METHODOLOGICAL APPROACHES TO OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH IN DAIRY INDUSTRY

Abstract

Introduction: Prevention of occupation diseases and elimination of risk factors are important tasks in the field of occupational health in various industries. Aim: To provide the evidence for the need of preventive measures in dairy industry in a Russian setting. Methods: We used secondary data from regular sanitary and hygienic studies with the total sample of 3779 dairy workers and performed a new study using 77 exposed and 35 non-exposed individuals at one of the regular check-ups in Saratov. Relative risks (RR) and etiological fractions (EF) were calculated. Results: Dairy workers are exposed to a wide range of risk factors including both hot (27.5-28.8 ° C) and cold (4.4 to -18 °C) air temperature, noise exceeding the permissible exposure limit by 4.5-18 dBA, insufficient lighting and physical overload. This allows classifying the working conditions as class 3.1-3.3 according to the national classification of occupational risks. Sensorineural hearing loss (RR = 4.3; EF = 76.7 %; CI = 1.6-3.9), diseases of the nervous system (RR = 4.4; EF = 77.2 %; CI = 2.358.21) and diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue (RR = 2.2; EF = 55.1 %; CI = 1.17-3.1) were mainly attributed to occupational factors. Concluzion: Assessment of occupational risks and health needs of workers in dairy industry should be performed using a combination of sanitary-hygienic, epidemiological and clinical studies. Our findings contribute to better understanding of occupational diseases among dairy workers and can be used for identifying target groups for specific preventive measures.