Hygienic assessment of occupational conditions and schedule of railway employees

Introduction. Railway transport is one of the leading branches of the national economy, though more than 50% of the railway employees have to undergo some occupational hazards [1]. In recent years, with the introduction of new technologies, significant changes have occurred in the rolling stock. Up to date research on the hygienic assessment of occupational conditions and schedule of railway employees is needed.

The purpose of the study is to investigate the occupational conditions and schedule of railway employees, and to identify the principal occupational hazards.

Materials and methods. The materials of the special assessment of the occupational conditions at workplaces in the divisions of the South-Eastern Directorate of Traction, as well as the results of the proper hygienic studies, including railway employees inquiry on occupational hazards (n=300). The analysis of the occupational conditions was carried out according to Guide No. 2.2.2006–05.

Results. According to the results of an objective assessment of occupational conditions of railway employees, the main occupational hazard is high work intensity. The second most important factor is noise. Profound hygienic studies show that such occupational hazards as vibration, electromagnetic field (EMF), dust, etc. should be paid more attention.

Limitations. The limitations of the study are related to their volume. The data of the special assessment of the occupational conditions and production control were used for the period of 2019–2023, the sample size of the respondents was 300 employees (2022).

Conclusion. According to the results of an objective assessment of occupational conditions of railway employees, the main occupational health risk factor is high work intensity accompanied by a shift work schedule. The second most important factor is noise. The results of the questionnaire are generally consistent with the results of the special assessment of occupational conditions of railway employees, but also indicate other occupational hazards the employees to undergo including vibration, gas and dust contamination, exposure to electromagnetic fields, the level of which generally meets the requirements of hygienic standards. The ranking of the railway employees was carried out, occupations at risk of developing general pathological syndromes were identified.

Compliance with ethical standards. The inquiry of respondents was conducted with their voluntary and informed consent, the conclusion of the ethical committee on Biomedical Ethics No. 34 from 05.04.2022.

Contribution of authors:
Kuzmin S.V. — concept and design of the study, editing, approval of the final version of the paper, responsibility for the integrity of all parts of the paper;
Samodurova N.Yu. — data collection, material analysis, conclusions preparation, preparation and editing of the paper.
All authors are responsible for the integrity of all parts of the manuscript and approval of the manuscript final version.

Conflict of interest. The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Acknowledgement. The study had no sponsorship.

Received: March 28, 2024 / Accepted: June 19, 2024 / Published: July 17, 2024