The authors analyzed informational statistic materials of Occupational pathology center in Rostov region over 1960–2016 and information on retrospectively formed cohort of coal miners (1990–2015). Medical and demographic characteristics of the cohort covered work conditions, age at occupational disease diagnosis in the miners, structure and dynamics of occupational morbidity in various occupational groups. Over the stated time interval, unfavorable work conditions of the coal miners were associated with high risk of occupational disease development. The miners of the studied cohort appeared to have respiratory diseases and vibration disease at able-bodied age (70.4%) prevalent in occupational diseases structure.

Th e article presents results of analytic epidemiologic study of mortality in coal miners cohort in Rostov region, who had occupational disease registered in various years. The cohort included 9980 males, the observation period was 26 years (01/01/1990–31/12/2015). Deep analysis of mortality with leading death causes in subgroups of coal miners differentiated by length of service in underground conditions. Standardized relative risk of death in the subgroups increased with longer length of service, with respiratory diseases, circulatory system diseases and malignancies.The authors studied mortality in subcohorts of the miners with leading and auxiliary occupations, whose work conditions differ in intensity of exposure to occupational hazards. For the workers with leading occupations, standardized relative risk of death with respiratory diseases, circulatory system diseases and malignancies was higher.

The authors specified a method of comparative evaluation of life span for individuals with occupational diseases and general population of corresponding age and sex. The method was tested on materials of database from Rostov regionalOccupational Pathology center. Comparative analysis covered age and death causes in 8082 coal miners with confirmed occupational disease, who died during subsequent 26 years (01/01/1990–31/12/2015), and data on male population mortality in Rostov region over the same period. The method specified helped to define that life span in the miners with occupational disease is shorter by 2.9 years vs. that in general male population of the same age.Total share of death with diseases considered occupational or occupationally conditioned in miners equaled 93.3% in the main group, and the share of other causes is less than 7% vs. 33.4% in the general male population of Rostov region.Testing of the suggested methodic approach proves that it can be applied for comparative evaluation of life span and structure of mortality causes in individuals with occupational diseases in various regions of the country, for various occupational groups or certain entities (nosology types) in occupational pathology.

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