Health Indicators in Certain Occupational Groups of Workers

Abstract

Introduction. Occupational health enforcement in workers as a part of corporate social programs remains an urgent challenge for business entities. Public benefits and economic efficiency of programs for health preservation/disease prevention depend on whether they are arranged well enough with regard to the health status of individual workers and occupational groups. Meanwhile, the regulation of personal data protection limits the ability of business entities to access information about the health status of their employees. Material and methods. We analyzed the physicians’ statements obtained in regular medical examinations of industrial workers for a 5-year period. Results. We identified occupational groups/units with the highest percentage of workers who need sanatorium-resort treatment (SRT). Electric gas welders and furnace operators were estimated to need SRT the most, twice as frequently vs the rest of the workers. Conclusion. Medical check-up examinations not only provide information about the workers with a high risk of occupational diseases, but they also allow identifying occupational groups with a high risk of temporary disability due to common non-communicable diseases. Information obtained from these statements can be used for indicative health assessment in occupational groups of workers. This may be used in detecting prior groups of individuals when planning health-promoting activities and other measures.