Influence of production and behavioral risk factors on health disorders in employees of locomotive crews

Preserving the working longevity of locomotive crew employees is one of the priority tasks of Russian Railways. The urgency of the problem is related to both the medical aspects of railway traffic safety and the importance of preserving human capital.

The aim of study is to research the influence of occupational and behavioral risk factors on health disorders in drivers and their assistants.

The study included the results of a survey of 9308 employees of locomotive crews on the presence of production and behavioral risk factors for health disorders, as well as on the presence of cases of temporary disability, hospitalization or unscheduled medical care in the previous year. Additionally, the results of clinical and laboratory studies were studied.

Noise exposure is the main production factor affecting the unscheduled attendance of locomotive crew employees to the doctor, the number of cases of temporary disability and hospitalization. Only 13% of respondents have a high level of commitment to a healthy lifestyle. Among employees who are not exposed to industrial noise, the number of people who have a high commitment to a healthy lifestyle is 2 times higher than among those who complain about the presence of an acoustic factor. The main differences in adherence to a healthy lifestyle between people who have and do not have complaints about the negative impact of the sound factor are related to alcohol abuse (1.4 times more often used by people working in conditions of noise exposure), frequent use of semi-finished products and fatty foods (1.2 times more often). Among people exposed to industrial noise, a body mass index (BMI) exceeding 25 kg/m² is 1.5 times more common than in people who do not have noise exposure. The frequency of occurrence of blood pressure is more than 130/80 mm Hg. and blood cholesterol more than 5 mmol/l, respectively, is 1.9 and 2.2 times higher in individuals with intra-cab acoustic load, compared with those without. An increase in the number of cases of temporary disability, hospitalization, and unscheduled visits to a doctor in people who report exposure to noise in the driver's cab may be associated with both occupational and behavioral factors: alcohol consumption, poor nutrition, and a high proportion of people with a BMI exceeding 25 kg/m².

1. Zhidkova E.A., Gutor E.M., Kalinin M.R., Gurevich K.G. Protection of the health of employees of locomotive crew. Sistemnyj analiz i upravlenie v biomedicinskih sistemah 2018; (3): 752–62 (in Russian).

2. Zhidkova E.A., Gutor E.M., Kalinin M.R., Gurevich K.G. Some aspects of medical care for employees of locomotive brigades in the Russian Railways system. Sistemnyj analiz i upravlenie v biomedicinskih sistemah 2018; (2): 433–39 (in Russian).

3. Zhitkova E.A., Gutor E.M., Sorokin M.A., Kalinin M.R., Gurevich K.G. Medical aspects of traffic safety in JSC "Russian Railways." Sechenovskii vestnic 2018; (4): 34–40 (in Russian).

4. Loginova V.A. Hygienic assessment of working conditions and occupational health risks of employees at railway transport facilities. Analiz riska zdorov'ju. 2017; 2: 96–101. https://doi.org/10.21668/health.risk/2017.2.10 (in Russian).

5. Onishhenko G.G., Zajceva N.V., Maj I.V. Health risk analysis in the strategy of state socio-economic development. In general edition by Onishhenko G.G., Zajcevoj N.V. Moscow-Perm': Izdatel'stvo Permskogo nacional'nogo issledovatel'skogo politehnicheskogo universiteta; 2014 (in Russian).

6. Vil'k M.F., Kapcov V.A., Pankova V.B. Professional risk of rail workers. Moscow: Reinfor, 2007 (in Russian).

7. Kaptsov V.A., Mezentev A.P., Pankova V.B. Occupation and professional risk of railway workers. M.: VNIIZDG MPS Russia; 2002 (in Russian).

8. Finchenko T.A., Mamchenko V.A., Kozina L.C., Lysenko A.V. Unfavourable working conditions as a factor of premature aging of employees of locomotive crew. Vestnik Rostovskogo gosudarstvennogo universiteta putej soobshhenija. 2007; 28 (4): 104–110 (in Russian).

9. Malutina N.N., Tolkach A.S. Analysis of risk factors of cardiovascular diseases formation in railway transport workers. Therapevt. 2014; (5): 18–22 (in Russian).

10. Antropova O.N., Osipova I.V., Zal'cman A.G., Pyrikova N.V., Lobanova N.A., Shahmatova K.I. Features of stress reactivity of patients with arterial hypertension in the workplace. Kardiovaskuljarnaja terapija i profilaktika. 2011;10 (4): 21–5 (in Russian).

11. Zhidkova E.A., Gutor E.M., Kalinin M.R., Najgovzina N.B., Gurevich K.G. Analysis of factors associated with the incidence of locomotive crew workers. Kardiovaskuljarnaja terapija i profilaktika. 2019; 18 (1): 102–6 https://doi.org/10.15829/1728-8800-2019-1-102-106 (in Russian).

12. Zhidkova E.A., Gutor E.M., Najgovzina N.B., Gurevich K.G. Modified risk factors for locomotive crew employees. Profilakticheskaja medicina. 2019; (1): 74–8. https://doi.org/10.17166/profmed20192201174 (in Russian).

13. Bojcov S.A., ed. Epidemiological monitoring of risk factors of chronic non-communicable diseases in practical health at the regional level. Moscow: GNICPM, 2016. 111 p (in Russian).

14. Shal'nova S.A., Balanova Ju.A., Deev A.D. et al. Integral assessment of commitment to healthy lifestyles as a way to monitor the effectiveness of preventive measures. Profilakticheskaja medicina. 2018; 21(4): 65–72 https://doi.org/10.17116/profmed201821465 (in Russian).

15. Zhidkova E.A., Gutor E.M., Kalinin M.R., Gurevich K.G. Modified risk factors and medical activity of locomotive crew workers. Kardiovaskuljarnaja terapija i profilaktika. 2019; 19 (Special issue, Marth): 71 (in Russian).

16. Kas'kov Ju.N., Podkorytov Ju.I. To the modern state of health of railway transport workers of Russia. Bjulleten' nacional'nogo nauchno-issledovatel'skogo instituta obshhestvennogo zdorov'ja imeni N.A. Semashko. 2012; (4): 61–4 (in Russian).

17. Osipova I.V., Antropova O.N., Zal'cman A.G., Pyrikova N.V., Kurbatova I.I. Features of primary prevention of cardiovascular diseases in persons in stressful professions. Profilakticheskaja medicina. 2011; 14 (3): 7–10 (in Russian).

18. Osipova I.V., Pyrikova N.V., Antropova O.N., Komissarova I.N., Borodina L.M. Efficiency of the school of health in the workplace and individual counselling in employees of locomotive creew. Profilakticheskaja medicina. 2013; 16 (1): 13–8 (in Russian).

19. Osipova I.V., Antropova O.N., Vorob'eva E.N., Simonova G.I., Pyrikova N.V., Kalinina I.V., Belousova T.B. Assessment of total coronary risk in persons whose profession is related to stress. Kardiovaskuljarnaja terapija i profilaktika. 2008; 7(6): 33–37 (in Russian).

20. Maljutina N.N., Taranenko L.A., Tolkach A.S., Nevzorova M.S. Relationship of risk factors of premorbid pathology and predictors of endothelium dysfunction in locomotive depot workers group. Analiz riska zdorov'ju. 2015; 4(12): 73–8 (in Russian).

21. Gorohova S.G., Muraseeva E.V., Pfaf V. F., Sboev A.G., Moloshnikov I.A., At'kov O.Ju. Comparative analysis of models of calculation of individual total risk of ischemic heart disease in railway transport workers. Rossijskij kardiologicheskij zhurnal. 2016;(6): 27–33 https://doi.org/10.15829/1560-4071-2016-6-27-33 (in Russian).

22. Luzina S.V., Maljutina N.N., Tolkach A.S. Features of the course of hypertension associated with erosive damage of the gastrointestinal tract in the group — railway drivers. Med. truda i prom. ekol. 2015; (9): 85–6 (in Russian).

23. Balanova Ju.A., Koncevaja A.V., Shal'nova S.A. et al. Prevalence of behavioral risk factors of cardiovascular diseases in the Russian population according to the results of the study ESSE-RF. Profilakticheskaja medicina. 2014; 17 (5): 42–52 (in Russian).

24. Koncevaja A.V., Shal'nova S.A., Balanova Ju.A., Deev A.D., Artamonova G.V., Gatagonova T.M. et al. Socio-economic gradients of behavioral risk factors in the Russian population (according to the results of the study ESSЕ-RF). Kardiovaskuljarnaja terapija i profilaktika. 2015; 14 (4): 59–67 (in Russian).

25. Shal'nova S.A., Maksimov S.A., Balanova Ju.A., Evstifeeva S.E., Imaeva A.Je., Kapustina A.V., Karamnova N.S., Muromceva G.A., Viktorova I.A., Prishhepa N.N., Red'ko A.N., Jakushin S.S., Drapkina O.M. Commitment to a healthy lifestyle in the Russian population depending on the social and demographic characteristics of the population. Kardiovaskuljarnaja terapija i profilaktika. 2020; 19 (2): 33–41. https://doi.org/10.15829/1728-8800-2020-2452 (in Russian).