Regulation of work-related and occupational impacts on workers employed at railroads: experience gained in Russia and other countries

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UDC: 
614.39
DOI: 
10.21668/health.risk/2021.1.18.eng
Authors: 

V.A. Loginova1, Yu.N. Kas'kov1, E.A. Zhidkova2,3, K.G. Gurevich3, Yu.L. Smertina4, O.A. Pletnikova4

Organization: 

1Federal Service for Surveillance over Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing, Railway transport office, 17 Dubininskaya Str., Moscow, 115054, Russian Federation
2The Central Healthcare Office, a brunch of «Russian Railways» JSC, 52a Malaya Gruzinskaya Str., Moscow, 123557, Russian Federation
3A.I. Yevdokimov Moscow State University of Medicine and Dentistry, 20/1 Delegatskaya Str., Moscow, 127473, Russian Federation
4Center for Hygiene and Epidemiology at railway transport, 2 the 1st Basmanniy lane, Moscow, 105066, Russian Federation

Abstract: 

The present research is vital as it will allow increasing safety of working conditions for workers employed at railway transport due to reducing impacts exerted by occupational risk factors.
Our research goal was to perform comparative analysis of requirements to labor protection provided for railway workers.
Our research was performed via non-systemic analysis of literature that involved searching through Elibrary, Pubmed and Cochrane databases as per certain key words.
As a result, we showed that railway traffic involved exposure to numerous occupational risk factors; due to it, a significant number of workplaces, including those of enginemen and other railway workers, belonged to the 3rd (adverse) hazard category. Basic occupational risk factors included noise and vibration; psychoemotional loads borne by engine team workers and traffic controllers; exposure to industrial aerosols; electromagnetic irradiation; fluctuations in microclimatic parameters in engines’ cabs. All these occupational factors influence not only workers who are directly employed at railways but also people who live in close proximity to them. Therefore, in most countries there is legislative basis on health protection for people who may be exposed to occupational factors related to railway traffic. Our analysis revealed that in general the existing legislation in Russia corresponded to foreign one. Bases for harmonization of the domestic legislation with foreign one are fixed by the Federal Law issued on December 27, 2002 No. 184-FZ «On technical regulation».
Harmonization of domestic and foreign legislation on reducing total exposure to occupational risk factors allows preserving long-term working ability and preventing work-related diseases.

Keywords: 
occupational risk factors, railway transport, preventive medicine, engine team, health protection, noise, vibration, microclimate, electromagnetic irradiation
Loginova V.A., Kas'kov Yu.N., Zhidkova E.A., Gurevich K.G., Smertina Yu.L., Pletnikova O.A. Regulation of work-related and occupational impacts on workers employed at railroads: experience gained in Russia and other countries. Health Risk Analysis, 2021, no. 1, pp. 173–185. DOI: 10.21668/health.risk/2021.1.18.eng
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Received: 
08.02.2021
Accepted: 
02.03.2021
Published: 
30.03.2021

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