Comprehensive Assessment of Behavioral Risk Factors within the Health Risk Management System for Oil Refinery Operators

Abstract

Summary. Introduction: Comprehensive risk management considering behavioral risk factors is a possible way to minimize adverse health effects of occupational factors. The purpose of the study was assess behavioral risk factors and to develop appropriate measures for preventing occupational diseases in oil refinery operators. Materials and methods: The observation groups included crude oil treatment operators of Ritek LLC in the Volgograd Region located in the subarid climatic zone. The first group consisted of 100 workers under the age of 35 while the second group consisted of 106 workers aged 36-60. Previously published studies were used to substantiate priority occupational risk factors for the operators. To assess lifestyle habits, we conducted a questionnaire-based survey and analyzed data in terms of their statistical significance and real controllability using a multidimensional confirmatory factor analysis. Results: We established that the priority occupational health risks of operators in the climatic conditions of the Volgograd Region included labor severity and intensity (3.1) and hot environment (3.2) posing a high occupational risk of disrupting the thermal state (overheating) of workers. We also identified typical behavioral risk factors, the prevalence and quantitative burden of which was age-specific. In the younger age group, bad habits and poor healthcare activity (reluctance to seek medical advice) generated the highest burdens (943 conditional units each) while in the older age group, major burdens were generated by bad habits and malnutrition (849 and 501 units, respectively). The developed mathematical model proved that a comprehensive health risk management for workers exposed to occupational hazards is feasible by correcting certain behavioral risk factors: a 10 % and 50 % decrease in the burden of bad habits and poor healthcare activity led to a 1.1 and 1.5-fold decrease in the extent of health risk, respectively. Conclusion: The study revealed the most significant behavioral risk factors affecting health of oil refinery operators and substantiated options of the most optimal interaction between the elements of the system reducing the overall risk to human health. Comprehensive health risk management based on optimal interaction of system elements (both occupational and behavioral risk factors) reduces health risks for oil refinery operators.