Occupational Diseases in Underground Miners of the Kola Peninsula: A 14-Year Longitudinal Observational Study

Introduction: Characteristics of occupational diseases in underground miners of various specialties remain poorly studied. Objective: To collect data on the latency, types, and incidence of occupational diseases in underground miners to improve their prevention. Materials and methods: In 2007, 4,502 miners passed periodic medical examinations and were then followed up for occupational diseases in 2008–2021. Microsoft Excel 2016 and Epi Info, v. 6.04d were used for statistical analyses, including Student’s t and χ2 tests, calculations of relative risks, 95 % confidence intervals, Pearson correlation and approximation coefficients. Results: In 2008–2021, 995 occupational diseases were first diagnosed in 393 (8.7 %) out of 4,502 underground miners. Increased physical heaviness of work and noise appeared to be the major workplace risk factors accounting for 60.1 % and 16.6 % of all incident cases, among which those of radiculopathy (20.7 %), vibration disease (20.1 %), and sensorineural hearing loss (16.6 %) prevailed. The shortest latency period of an occupational disease was noted in tunnellers (21.2 ± 0.9 years) while the maximum number of diseases per worker was registered among breakage face miners (3.64 ± 0.26 cases). The highest occupational disease incidence rates were found in drillers (625.0), ore loaders (542.9), and breakage face miners (522.6 cases per 10,000 workers). The largest proportion of workers who developed a work-related disease (32.5 %) was noted among the drillers. Significant differences in incidence rates were established among miners of different specialties (up to 34.5 times) and those with the same class of working conditions (up to 22.9 times). Conclusion: New data have been obtained to improve occupational disease prevention based on the miner’s job, pre-employment health status, type, intensity and duration of exposure to risk factors. Currently, prevention of musculoskeletal disorders in miners with high incidence rates of these diseases (> 400 cases per 10,000 workers) is a priority.