Industrial Vibration and Vibration-Related Pathology in the Arctic Facilities (en)

Abstract

Introduction. Industrial vibration is a common harmful effect, ranking third among physical factors after noise and adverse lighting conditions. The purpose of the study was to investigate the nature of industrial vibration and its influence on formation of occupational pathology among workers at enterprises in the Arctic. Materials and methods. The data of social and hygienic monitoring “Working conditions and occupational morbidity” of the population of the Arctic zone of Russia in 2007-2017 were studied. Research results. It was found out that vibration occupies 7.13% in the structure of harmful production factors, and its impact causes development of 29.9% of occupational diseases. General vibration, as compared to local vibration, causes development of vibration disease (87.8% and 61.9%, p<0.001) and radiculopathy (4.7% and 0.9%, P<0.01), and less frequently - mono-polineuropathy (6.0% and 22.0%) and vegetative-sensory polyneuropathy (0.4% and 14.4%, P<0.001). In 2007-2017, Arctic enterprises registered an excess incidence (from 2.55 to 3.80 per 10,000 workers) and vibration-related pathology risk (RR=1.49; CI 1.21-1.84), while in Russia as a whole there was a decrease in the incidence rate. In 99.3% of cases, exposure to vibration was a consequence of imperfection of technological processes and workplaces, structural defects of machines and equipment. Conclusions. In order to reduce the vibration-related pathology risk at the Arctic enterprises, it is necessary to reduce the vibration level, first of all, by improvement of technological processes and structural improvements of vibration-hazardous equipment.

Keywords

• industrial vibration
• occupational vibration-related pathology
• the arctic