The XIV “Occupation and Health” Russian National Congress with International Participation (OHRNC — 2017)
The XIV “Occupation and Health” Russian National Congress with International Participation took place from 26th till 29th of September, 2017 in St. Petersburg.
Sponsors of the Congress were Federal State Budgetary Scientific Institution “Izmerov Research Institute of Occupational Health” and Federal State Budgetary Educational Institution of High Education “North-Western State Medical University named after I.I. Mechnikov”, besides Occupational Health Physicians and Specialists Association.
The Congress was held in accordance with the order of the Ministry of Health No. 408 of 12.07.2017.
Leading scientists and specialists of Russia in the field of occupational health and labor protection, medical and social expertise and rehabilitation, practical health workers of different specialties, occupational health physicians, hygienists, heads of specialized research institutions, heads of the chairs of Russian medical institutions, employees of territorial centers of occupational pathology, main specialists of occupational pathology of the subjects of the Russian Federation, businessmen, heads of enterprises, politicians, trade unionists, representatives of WHO, ICOH, IARC, countries of Northern Dimension Partnership, ILO — more than 800 participants and invited persons from more then 2/3 of the RF regions and 25 world countries such as France, Italy, Finland, Latvia, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, Lithuania, Estonia, China, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan.
Within the framework of the congress were held: 1 plenary and 14 sectional meetings, VI All-Russian Congress of Occupational Health Physicians, session on workers' health of the WHO regional office for Europe with the prospect of development up to 2030, the IARC Conference on prevention and control of occupational risks, caused by carcinogenic substances and agents, 23rd Annual Meeting of the Baltic Sea Network on occupational health and safety, meeting of the profile commission on occupational pathology of the Ministry of Health of Russian Federal Medical and Biological Agency, general meeting of Occupational Health Physician and Specialists Association members and Plenum of the Scientific Council on Medical and Environmental Problems of Workers' Health.
Before the Congress began, Igor Bukhtiyarov, Director of FSBSI “Izmerov Research Institute of Occupational Health” gave a titled lecture “Contribution of Nikilay Fedotovich Izmerov to contribution to the formation and development of occupational health in Russia”, devoted to the memory of outstanding scientist.
Traditionally the Congress serves as a playground for discussion of acute problems of preserving and strengthening of workers' health; realization of the WHO Global plan of actions on preserving workers' health for 2008-2017, improving the quality and efficiency of medical and preventive care, normative legal base in the sphere of occupational health, assessment and management of occupational risks, perspective and priority directions of research development.
At the plenary and sectional meetings of the Congress the following topical problems were considered — occupational health, industrial ecology and environmental hygiene; occupational diseases of clinical types: broncho-pulmonary and cardio-vascular systems, nervous and musculoskeletal systems, otorhinology, dermatology, as well as the issues of industrial toxicology, occupational pathology of workers engaged in aluminum production; prevention of non-medical use of drugs and psychotropic substances among working population; innovative technologies in occupational health; psychophysical and psychosocial aspects of workers' health; actual problems of preservation and strengthening of occupational health; aspects of socially significant diseases (AIDS, hepatitis, tuberculosis and others) in working collectives; issues of education in hygiene and occupational health and others.
The participants of the Congress noted that still problems of improving the legal framework for the implementation of occupational risks management methodology at working places, health condition of engaged workers, necessary treatment and rehabilitation financing of those workers worth more attention.
It is necessary to coordinate the activity to assure health and security at working place, occupational risks management. It is necessary to harmonize ILO, WHO and RF approaches to create effective mechanisms of occupational risks assessment in the Russian Federation; as well as work out regulatory documents in order to concretize the algorithm of impact on risk, the procedure of occupational risks monitoring.
The scientific justification of occupational risks factors of modern types and forms of work should be included in the number of priority areas of research.
The question on P 2.2.2006-05 actualization — “Guidance on hygiene assessment of working area and working process factors. Criteria and classification of working conditions”.
The discussion on the problem of expertise of the connection between disease and occupation, in particular the connection between diseases of hearing organ and work in “noisy” conditions, improving methods of early diagnostics of the pathology among the workers contacting with harmful and (or) adverse working area factors, adjusting the diseases list with the list of ILO.
The reports on emergency and urgent aid to working people on the basis of health centers of enterprises, showed efficiency and advisability of such practice, the need of expansion and optimization of legal regulation taking into consideration practical problems.
Speakers raised the issues of the role and place of the professional community and employers' associations in creating an integrated system for the prevention and rehabilitation of non-medical drugs and psychotropic drugs use by workers.
Noting the significant role of the medical community in the selection and prevention of the employment of dependent people, speakers talked about the absence of methodical recommendations and science-based technologies of rehabilitation of people using psychotropic drugs to correct stress condition, burnout syndrome, depression and others without doctor's recommendation.
It was noted that present innovative developments cover wide specter of basic directions in the sphere of occupational health and occupational pathology: from technologies connected with risk assessment of occupational and work related diseases to new research methods of diagnostics, prevention and treatment of occupational and work related diseases including cancer, introduction of information and communication technologies into practice, allow to increase the efficiency and quality of medical exams due to telemedicine application.
International experience was presented by actual and interesting for professional community topics. At the session of WHO regional office for Europe aimed at preservation of workers' health project 2030, WHO and ILO presented projects on participant-states support in the implementation of Program 2030 on workers' protection. Discussion of current issues was held: realization of the WHO Global plan of actions on preserving workers' health for 2008-2017 and the prospect of further activity in the interest of the Program of sustainable development (I. Ivanov, I. Rantanen, WHO);
ILO activity on criteria for diagnosis of occupational diseases and its value for the realization of the purposes of Program of sustainable development (S. Niu, K. Kolosio, ILO) and European strategy of Health 2020 and Program 2030 as stimulating factors on preservation of workers' health (E. Paunovich, WHO).
Russian and Kazakh national prospects of sustainable development and implementation of Program 2030 reflected in the speeches of I. Bukhtiyarov, E. Shigan (FSBSI IRIOH, Moscow) and T. Hamitov (National center of occupational hygiene and diseases, Karaganda).
So, full information was provided on workers' health protection according to Program 2030, connected with global prospects of WHO and ILO, activity and prospects of WHO regional office for Europe, Russian national prospects and prospects of neighboring countries.
During IARC conference on occupational risks prevention and control, caused by carcinogens and agents, current issues of future prevalence of cancer mortality caused by last and present use of asbestos were discussed (D. Peto, London, Great Brittan); assessment of industrial chemicals impact in large-scale epidemiological research in the sphere of occupational cancer (H. Kromhout, Utrecht, the Netherlands); asbestos and lungs' cancer in international consortium of case-control research (project SYNERGY) (A. Olsson, Lion, France); optimization of expertise of occupational malignant neoplasms (P. Serebryakov, Voscow, Russia); ways of cancer elimination in the Russian Federation: cancer research to prevent it (I. Shuts, Lion, France); large-scale historical cohort study of risk assessment of death in case of oncological diseases of the respiratory system among workers engaged in extraction and enrichment of chrysotile asbestos (E. Kovalevsky, Moscow, Russia); research and monitoring the fate of workers under large-scale historical cohort study after 2019 (D. Hashim, Lion, France).
Taking into consideration extremely low levels of detection of malignant neoplasms (0,3-0,6% of all occupational diseases)specialists recommended make regular dynamic monitoring of people working or worked before in the contact with carcinogenic factors. It was noted the necessity to strengthen control of regional cancer registers and create national register of patients with oncology, worked under adverse and (or) dangerous working conditions, in order to develop criteria of early diagnostics and prevention programs.
Within the framework of 23nd meeting of experts group on the issues of occupational health of Northern Dimension Partnership, experts from Norway, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Germany, Russia, Belarus and ILO representatives took part and discussed the issues of occupational and work-related morbidity in the countries of Baltic region; a concept of creation of new global coalition on implementation the declarations on occupational health and security was presented. Two projects that are realizing in the framework of partnership were discussed:
- improving of prevention, detection and reporting on occupational diseases, work related diseases and emerging risks;
- ensuring the quality of education in the system of occupational health.
In accordance with renovation of the action plan of the expert group of Northern Dimension Partnership on occupational health and security business game on road map elaboration and realization was held.
There was a big discussion at VI All Russian Congress of Occupational Health Physicians. The President of the Union of the Medical Community “National Medical Chamber” Leonid Roshal addressed with a welcoming speech to the participants of the members of the Congress.
Delegates to the Congress noted that since 2015 professional community of occupational health physicians and specialists of occupational health and hygiene have made significant efforts to preserve health of workers engaged in harmful and adverse working conditions, to improve the quality of medical examination, to solve expert issues, to actualize legal and regulatory framework of occupational pathology, to train the personal in the light of ongoing system of continuous medical education, to develop and implement in practice federal clinical guidelines on the basic nosological forms of occupational diseases (pneumoconiosis, occupational bronchial asthma and others) as well as new methods of prevention diagnostics, treatment and rehabilitation.
Centers of occupational pathology and medical institutions, providing occupational pathology assistance, were actively involved in the implementation of state policy on workers' health preservation.
There is an increase in the effectiveness of interaction between the bodies of medical and social expertise, funds for social and compulsory health insurance, trade unions and institutions of Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing with medical institutions, providing medical assistance to the working population. Also the positive role of “Occupational Health Physicians and Specialists Association” in consolidation of efforts to solve the main issues of workers' health protection and training of medical personnel in the sphere of occupational health was noted.
FSBSI “Izmerov Research Institute of Occupational Health” carried out a big coordination and organizational work on drafting of normative and legal documents, federal clinical recommendations and active involvement of the medical community in their discussion, integration into the system of WHO, ILO and harmonization of the basic principles of providing social and medical assistance to the workers.
Statistics data base and registration of the cases of occupational diseases because of the absence of unified national information register, don't reflect the true situation with workers' health condition.
The quality of occupational medical education is insufficient, and the question of the development of professional standard for occupational pathologist is acute.
There is no effective control of the activity of medical institutions providing occupational medical education.
Despite the update of a number of methodological documents on the issues of classification and characteristics of modern forms of occupational diseases, terminological problems continue to exist, pathomorphogenesis treatment in the modern conditions, clear regulation of diagnostic tasks while assessment of professional suitability and connection between diseases and occupation, as well as inadequate study and implementation of the principles of medical care for workers, considering modern technologies, modifications of industrial environment and psycho-physiological aspects of productive labor.
During the session of the commission on occupational pathology of the Russian Ministry of Health (the order of the Russian Ministry of Health No. 408 of 12.07.2017) chaired by Igor Bukhtiyarov — chief freelance pathologist of the Russian Ministry of Health, topical issues on the approval of the procedure for establishing connection between disease and occupation, preparation of annual reports on the activity of occupational pathology service in the subjects of the RF, on the organization of periodic medical examinations in visiting form, the necessity to include occupational diseases in the list of cases shown for sanitation treatment (the order of the Russian Ministry of Health No. 281 of 05.05.2016), as well as the results of the activity of Center of occupational pathology of the Russian Ministry of Health (Sechenov University), headed by L. Strizhakov, and Federal examination council on occupational pathlogy; reports on practical experience and peculiarities of visiting form of periodic medical examinations by N. Tashlanov — chief freelance pathologist of Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug and chief freelance pathologist of Tula region, I. Panova, on organization and activity results of occupational pathology service of Tula region.
Chief freelance pathologists of Kemerovo and Novosibirsk regions, Republic of Bashkortostan, Republic of Karelia and of other subjects of the Russian Federation took part also.
At the general meeting of Occupational Health Physicians and Specialists Association working period of 2016-2017 was recognized as satisfactory by all the participants. As an organizer, Occupational Health Physicians and Specialists Association approved the list of events for the period 2017-2018 as well as preliminary plans for 2019.
New members were admitted to the Association — 24 individuals and 2 legal entities. President, Vice-President and Executive Director were reelected.
I. Bukhtiyarov was elected President of the Association, V. Rukavishnikov — Vice-President and E. Shigan was elected Executive Director. New members were added to the Bureau — Natalia Izmerova, Oleg Lakhman and Natalia Malutina.
A special web site of the Association was opened to the beginning of the Congress (www.amt-oha.ru)
At the Plenum of the Scientific Council on medical and ecological problems of workers' health more than 40 medical prevention, treatment and rehabilitation technologies developed in the framework of fundamental and exploratory scientific research were approved.