Occupational Risk Determination Using the Integral Assessment of Working Conditions Methodology

Abstract

The whole complex of adverse effects of hazardous and harmful production factors on the employees most fully reflects such an indicator as occupational risk. In the Labor Code of the Russian Federation, the occupational risk is considered as the likelihood of personnel injury due to exposure to harmful and (or) hazardous production factors when the employee performs the job duties. However, most of the risk assessment methods used are time-consuming and largely subjective. The concept of «risk» is used when organizing the risk-oriented state control (supervision), since the frequency of scheduled inspections of the organizations (enterprises) depends on the risk category (hazard class). The analysis is made concerning the methods for determining the potential risk of harm when assigning the objects of state supervision to risk categories. Some serious shortcomings are identified in the existing approach. It is established that the potential risk indicator considers only hazardous production factors through the incidents and their severity. At the same time, the harmful production factors that lead to various kinds of employee diseases are not considered. The harm caused to the health of employees due to exposure to harmful and hazardous production factors can be comprehensively assessed using the integrated assessment method of working conditions based on the regulatory standard of working time losses from morbidity with temporary disability. It is proposed to calculate the occupational risk index using the integrated assessment methodology. In accordance with the calculated values of the occupational risk index, it is possible to determine the categories of occupational risk and justify the frequency of occupational safety scheduled inspections. Occupational risk categories can be defined individually for each employee, workplace, structural subdivision, and the organization as a whole, which will allow to address the issue of working conditions improvement and conduct timely occupational safety scheduled inspections.