Prevalence of Occupational Diseases caused by vibration, 1975 to 2022: National baseline survey

Estimaciones de incidencia y prevalencia de enfermedades de origen laboral en España

Introduction.Due to the impact of adverse working conditions and climate, workers in coal-mining enterprises in the Arctic are at increased risk of occupational diseases (OD).The aim of the studywas to study the working conditions, causes, structure and prevalence of occupational diseases in miners of coal mines in the Arctic.Materials and methods.Th e data of social and hygienic monitoring “Working conditions and occupational morbidity” of the population of Vorkuta and Chukotka Autonomous District in 2007–2017 are studied.Results.It was established that in 2007–2017 years, 2,296 ODs were diagnosed for the first time in 1851 coal mines, mainly in the drifters, clearing face miners, repairmen and machinists of mining excavating machines. Most often, the ODs occurred when exposed to the severity of labor, fibrogenic aerosols and hand-arm vibration. The development of professional pathology in 98% of cases was due to design flaws of machines and mechanisms, as well as imperfections of workplaces and technological processes. Diseases of the musculoskeletal system (36.2%), respiratory organs (28.9%) and nervous system (22.5%) prevailed in the structure of professional pathology of miners of coal mines. Among the three most common nosological forms of OD were radiculopathy (32.1%), chronic bronchitis (27.7%) and mono-polyneuropathy (15.4%). In 2017, coal miners in the Arctic had a professional morbidity rate of 2.82 times higher than the national rates for coal mining.Conclusions.To preserve the health of miners of coal mining enterprises, technical measures to improve working conditions andmedical interventions aimed at increasing the body’s resistance to the effects of harmful production and climatic factors are necessary.

Summary. Introduction: Non-ferrous metallurgy is one of the basic economic sectors of the Murmansk Region, which workers are at increased risk of occupational diseases. The purpose of the study was to investigate causes, structure and prevalence of occupational diseases in the Kola Arctic copper and nickel industry workers in 1989–2018. Materials and methods: We analyzed data on working conditions and occupational diseases in the Murmansk Region in 1989–2018. Results: We observed the following changes in workers of the Kola copper and nickel industry during the 30-year study period: 1) the length of service until manifestation of an occupational disease increased from 46.3 ± 1.3 to 55.0 ± 0.6 years (p < 0.001); 2) the proportion of women among occupational disease cases increased from 3.6% to 33.0% (p < 0.001); 3) the number of newly diagnosed occupational diseases in an employee increased from 1.04 ± 0.04 to 2.19 ± 0.12 (p < 0.001); 4) the proportion of cases of chronic intoxication with nickel compounds in the general structure of occupational diseases rose from 6.9 % to 34.7 % while the percentage of respiratory diseases dropped from 89.7 % to 34.2 % (p < 0.001). In 1989–2008, we noted an increase in occupational disease rates with peak values (336 cases) achieved in 2004–2008. In the following decade, their number decreased by 2.7 times from 104 to 38 cases, and their share among all regional occupational disease cases dropped from 40.2 % to 16.6 % (p < 0.001). Conclusions: Respiratory diseases and chronic intoxication from exposure to nickel compounds prevailed in the structure of occupational diseases in metallurgists in the Kola Arctic. An increase in the number of occupational diseases per worker, a rise in the proportion of women among sick workers, and a sharp decline in occupational disease rates in 2009–2018 require a proper explanation.

As atividades desenvolvidas em cozinhas industriais apresentam um conjunto de características que podem desencadear doenças ocupacionais e acidentes de trabalho típicos. O objetivo deste estudo é comparar a prevalência de doenças ocupacionais, acidentes de trabalho e dores músculo-esqueléticas em trabalhadores de cinco cozinhas industriais. Para alcançar estes objetivos, foram avaliados 257 trabalhadores de cinco cozinhas industriais, com os seguintes procedimentos: entrevistas, questionários, análise da atividade real e aplicação do método NIOSH. Utilizou-se o teste qui-quadrado (x) para comparar a homogeneidade dos dados entre os trabalhadores. Excetuando-se a prevalência de dor na região dorsal da coluna (p=0,01) e alergia (p=0,00461), todas as variáveis estudadas apresentaram p>0,05, mostrando a homogeneidade entre os trabalhadores. A análise ergonômica identificou os seguintes problemas: ambiente físico (dimensões, configurações, ambiências), instrumentos e equipamentos inadequados, má postura, organização do trabalho inadequada e levantamento de pesos acima dos limites recomendados.

Introduction: Ore extraction and metallurgical processing are associated with high rates of occupational diseases among miners and metallurgists. Objective: To establish causes and risks of development, the structure and prevalence of occupational diseases in miners and metallurgists of the Murmansk Region. Materials and methods: The materials of the study included three databases: 1) the Murmansk Regional Register of occupational diseases; 2) the register of extracts from occupational disease registration cards (Order No. 176 of the Russian Ministry of Health dated May 28, 2001); and 3) the results of public health surveillance in part of working conditions and occupational diseases for 2006–2023. Results: A total of 2,686 new cases of occupational diseases in 1,243 miners and 1,168 cases in 574 metallurgical workers were reported over the study period. Significant differences in the causes and risk of development, disease structure and prevalence were found between the two groups of workers. In miners, heavy physical work was the main cause of health disorders (57.6 %) with musculoskeletal diseases prevailing (55.6 %), while the metallurgists mainly suffered from chemical exposure (54 %) and related respiratory diseases (52.7 %). Over 18 years, a significant trend towards a decrease in the number of workers with occupational diseases was observed in metallurgists (R² = 0.546) but was absent in the miners. Both the miners and metallurgists showed a tendency towards an increase in the number of diseases per worker: from 1.90 ± 0.07 to 2.21 ± 0.08 (p = 0.061) and from 2.02 ± 0.08 to 2.21 ± 0.12 (p = 0.189) cases, respectively. The miners were at a higher risk of developing diseases (OR = 1.25; 95 % CI: 1.12–1.37) and had higher disease rates compared to the metallurgists (102.95 against 76.34 cases per 10,000 workers). An increase in the proportion of women suffering from an occupational disease from 23.0 % to 45.2 % (p = 0.005) was established among the metallurgists. Conclusion: Effective occupational disease prevention should take into consideration the differences in causes and risks, the structure and prevalence of health disorders among workers of mining and metallurgical enterprises of the Murmansk Region.

The prevalence of occupational diseases and poisoning at work is one of the important indicators of the health of workers engaged in harmful and dangerous jobs. In 2012, the Order of the Ministry of Health and Social Development of the Russian Federation No. 417n dated April 27, 2012 "On approval of the list of occupational diseases" was issued, which implied, when solving issues of examination of the connection of occupational diseases with industrial activity, orientation to the 10th version of the International Classification of Diseases. In 2018, the World Health Organization published the 11th version of the International Classification of Diseases, which officially comes into force on January 1, 2022. Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 2900-r of October 15, 2021, approved an action plan for the implementation of the eleventh revision of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Health-Related Problems (ICD-11). To date, the ICD is recognized as a standard for statistical accounting in the healthcare system, the basis for the formulation of clinical diagnosis, as well as the encoding of recorded data obtained during the analysis of morbidity, causes of injuries and harmful effects, cases of rare diseases, anatomical and histopathological data, assessment of the severity of conditions, professional or sports activity, the need to provide medical products, medicines, etc. There is no unequivocal opinion on the adaptation of the ICD-11 codes and this topic requires further study, but the transition of work on the new classification is only a matter of time. Thus, in this article we would like to consider the issues of the ICD-11 codes of occupational diseases, which can be used in relation to the most common diseases associated with the effects of industrial chemical and physical factors, as well as physical overload and functional overstrain of individual organs and systems. The main sections highlighted in the ICD-11 for various occupational diseases, on the one hand, reflect to a greater extent various pathological conditions associated with the effects of physical factors, but on the other hand, they do not fully represent diseases associated with the effects of industrial factors of chemical etiology. When switching to the 11th version of the International Classification of Diseases, occupational Pathology may face difficulties, since not all clinically important syndromes of occupational diseases are presented in the ICD-11. In this regard, it seems important and relevant to discuss this issue. Ethics. In preparing this article, no personal data of patients was used and no studies were conducted on laboratory animals. All used normative documentation is placed in the Garant system. The performed analysis, presented in the materials of the manuscript, corresponds to the generally accepted norms of morality and does not pose a risk.

Objectives. Health care workers are exposed to various kinds of professional risks like needle stick injuries, lower back and back problems, allergies, violence and stress. Health care workers in tuberculosis laboratory are exposed to both infection and musculoskeletal system occupational disease risks because of using Class II, Type B biological safety cabinets and laboratory vortex equipment. This study was carried out to determine incidence rates and causes of the musculoskeletal system occupational diseases among health care workers in tuberculosis laboratories of two State hospitals in Ankara. Methods. Study population was composed of 16 laboratory workers in tuberculosis laboratories of two State hospitals in Ankara. Data was collected using a questionnaire. Results. Thirteen (81.2%) laboratory workers were male and three (18.8%) were female. The mean age of the subjects was 40.1 ± 7.0 years and average duration of occupation of subjects was 208.3 ± 11.6 month. According to the data, of the 16 personnel, 10 (62.5%) had occupational disease. Incidence rates of occupational diseases were as follows; 62.5% shoulder pain, 25.0% wrist pain and 18.8% elbow pain. Duration of their occupation was significantly associated with elbow pain ( p = 0.037). There was a significant relationship between hand and wrist pain and smoking ( p = 0.042). Seventy-five per cent of laboratory workers did not think they had enough information on occupational diseases, and 68.8% of them wanted to have information about occupational diseases. Discussion. The most prevalent occupational diseases among the tuberculosis laboratory workers in our sample were shoulder, elbow and wrist pains. Duration of occupation and smoking were associated with the incidence of occupational diseases.

Introduction. Working conditions at mining enterprises, including iron ore mining, combined with the climatic conditions of the Arctic, create an increased risk of occupational diseases (OD) among miners. The aim of the study was to investigate the risks, circumstances of the development, structure, and prevalence of OD in miners engaged in the extraction of iron ore in the Kola Polar Region. Material and methods. The data of social and hygienic monitoring in the section “Working conditions and occupational morbidity” of the population of the Murmansk region in 2007-2017 were studied. Results. The development of the OD in this category of miners was established to be mainly associated with the whole-body vibration (42.5%) and the severity of labor (33.2%) due to the imperfection of workplaces (66.4%). In the structure of the OD, the largest share belongs to injuries, poisoning and some other consequences of external causes (46.9%), while diseases of the musculoskeletal system occupy the second place (27.0%). The most common nosological form of OD was vibration disease (38.5%). The annual number of workers diagnosed with OD varied over a wide range from 3 to 29 people. In 2007-2015, there was a tendency towards an increase in occupational morbidity rates, and in 2016-2017, there was a sharp decrease to 7.39 cases per 10,000 workers, which cannot be explained by improved working conditions and health promoting activities. Conclusion. To preserve the health of miners engaged in the extraction of iron ore in the Kola Arctic, it is necessary, first of all, to reduce the levels of whole-body vibration and severity of labor processes in combination with the introduction of medical methods to increase the body’s resistance to harmful industrial and climatic factors.

ObjectiveTo explore the impact of occupational diseases (ODs) through estimations of population attributable fractions (PAFs) in a national context.MethodsPAFs were calculated for eight prevalent ODs using existing data on the...

Introduction. Industrial dust aerosols with a predominantly fibrogenic effect remain an important risk factor for the health of the working population in the Arctic.
 The study aims to explore the features of the development, structure and prevalence of occupational diseases caused by fibrogenic aerosols at enterprises in the Arctic.
 Materials and methods. The authors have studied the archival data of the socio-hygienic monitoring "Working conditions and occupational morbidity" and the register of extracts from occupational disease records (Order of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation No. 176 dated 05/28/2001).
 Results. At enterprises in the Arctic in 2007–2021, fibrogenic aerosols ranked ninth (4.8%) in terms of the number of exposed workers, and fifth among harmful production factors in terms of the number of occupational diseases caused by their action (491 cases or 9.1%). They were characterized by the formation of employees of coal enterprises (83.1%), dominance in the structure of the pathology of chronic bronchitis (87.7%), etiological association with weakly fibrogenic aerosols (94.3%). The risk of diseases from exposure to fibrogenic aerosols in miners was higher than in metallurgical workers (RR=12.9; 95% CI 9.63–17.26; p<0.001), construction (RR=11.7; 95% CI 10.78–19.11; p<0.0001) and transport (RR=31.3; 95% CI 10.11–77.19; p<0.001) enterprises. For 15 years, researchers have observed a decrease in the number of diseases caused by the action of fibrogenic aerosols, and the risk of their development in 2007–2009 was higher than in 2019–2021: RR=2.10; 95% CI 1.19–3.71; p=0.009.
 Conclusion. In the prevention of occupational pathology from the effects of fibrogenic aerosols, the priority remains to improve dust suppression methods and respiratory protection equipment for sinkers, miners of the treatment face, machinists of mining machines and other specialists of coal mining enterprises in the Arctic

The authors studied relationship between life quality of population inKemerovoregion and prevalence of occupational diseases and tuberculosis in municipal counties and municipal districts in the region. So, occupational diseases inKemerovoregion are widely distributed among the population in coal metallurgic and chemical specializations of economy — i.e. within industrial and transport zone characterized by relative economic well-being and higher life quality. Tuberculosis is more frequent in population of the districts with low life quality, in rural and forestry zone.

Introduction: Mining in the Arctic is associated with an increased risk of developing occupational diseases. The objective of the study was to investigate the risks, structure and prevalence of occupational diseases in workers engaged in extraction of oil and gas, coal, and ore raw materials in the Russian Arctic. Materials and methods: I analyzed the results of socio-hygienic monitoring “Working Conditions and Occupational Health” conducted in the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation in 2007–2018. Results: Significant differences in working conditions in the extraction of various types of minerals were established, the most favorable being in the oil and gas industry as opposed to the coal mining. The risk of occupational diseases in coal mining was higher than that in oil and gas production (OR = 366.7; CI 275.8–487.6) and ore mining (OR = 1.66; CI 1.58–1.73). Among oil and gas industry workers, the structure of occupational diseases was dominated by sensorineural hearing loss (50.0 %), radiculopathy (20.8 %) and vibration disease (18.9 %). In coal miners, the most prevalent diseases included radiculopathy (32.8 %), chronic bronchitis (26.9 %) and mono-and polyneuropathy (15.5 %), and in ore miners – vibration disease (44.8 %) and radiculopathy (16.3 %). In 2018, compared to 2007, the number of occupational diseases in ore and coal miners increased by 2.16 and 1.42 times, respectively. In 2007–2018, the proportion of occupational diseases diagnosed in miners of the Russian Arctic rose from 57.9 % to 75.6 %. Conclusions: In the mining industry of the Russian Arctic, the maximum health risk is observed in coal mining, and the minimum – in gas and oil industry. The number of occupational diseases in miners tends to increase, which requires improvement of preventive measures adapted to Arctic conditions.

Introduction: Literary sources present rather contradictory data on the health of oil and gas industry workers in the Russian Arctic, which requires additional research. Objective: To assess causes and circumstances, structure and number of occupational diseases among employees engaged in hydrocarbon extraction in the Arctic. Materials and methods: We studied data of the public health monitoring on working conditions and occupational diseases in the Russian Arctic and the registry of extracts from occupational disease records (Order 176 of the Russian Ministry of Health dated May 28, 2001). The retrieved data were analyzed in Microsoft Excel 2016 and Epi Info statistical software, version 6.04d. Results: We have revealed a pronounced contrast in working conditions and the number of occupational diseases between coal miners in the Komi Republic (city of Vorkuta) and Chukotka Autonomous Area, on the one hand, and oil and gas production workers of the Nenets and Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Areas, on the other, in the years 2007–2021. We estimated that 85.1 % of miners and only 3.1 % of gas and oil workers were employed at facilities characterized by extreme sanitary and epidemiological ill-being. Miners were diagnosed with 98.2 % of all occupational diseases registered in workers employed in the extraction of hydrocarbon resources, and the occupational disease incidence in them (201.71 per 10,000 workers) was 492 times higher than that in oil and gas workers (0.41 per 10,000). The most prevalent occupational diseases in the miners were chronic bronchitis (21.3 %), radiculopathy (21.0 %), and mono- and polyneuropathy (10.3 %) while workers of oil and gas companies mainly suffered from sensorineural hearing loss (46.3 %), radiculopathy (18.5 %), and vibration disease (16.7 %). Conclusion: Our findings confirm good health of oil and gas workers and necessitate urgent priority measures aimed at improvement of working conditions and all types of prevention of occupational conditions in coal miners working in the Arctic.

Objective: The purpose of this study is to ergonomically evaluate subjective usability according to handle shape, diameter, angle and button position for endoscope, and spray of the Ear, Nose, and Throat (ENT) medical device to suggest optimal design guidelines.<BR>Background: As medical demand increases, the prevalence of occupational diseases among doctors is high such as musculoskeletal and cerebral cardiovascular diseases. Therefore, it is required to design an ergonomic PUI (physical user interface) to minimize human mistakes and errors of a doctor in the medical system.<BR>Method: Forty subjects participated in this study. This study produced a mock-up of an endoscope and spray with various handle types, angles, and diameter. For the pen-type endoscope, the shape of the handle (cylindrical, rectangular) and diameter (32, 35, 38㎜) were considered as independent variables. For the pistol-type endoscope, the shape of the handle (cylindrical, rectangular) and angle (90°, 100°, 110°, 120°, 130°) were considered as independent variables. For the spray, the position of the button (upper-top, middle-front, middle-side, lower-front, lower-side) was considered as the independent variable. As a dependent variable, this study evaluated the subjective usability using by the visual analog scale on a scale of 0 to 100.<BR>Results: The ANOVA result of a pen-type endoscope, there were significant differences in handle shape and diameter. The handle shape of rectangular and 32mm diameter had the significantly highest usability. The ANOVA result of the pistol-type endoscope, the handle angle had the significantly highest usability at 120°. As the angle increased up to 120°, subjective usability also tended to increase, but the angle of 130° decreased the trend. The ANOVA result of spray, the position of push button had the significantly highest subjective usability on bottom-front.<BR>Conclusion: Based on the results of this study, the endoscope and spray should be designed to have a pistol-type cylindrical handle with a diameter of 32 to 35mm and an adjustable angle. If the adjustable design is difficult, it is suggested to design with an angle of about 120°. And also, it is suggested that the spray’s button be positioned in the front, which can be pressed with the thumb.<BR>Application: This study can apply ergonomic handle design guidelines for endoscopy and spray. Furthermore, it could contribute to the prevention of occupational musculoskeletal disorders.

Introduction: Industrial vibration has a complex effect on the body, increasing the risk of diseases from the circulatory and respiratory systems, disorders of the liver and endocrine system, which are not recognized by medical boards as occupational. The objective of our study was to analyze the prevalence of non-occupational diseases in workers suffering from occupational vibration disease and employed in industries and institutions served by health facilities of the Russian Federal Medical-Biological Agency (FMBA). Materials and methods: As a reliable source of information, we used the Industry Register of Persons with Occupational Diseases containing data on 95 cases of occupational vibration disease aged 65.1 ± 1.5 (90 men aged 64.8 ± 1.5 years and 5 women aged 70.6 ± 2.6 years). The prevalence rates are given per 1,000 cases of occupational vibration disease with an error of the intensive indicator and the proportion of the pathology in the structure of non-occupational diseases. Results: The prevalence of non-occupational diseases in men was 755.6 ± 91.6. Of these, musculoskeletal disorders (288.9±47.8; 39.4 %) ranked first, followed by diseases of the cardiovascular (177.8 ± 40.3; 24.2 %), respiratory (111.1 ± 33.1; 15.2 %), and digestive (66.7 ± 26.3; 9.1 %) systems. Discussion: We established that diseases of the musculoskeletal system and other disorders potentially related to occupational vibration dominated in the structure of non-occupational diseases in the study cohort. Conclusion: Cases of occupational vibration disease often suffer from musculoskeletal disorders, diseases of the circulatory, respiratory and digestive systems, accounting for 87.9 % of all non-occupational illnesses in this research. We recommend a more precise determination of occupational or non-occupational genesis of musculoskeletal disorders in people exposed to vibration at work in occupational health centers.