The risk of professional incompetence in employees of Azerbaijan Caspian shipping company: retrospective study

Abstract

OBJECTIVE. Estimate risk factors of professional competence on health grounds in employees of the Azerbaijan Caspian Shipping Company.
 MATERIALS AND METHODS. The study used materials of preventive medical examinations of 9904 ACSC employees and the conclusions of the medical and advisory commission for professional competence examination of persons for 2021. The commission recognized professional incompetence in 53 employees.
 Statistical processing was carried out using a set of methods of qualitative feature analysis. The frequency of professional incompetence was set per 1000 examined, 95% confidence interval (CI) was calculated at t=1,96. Statistical significance (critical value 0,05) of differences in the proportion of professional incompetence was estimated by χ² criteria.
 RESULTS. The frequency of professional incompetence among ACSC employees was 5,4‰ (95% CI 4,9 - 5,8‰). The maximum value of the indicator was observed in workers of “Zigh” Shipyard (8,2‰; 95% CI 6,5 - 10,0‰), basic services of ACSC did not differ significantly from each other in the frequency of professional incompetence cases. Professional incompetence was established among seamen (14,7‰), motormen (11,6‰), mechanics (6,0‰), boatswains (4,1‰), captains (4,3‰), mates (3,7‰), locksmiths (13,9‰) and painters (16,5‰). The comparison against these groups in frequency of professional incompetence refutes the valid null hypothesis (р=0,045).
 DISCUSSION. The criteria for the professional suitability of seafarers in Azerbaijan are identical to those in the Russian Federation; the frequency of professional unfitness identified during periodic medical examinations of seafarers in the Sakhalin region was 9.0 ± 2.1 ‰ (2011–2016). The indicator in ACSC (5.4 ± 0.7 ‰) is noticeably lower, but the difference between these indicators is statistically insignificant. The nosological structure of the causes of professional unsuitability of seamen in the Sakhalin region and ACSC is similar: the share of diseases of the circulatory system is 55.5% and 60.4%, respectively, blood 5.5% and 5.7%, injuries 5.5% and 5.7% almost the same. The share of musculoskeletal diseases is 2 times less among the causes of professional incompetence in ACSC.
 CONCLUSIONS. Significant risk factors of professional incompetence on health grounds are age (45 years) and work experience (20 years). The work of locksmiths, painters, seamen, motormen and mechanics compared to the work of captains, boatswain and mates creates significantly higher risks for pathology, provoking professional incompetence, the main causes of which are circulatory system diseases.