Justifi cation of occupational risk management model in polyurethane foam production

Abstract

Introduction. Employees of production of polyurethane foams (PUF) are exposed to various harmful occupational factors that cause an increased risk of respiratory disorders, nervous system, cancer.The aim of the study was to substantiate the occupational risk management system aimed at its reduction on the basis of the analysis of working conditions and health of employees of modern production facilities of PUF.Materials and methods. The characteristics of working conditions at 5 modern PUF productions are given on the basis of the analysis of a large amount of laboratory and instrumental research of occupational factors; the state of workers’ health in the production of PUF was assessed by the results of periodic medical examination over a number of years. For risk assessment, indicators of odds ratio, relative risk, etiological fraction of occupational factors in a group of 5 years of work experience or more compared to a group of 0–4 years of work experience for men and women in nosological forms were calculated with an assessment of differences in 95% confidence intervals and the magnitude of chi-square (c2 ).Results. Working conditions in the production of PUF are characterized by exposure to a complex of chemicals, of which the most significant are isocyanates and amines. Workers are also affected by factors such as increased noise, the severity of work. Working conditions in the production of polyurethane foam are evaluated as harmful to the first to third degrees. The increased risk of development of diseases of endocrine, nervous, respiratory systems and musculoskeletal system in workers was revealed, the level of which increases with the increase of work experience in the production of PUF. The requirements to the organization of the production process, monitoring of working conditions, improvement of medical care aimed at the prevention of violations of the health status of employees are substantiated.Conclusions. Modern production of PUF is characterized by a complex of harmful occupational factors that have an adverse impact on the health of employees, which requires the introduction of a unified model of occupational risk management aimed at reducing it.