Hygienic assessment of a crew’s working life in Arctic conditions and seafarers’ health regulations: prospective study

OBJECTIVE: To study peculiarities of crew’s working conditions while navigating the Northern Sea Route and regulations in the field of labor protection for developing proposals to reduce seafarers’ health risks.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: There was the use of data from domestic and foreign studies by habitability factors and natural environment of the Arctic zone, health status of different occupational groups of seafarers. Foreign regulations in the field of labor protection and domestic regulatory legal acts in the field of navigation safety and reduction of seafarers’ health risks were examined.

RESULTS: The analysis of regulatory documents of international legislation showed that national documents should take security concerns into providing sanitary-hygienic and epidemiological situation on vessels. Current sanitary regulations (СП 2.5.3650-20) establish minimum crew health requirements to all types of sea transport on a limited number of production factors.

DISCUSSION: In navigation on the Northern Sea Route a vessel crew is under additional load, caused by difficult navigation conditions and natural factors. However, current domestic regulations do not take into consideration peculiarities of the crew working life in the Arctic conditions and increased seafarers’ health risk.

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