RESUMO
The aim of the study was to assess the influence of different working conditions on the health of 1523 copper-nickel miners of the Kola High North. The low degree of mechanization of mining operations was established to be related to more higher levels of vibration, noise and physical overloads. The working in such conditions, when compared with high mining mechanization, leads to a decrease in the number of conditionally healthy workers (12% and 20.7%, p <0.001) an increase in the number of diseases in the one worker (2,94 ± 0,10 and 2.13 ± 0.07 cases, p <0,001), the increase of the risk of occupational diseases (OD) of the musculoskeletal (RR = 2.31) and nervous (RR = 2.07) systems, vibration disease (RR = 1.70), neuro-sensory hearing loss (RR = 1.90). Both at low and high degree of mechanization of mining operations the greatest risk of occupational diseases in noted in drifters (OR = 5.68), at that it was higher at hand mining than at mechanized mining (RR = 1.44). There was made a conclusion about the need to improve the complex of measures for the preservation of health in this group of workers, especially engaged in the performance of tunnel works.