You are using an outdated browser. For a faster, safer browsing experience, upgrade for free today.

Modern Challenges for Medicine and Occupational Health and Safety: The Specifics of Occupational Injuries in Ukraine during Hostilities - Accounting, Professional Rehabilitation, and Prevention

Modern Challenges for Medicine and Occupational Health and Safety: The Specifics of Occupational Injuries in Ukraine during Hostilities - Accounting, Professional Rehabilitation, and Prevention

ISSN 2223-6775 Ukrainian journal of occupational health Vol.20, No 2, 2024


https://doi.org/10.33573/ujoh2024.02.089

Modern Challenges for Medicine and Occupational Health and Safety: The Specifics of Occupational Injuries in Ukraine during Hostilities - Accounting, Professional Rehabilitation, and Prevention

Nagorna A.M.¹, Radionov M.O.2, Kompaniiets O.A.3
1 State Institution "Kundiiev Institute of Occupational Health of the National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine", Kyiv, Ukraine
2 State Labor Service of Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine
3 Ukrainian Military Medical Academy, Kyiv, Ukraine


Full article (PDF): UKR

Introduction According to the latest estimates by the International Labor Organization (ILO), 2.93 million workers die each year due to work-related accidents and diseases. This number of work-related deaths and illnesses serves as a stark reminder of the ongoing challenges in protecting the welfare of workers worldwide. Today's ever-changing work landscape presents numerous challenges to the effective prevention of work-related fatalities, injuries, and illnesses. This is especially true during wartime, particularly for workers engaged in duties during hostilities or involved in post-conflict recovery. The causes of accidents during wartime differ significantly from those occurring in normal production environments.

The purpose of the study is to identify the features of occupational injuries among workers in Ukraine under conditions of hostilities.

Research Materials and Methods. The research involved determining the prevalence and structure of occupational injury indicators in Ukraine. This was based on continuous statistical sampling of primary documents compiled for all newly detected and registered work-related accidents, including Acts in the form of H-1/P for 2021-2023. The analysis of industrial injuries was conducted by types of economic activity, considering health damage to employees resulting from hostilities during the performance of work duties. Data were obtained from the Social Insurance Fund of Ukraine, the State Labor Service of Ukraine, and the State Committee of Statistics of Ukraine.

Research Results and Discussion In 2022-2023, 1,202 cases of workers injured while performing their duties in the context of hostilities or during the aftermath of such events were analyzed, with 413 cases resulting in death. Investigations of accidents occurring in 2022-2023 revealed that the highest number of incidents involved workers in the social and cultural spheres and trade (including healthcare), transport, energy, machine building, and the agro-industrial complex. The overall prevalence of injury-related accidents in production decreased by 22.7-17.95% in 2022-2023 compared to 2021. However, the rate of fatal injuries increased by 18.2%, primarily due to combat-related injuries. The number of fatal injuries among those working in hostilities or during post-conflict recovery increased by 18.4% in 2022 and by 18.2% in 2023 compared to 2021 (p < 0.001).

Conclusions A new demographic cohort of workers injured during hostilities or while mitigating their consequences is emerging, presenting modern challenges for medicine and labor protection regarding the registration, accounting of industrial injuries, the algorithm for providing medical assistance to victims, professional rehabilitation, and prevention. Investigations of accidents in 2022-2023 showed the highest number of incidents in the social and cultural spheres and trade (including healthcare), transport, energy, mechanical engineering, agro-industrial complex, and critical life-support infrastructure. The harmful and dangerous working conditions in production are compounded by the dangers of small-arms, artillery, aviation, missile, and chemical weapons, building collapse, and mine-explosive injuries during hostilities.

Keywords: industrial injuries, professional activity, combat operations, industries.

References

  1. World Health Organization. Healthy Life Expectancy Index [Internet]. Geneva: WHO; 2022 [cited 2024 Jan 25]. Available from: http://who.int/data/gho/.
  2. World Health Organization and International Labour Organization. WHO/ILO joint estimates of the work-related burden of disease and injury, 2000-2016: technical report with data sources and methods [Internet]. Geneva: WHO; 2021 [cited 2024 Jan 25]. Available from: https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/345241.
  3. World Health Organization. Health statistics tables by country, WHO region and globally : Annex 2. In: World health statistics 2020: monitoring health for the SDGs, sustainable development goals [Internet]. Geneva: WHO; 2020 [cited 2023 Dec 28]. Available from: https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/332070/9789240005105-eng.pdf .
  4. Safe and healthy working environments for all – ILO Introductory Report: Realizing the fundamental right to a safe and healthy working environment worldwide, 23rd World Congress on Safety and Health at Work, 27-30 November 2023, Sydney, Australia. Geneva: International Labour Office; 2023. 33p.
  5. Pega F, Momen N, Streicher K, Leon-Roux M, Neupane S, Schubauer-Berigan M, Schütz J, Technical Advisory Group on Occupational Burden of Disease Estimation, Baker M, Driscoll T, Guseva Canu I, Kiiver H, Li J, Nwanaji-Enwerem J, Turner M, Viegas S, Villeneuve P. Global, regional and national burdens of non-melanoma skin cancer attributable to occupational exposure to solar ultraviolet radiation for 183 countries, 2000–2019: A systematic analysis from the WHO/ILO Joint Estimates of the Work-related Burden of Disease and Injury. Environmental International. 2023;181:108226. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2023.108226. Available from:https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412023004993.
  6. International Labour Organization. More than 60 per cent of the world’s employed population are in the informal economy [Internet]. 2018 Apr 30. [cited 2024 Jan 25]. Available from:https://www.ilo.org/global/about-the-ilo/newsroom/news/WCMS_627189/lang--en/index.htm.
  7. Nagorna AM, Kalnysh VV, Radionov MO, Kononova IH. [Industrial injuries in Ukraine: epidemiological analysis and challenges of time]. Journal Environment and Health. 2023;2(107):4-15. DOI: https://doi.org/10.32402/dovkil2023.02.004.
  8. Nahorna AM, Savenkova NV, Kononova IG, Sokolova MP. [State of occupational traumatism in Ukraine in the dynamics of observation for 2013–2018]. Ukrainian Journal of Occupational Health.2020;17(3):163-72. DOI: https://doi.org/10.33573/ujoh2020.03.163. Ukrainian.
  9. Nagorna AM, Radionov MO, Bocharova OB. Accidents at work in wartime: differences of investigation, accounting and registration Ukrainian Journal of Occupational Health. 2023;19(1):3-10. DOI: https://doi.org/10.33573/ujoh2023.01.003.
  10. Nagorna A, Kalnysh V, Saluta M, Коmpаnіеts O. Problems of labor potential formation in Ukraine in war. Znanstvena misel journal. 2023;83:26-8. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10032651.
  11. Nagorna A, Раdіоnоv М, Kompaniiets O. Dynamics of industrial injuries in Ukraine during the period of socio-economic transformations: the covid-19 pandemic, martial law. Znanstvena misel journal. 2024;87:46-57. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10724405.
  12. [On the procedure for investigating and keeping records of accidents, occupational diseases and accidents at work: resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine No. 337 (Apr 17, 2019) {with changes introduced in accordance with Resolutions of the CMU No. 1 dated 05.01.2021, No. 1350 dated 02.12.2022, No. 59 dated 20.01.2023}][Internet]. [cited 2024 Jan 18]. Available from: https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/337-2019-%D0%BF/ed20230126#Text. Ukrainian.
  13. [Protection and adaptation of workers in extreme conditions: materials of the round table organized by the Journal Okhorona pratsi on the occasion of the World Day of Labor Protection (Apr. 28, 2022) : presentations of reports by Grigorenko D., Sokurenko S., Kudryavtsev O]. Okhorona pratsi [Internet]. 2022 [cited 2024 Jan 18]. Available from: https://ohoronapraci.kiev.ua/seminar/webinar/kruglij-stil-zahist-ta-adaptacia-pracivnikiv-v-ekstremalnih-umovah. Ukrainian.