Physiological assessment of miners' noise exposure and measures for its prevention

Introduction: To solve the tasks of preventing occupational diseases in workers of the mining industry, it is important to substantiate physiological indicators of tension of the regulatory systems of the human body under the negative impact of industrial noise and neuro-emotional work intensity and to assess the effectiveness of hearing personal protective equipment (PPE). Our objective was to identify physiological characteristics of adverse functional changes in workers of various professions in the mining industry exposed to the combined effect of occupational noise and work intensity to substantiate the use of hearing protection devices. Materials and methods: We studied indicators of concentration of attention, short-term memory, speed of perception of visual and auditory signals, and the index of functional changes in the circulatory system reflecting negative effects of occupational noise exposure combined with work intensity on the central nervous and cardiovascular systems. We assessed occupational noise exposure by the equivalent sound level on the A-scale of a sound level meter per shift, work intensity, and conducted physiological studies of mining industry employees. Results: In miners, we established a 5.6-fold decrease in concentration of attention from the initial level and a 5.9-fold increase in the index of functional changes in the circulatory system compared with operators of robotic complexes, in which all indicators varied within the physiological norm. The maximum change in the parameters indicates the work tension that was the most pronounced in miners. The same extent of workplace stress was observed in operators of mineral processing plants and engineering and technical staff exposed to similar noise levels (60-70 dB, sometimes exceeding 90 dBA), while the lowest one was observed in the operators of robotic complexes, thus indicating maintenance of a sufficient level of working capacity during the work shift. The estimated miners index of functional changes in the circulatory system (2.69±0.08 points) demonstrated the state of functional stress. The individual analysis indicateda significant percentage of people with reduced unsatisfactory adaptation and the state of its failure (3.0±0.05 points) in this very professional group. According to the results of establishing a causal relationship between the increase in the functional tension by indicators of the central nervous system and cardiovascular system and occupational noise levels, emotional stress and adverse shift mode, the workplace stress was justified as a marker of the combined effect of noise and intensity of the work process. Conclusions: A high level of workplace stress accompanied by intensive occupational noise and work intensity factors is an indicator of a decreasing working capacity and development of a prognostically unfavorable functional state of the human body.

физиология труда, производственный шум, напряженность труда, горнорабочие, функциональное состояние, меры профилактики, work physiology, occupational noise, work intensity, miners, functional state, preventive measures

1. Попова А.Ю. Состояние условий труда и профессиональная заболеваемость в Российской Федерации // Медицина труда и экология человека. 2015. № 3. С. 7-13.

2. Федина И.Н., Серебряков П.В., Смолякова И.В. и др. Оценка риска развития артериальной гипертонии в условиях воздействия шумового и химического факторов производства // Медицина труда и промышленная экология. 2017. № 2. С. 21-25.

3. Суворов Г.А., Шкаринов Л.Н., Денисов Э.И. Гигиеническое нормирование производственных шумов и вибраций. М.: Медицина, 1984. 240 с.

4. Аделинская Е.Е., Симонова Н.И., Мазитова Н.Н. и др. Принципы диагностики потери слуха, вызванной шумом, в современной России (систематический обзор литературы) // Вестник современной клинической медицины. 2017. Т. 10. № 3. С. 48-55.

5. Скрипаль Б.А., Никанов А.Н., Гудков А.Б. и др. Состояние центральной и региональной гемодинамики у работающих при вибрационно-шумовом воздействии на фоне охлаждающего микроклимата подземных рудников Арктической зоны России // Санитарный врач. 2019. № 2. С. 32-37.

6. Шевченко О.И., Лахман О.Л. Состояние энергетического обмена головного мозга у пациентов с профессиональными заболеваниями от воздействия физических факторов // Экология человека. 2020. № 2. С. 18-23.

7. Арифов С.С., Уразаева Ж.К., Орифов С.С. Структура и выявление острой нейросенсорной тугоухости // Вестник экстренной медицины. 2016. № 3. С. 83-85.

8. Зинкин В.Н., Солдатов С.К, Богомолов А.В. и др. Актуальные проблемы защиты населения от низкочастотного шума и инфразвука // Технологии гражданской безопасности. 2015. Т. 12. № 1 (43). С. 90-96.

9. Макарова Е.В, Фомин А.И, Седельников Г.Е. Управление профессиональным риском с помощью средств индивидуальной защиты органов слуха на примере наушников // Вестник научного центра по безопасности работ в угольной промышленности. 2013. № 1-2. С. 141-143.

10. Михайлова В.Н., Находкин В.П., Горковенко С.И. и др. Оценка качества применяемых средств индивидуальной защиты рабочих на горных предприятиях Якутии // Горный информационно-аналитический бюллетень. 2002. № 4. С. 61-63.

11. Юшкова О.И., Бухтияров И.В. Критерии оценки труда по степени напряженности // Медицина труда и промышленная экология. 2019. T. 59. № 9. C. 826-827. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.31089/1026-9428-2019-59-9-826-827

12. Матюхин В.В., Бухтияров И.В., Юшкова О.И. и др. Роль физиологии труда в сохранении работоспособности и здоровья у работников различных видов трудовой деятельности. Достижения и перспективы развития // Медицина труда и промышленная экология. 2013. № 6. С. 19-24.

13. Rintamaki H, Jussila K, Rissanen S, et al. Work in arctic open-pit mines: Thermal responses and cold protection. Barents Newsletter on Occupational Health and Safety. 2015; 18(1):6-8

14. Matthews SC, Paulus MP, Simmons AN, et al. Functional subdivisions within anterior cingulate cortex and their relationship to autonomic nervous system function. Neuroimage. 2004; 22(3):1151-1156

15. Filon FL, Drusian A, Ronchese F, et al. Video display operator complaints: a 10-year follow-up of visual fatigue and refractive disorders. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2019; 16(14):2501.

16. Harma M, Kompier MAJ, Vahtera J. Work related stress and health - risks, mechanisms and countermeasures. Scand J Work Environ Health. 2006; 32(6):413-419.

17. Mahoney KT, Buboltz Jr WC, Buckner 5th JE, et al. Emotional labor in American professors. J Occup Health Psychol. 2011; 6(4):406-23.

18. Siegrist J, Rodel A. Work stress and health risk behavior. Scand J Work Environ Health. 2006; 32(6):473-481.

19. Concha-Barrientos M, Campbell-Lendrum D, Steenland K. Occupational noise: assessing the burden of disease from work-related hearing impairment at national and local levels. Environmental burden of disease series, No. 9. Geneva, World Health Organization, 2004.

20. Fernandez FB, Perez MAS. Analysis and modeling of new and emerging occupational risks in the context of advanced manufacturing processes. Procedia Eng. 2015; 100:1150-1159. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j. proeng.2015.01.478

21. Leone SS, Huibers MJH, Knottnerus JA, et al. The temporal relationship between burnout and prolonged fatigue: a 4-year prospective cohort study. Stress Health. 2009; 25(4):365-374.

22. Akkaya V, Erk O, Demirel S, et al. Genetic predisposition to endothelial dysfunction in essential hypertension: a controlled study. J Hypertens. 2004; 22:S329-S330.

23. Brundtland GH. Mental health in the 21st century. Bull World Health Organ. 2000; 78(4):411.