Study of Occupational Health Risks in the Irkutsk Region

Abstract

Abstract The aim of this article is to study the statistical patterns of changes in the level of industrial risks in the Irkutsk Region and to identify the factors that have the greatest influence on these changes. In the paper, we used statistical analysis methods, such as retrospective analysis, construction of Shewhart control charts, and regression analysis. The retrospective analysis included the period of 2011-2017 and was carried out in the Irkutsk Region in general and by separate industries. The Shewhart control charts were constructed by type of injury in order to identify the randomness/systemic nature of the causes of damage to workers’ health. The linear regression analysis was used to identify dependencies of the level of industrial injuries on the costs of labor protection measures. It was shown that, in the Irkutsk Region in general, the risks of injury and death of workers in the workplace tended to decrease during 2011-2017. But only since 2014 there has been an increase in the ratio of injuries to deaths, which indicates a real reduction in the severity of injuries. Statistical modeling using the construction of Shewhart control charts showed that there were systematic causes in respect to non-fatal injuries and, accordingly, the need to identify them. In terms of fatal injuries, we noted statistical risk controllability and natural variability inherent in random processes. Models of the linear dependency of the level of industrial injuries on the costs of labor protection measures revealed a high reverse causality between the risk of industrial injuries and the costs of training in labor protection. The results obtained indicate the need to increase the interest of employers in quality training in labor protection, as well as the importance of optimizing the costs to ensure occupational safety.