Estimation of functional state and labour efficiency of shift workers in conditions of the Far North.

Objectives: Shift work is an expeditionary method, and it has become quite common for the maintenance of industrial process in the Far North. In spite of good equipment and a high professional standard of the medical personnel in the majority of northern enterprises, the level of morbidity tends to increase. The aims of our work were to evaluate the psychophysiological alterations in shift-workers during transit labour.

Methods: Shift workers of "Gazprom" Public Corporation were examined in conditions of the Far North using psychological and physiological methods.

Results: The morbidity of shift workers is higher than that of non-transit workers working in the same industries. Distinct changes of the functional condition of the cardiorespiratory system were discovered. While comparing shift workers of the Far North with workers of the Central regions of Russia we discovered an essential prevalence of isolated systolic hypertension (44.6%) in the first group. It is established that an increase of anxiety level (situational and personal) is much more common in persons having haemodynamic signs of hypertension. For workers in intraregional shift work metabolic exchange disorders, and for workers in inter-regional shift disorders of immune resistance are typical.

Conclusions: Our results have shown that shift work is accompanied by stress of regulatory and adaptable systems, a decrease of functional reserves and an increased morbidity and frequent relapses.