Hygienic assessment of working conditions in radio-electronic component production

Findings on the hygienic assessment of working conditions in radio-electronic component development and production at a modern enterprise producing capacitors, microcircuits, resistors and semiconductor devices are reported. Working conditions of employees engaged in radio-electronic component development (developers, designers) and production (photolithographers, wiremen, radio-electronic component and semiconductor device assemblers, adjusters and quality control inspectors) were studied. Hygienic studies of the working environment and working process factors were carried out to assess working conditions: workplace noise and magnetic field levels, microclimatic parameters, illuminance, the air pollution by chemicals. Time studies were performed to evaluate the heaviness and intensity of the work process. As a result of our studies, the main adverse factors were identified to assess worker health risks. Working conditions in job groups engaged in radio electronic component design were evaluated as harmful of 3 class, 1 degree. Working process intensity caused by sensory and mental load was found to be the major adverse factor. Working conditions in the job group engaged in experimental and small-scale production are characterized by exposure to “low-intensity factors”. Visual strain and fixed working posture are common for such jobs as radio electronic device wireman and quality control inspector using optical equipment in their work, which rates the heaviness of their working process as harmful working conditions. Our findings are intended to be used to define main harmful factors for the health risk assessment of radio component production workers, to carry out a comprehensive occupational health risk assessment, identifying job and long-term employment duration risk groups, to develop risk management measures. Our findings can provide a scientific rationale and contribute to the development of a complex of hygienic and preventive medical measures to be introduced into the practice of health protection service.