Analysis of indicators of primary disability in employees of the federal fire service of emercom of Russia and the population of Russia aged 18–44 from 2006 to 2015
Authors: Aleksanin S. S. , Evdokimov V. I. , Bobrinev E. V. , Mukhina N. A. 
Published: April 2019

Relevance. Extreme activities of firefighters contribute to the deterioration of health or even death. Increased morbidity and injuries of firefighters are associated with persistent health impairments and disability.

Intention. To analyze disability rates and cause-of-disability structure in employees of the Federal Fire Service of Russian EMERCOM and in Russian young population (18–44 years) over 10 years, from 2006 to 2015.

Methodology. The average annual number of examined employees of the FFS of the EMERCOM of Russia was (99.3 ± 5.6) thousand people, i. e. at least 80% of the personnel of the FFS of the EMERCOM of Russia with special military ranks. Cases were identified and disability was calculated per 10 thousand employees of the FFS of EMERCOM of Russia. Causes of disability were classified via the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Health Problems, the 10th revision (ICD-10) and disability indicators were compared to that of a cohort of the population of young working age (18–44 years), according to the Federal Bureau of Medical and Social Expertise of the Ministry of Labor of Russia (Moscow).

Results and Discussion. Newly recognized disability cases averaged (15.98 ± 0.99) per 10 thousand employees of the Federal Fire Service of the EMERCOM of Russia vs (25.51 ± 1.19) cases per 10 thousand population of Russia aged 18–44 (1.6-fold; p <0.001). Mean age of employees of the Federal Fire Service of the EMERCOM of Russia with disability was (37.8 ± 0.7) years. The main causes of disability in firefighters were circulatory system diseases (ICD-10 chapter IX), injuries, poisonings and other effects of external causes (chapter XIX), neoplasms (II), diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue (ICD-10 chapter XIII), diseases of the digestive system (XI). Disability rates due to these causes per 10 thousand employees per year were 4.58 ± 0.59, 1.80 ± 0.17, 1.66 ± 0.20, 1.63 ± 0.24 and 1.12 ± 0.26, respectively; in the structure of disability causes – 28.7, 11.3, 10.4, 10.2 and 7.0%, respectively.

Compared with the population of Russia aged 18–44, in employees of the Federal Fire Service of the EMERCOM of Russia a significantly greater contribution to disability was identified for circulatory system diseases (ICD-10 chapter IX), respiratory diseases (X) and diseases of the digestive organs (XI), a smaller one – for some infectious and parasitic diseases (I), neuropsychiatric disorders (V + VI), injuries, poisoning and other external influences (XIX). Meanwhile, the proportion of Injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes (ICD-10 chapter XIX) in cause-of-disability structure increases.

Conclusion. Disability rates in employees of the Federal Fire Service of the EMERCOM of Russia were statistically significantly lower than in the population of Russia aged 18–44 years. On one hand, this suggests optimal work strategies in firefighters, on the other – high disability rates among the adult population of Russia. For a number of causes of disability in firefighters, there is a significant contribution of occupational factors, which require further research.