decrease the occupational morbidity in ChAO. In NAO, this effect can be achieved by updating the fleet of civil aviation.

Highlights

The Russian Arctic (Decree of the President of the Russian Federation dated 2 May2014 No 296) is the main source of raw materials for the country in the short and long term
The aim of this research was a comparative study of causes, structures, and incidence of occupational pathology in the two Russian Arctic regions: Nenets Autonomous Okrug and Chukotka Autonomous Okrug
This study showed that, despite the similarities of climatic, demographic, and social indicators in Nenets Autonomous Okrug (NAO) and Chukotka Autonomous Okrug (ChAO), the working conditions, structure, and incidence of occupational pathology in these two Arctic regions have significant differences

Summary

Introduction

The Russian Arctic (Decree of the President of the Russian Federation dated 2 May2014 No 296 (revised 5 March 2020)) is the main source of raw materials for the country in the short and long term. A powerful industry has been created in the region, and the scale of economic activity significantly exceeds the level of other polar countries. One of the problems of the Russian Arctic is the shortage of labor resources due to the actions of several factors. There is a small number of the indigenous population employed mainly in traditional types of economic activities (reindeer husbandry, fishing, and sea animal hunting). There is an insufficient number of people who have come from other regions of the country with professional skills to work in mining and processing enterprises. A significant number of nonindigenous inhabitants of the Arctic left the region due to the economic difficulties of the 1990s and early 2000s. The Russian Arctic, which occupies about 18% of the country’s territory, is home to no more than 1.5% of its 145 million population

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