Medical Aspects of Time Zone Adaptation of Rotational Oil and Gas Workers in Remote Areas

Introduction: Time zone adaptation in conditions of circadian rhythm desynchronization can negatively affect functioning of the cardiovascular, endocrine, digestive, excretory, and other body systems of fly-in fly-out oil and gas workers, which may lead to the necessity of medical attention to these employees, including by organizing medical evacuation.

Objective: To assess health effects of time-zone adaptation in oil and gas extraction employees working in rotational shifts.

Materials and methods: We conducted a retrospective observational non-randomized longitudinal clinical study of 3,819 visits of remote rotational workers to paramedic and medical health centers at production facilities of oil and gas companies, telemedicine consultations, and remote health monitoring for 2022–2024, divided into groups by the time zone of the permanent place of residence. Age, sex, occupational history, clinical and instrumental laboratory data were taken for the analysis using the Pearson’s chi-squared test for qualitative and the Mann-Whitney U test for quantitative parameters.

Results: Compared to residents of the fourth to ninth time zones, workers arriving at their shift locations from the first to third time zones more often seek medical care at paramedic and medical units at production facilities, in general, and for emergency reasons, in particular. Living in a time zone different from that of the work location between shifts is an independent risk factor for low blood oxygen (p < 0.05) and high blood pressure in the age group of 41 to 50 years (p < 0.01).

Conclusion: Health effects of time zone adaptation in fly-in fly-out oil and gas industry workers have been proven.

1. Kayumova MM, Akimov AM, Bessonova MI, et al. Associations of stress in family, parameters of health attitude and self-rating in expeditionary rotation schedule workers of the Arctic region. Profilakticheskaya Meditsina. 2023;26(10):49-54. (In Russ.) doi: 10.17116/profmed20232610149

2. Akberov MA, Andoverova AG, Anufrieva EV, et al. [A Modern Medical Organization: Trends, Strategies, Projects.] Tyumen: Ivex Publ.; 2022. (In Russ.)

3. Lubnin SN. [The influence of heated oxygen-helium mixtures on the adaptive functions of the body under the conditions of the Far North.] Byulleten’ Severnogo Gosudarstvennogo Meditsinskogo Universiteta. 2016;(1(36)):30-31. (In Russ.)

4. Korneeva YaA, Bobyreva NS, Simonova NN, Degteva GN. Complex evaluation of the functional status of oil and gas workers during shift period in the Arctic conditions. Gigiena i Sanitariya. 2019;98(2):159-165. (In Russ.) doi: 10.18821/0016-9900-2019-98-2-159-165

5. Ksenofontova EN. Assessment of the impact of the shift method of work on the human body in the Arctic zones. Informatsionnye Tekhnologii i Sistemy: Upravlenie, Ekonomika, Transport, Pravo. 2022;(S2):178-179. (In Russ.)

6. Kurkatov SV, Mikhayluts AP, Skudarnov SE. Hygienic evaluation of labor conditions of technical workers employed on a rotational basis in the oil and gas field “Vankor”. Zdorov’e Naseleniya i Sreda Obitaniya. 2017;(3(288)):36-38. (In Russ.) doi: 10.35627/2219-5238/2017-288-3-36-38

7. Loginov VG. Rotation system as the basic source of workforce for the development of oil and gas resources of the Arctic polar regions. Izvestiya Ural’skogo Gosudarstvennogo Gornogo Universiteta. 2021;(2(62)):191-201. (In Russ.) doi: 10.21440/2307-2091-2021-2-191-201

8. Maksimova DD, Nikolaeva TS. “Fly-in fly-out” method in the Arctic. Evraziyskiy Soyuz: Voprosy Mezhdunarodnykh Otnosheniy. 2022;11(6):466-471. (In Russ.) doi: 10.35775/PSI.2022.46.6.005

9. Ezhov SN, Romanov RV, Afinogenov TP. [The influence of transmeridian air travel on the work readiness and hemodynamic reactions of healthy individuals.] Fundamental’nye Aspekty Psikhicheskogo Zdorov’ya. 2017;(3-4):3-6. (In Russ.)

10. Alekseev VB, Kiryanov DA, Novikova OS. Assessment of public health of the calculation of time. Zdorov’e Naseleniya i Sreda Obitaniya. 2013;(11(248)):46-47. (In Russ.)

11. Ulyanovskaya SA, Bazhenov DV, Shestakova VG, Kalinkin MN. Effect of the climatic and geographic factors of the North on adaptive reactions of the human body. Patologicheskaya Fiziologiya i Eksperimental’naya Terapiya. 2020;64(1):147-154. (In Russ.) doi: 10.25557/0031-2991.2020.01.147-154

12. Levkova EA, Savin SZ, Kosykh NE. Studies of depressive spectrum disorders caused by sleep deprivation in conditions of chronic desynchronosis (analytical review). Terapevt. 2020;(12):50-55. (In Russ.) doi: 10.33920/MED-12-2012-06

13. Krivoshchekov SG. Biorhythmic markers of stress and dysadaptation condition at work on a rotational basis in the North. Rossiyskiy Fiziologicheskiy Zhurnal im. I.M. Sechenova. 2012;98(1):57-71. (In Russ.)

14. Little M, Hagar H, Zivot C, et al. Drivers and health implications of the dietary transition among Inuit in the Canadian Arctic: A scoping review. Public Health Nutr. 2021;24(9):2650-2668. doi: 10.1017/S1368980020002402

15. Zwartkruis VW, Sharashova E, Wilsgaard T, de Boer RA, Løchen ML, Rienstra M. Shift work is associated with 10-year incidence of atrial fibrillation in younger but not older individuals from the general population: Results from the Tromsø Study. Open Heart. 2022;9(2):e002086. doi: 10.1136/openhrt-2022-002086

16. Kurmangulov AA, Dorodneva EF, Troshina IA, Petrova YuA, Golubeva TI. Effects of inclusion of dietary fibers in the composition of the diet in obesity. Ozhirenie i Metabolizm. 2018;15(2):35-39. (In Russ.) doi: 10.14341/omet8785

17. Kurmangulov AA, Dorodneva EF, Isakova DN. Features intestinal digestion in people with metabolic syndrome. Meditsinskaya Nauka i Obrazovanie Urala. 2015;16(1):119-122. (In Russ.)

18. Krasnova IS, Semenov GV, Guchok ZhL. Sour milk freeze-dried products for the population working in the Far North. Rossiyskaya Arktika. 2022;(4(19)):61-68. (In Russ.) doi: 10.24412/2658_4255_2022_4_61_67

19. Belokrilova LV, Dorodneva EF, Shorohova TD, et al. Gender features of nutrition habits in Tyumen region population. Meditsinskaya Nauka i Obrazovanie Urala. 2015;16(1):68-70. (In Russ.)

20. Nagibovich OA, Ukhovsky DM, Zhekalov AN, et al. Mechanisms of hypoxia in Arctic zone of Russian Federation. Vestnik Rossiyskoy Voenno-Meditsinskoy Akademii. 2016;(2(54)):202-205. (In Russ.)

21. Gudkov AB, Degteva GN, Shepeleva OA. Ecological and hygienic problems in the Arctic territories of intensive industrial activity (review). Obshchestvennoe Zdorov’e. 2021;1(4):49-55. (In Russ.) doi: 10.21045/2782-1676-2021-1-4-49-55

22. Lemeshchenko AV, Zhekalov AN, Spivak IM, Kim AE. Some indicators of vegetative status and morbidity in migrants of different morpho-constitutional types during short-term adaptation to conditions of polar hypoxia in the Arctic. Zdorov’e – Osnova Chelovecheskogo Potentsiala: Problemy i Puti Ikh Resheniya. 2021;16(2):643-654. (In Russ.)