Monitoring human factor risk characteristics at nuclear legacy sites in northwest Russia in support of radiation safety regulation.

This paper describes research aimed at improving regulatory supervision of radiation safety during work associated with the management of spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste at legacy sites in northwest Russia through timely identification of employees presenting unfavourable human factor risk characteristics. The legacy sites of interest include sites of temporary storage now operated by SevRAO on behalf of Rosatom. The sites were previously operational bases for servicing nuclear powered submarines and are now subject to major remediation activities. These activities include hazardous operations for recovery of spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste from sub-optimal storage conditions. The paper describes the results of analysis of methods, procedures, techniques and informational issues leading to the development of an expert-diagnostic information system for monitoring of workers involved in carrying out the most hazardous operations. The system serves as a tool for human factor and professional reliability risk monitoring and has been tested in practical working environments and implemented as part of regulatory supervision. The work has been carried out by the Burnasyan Federal Medical Biophysical Center, within the framework of the regulatory cooperation programme between the Federal Medical-Biological Agency of Russia and the Norwegian Radiation Protection Authority.

[Forecasting heat and functional state of human exposed to cooling in water medium].

Based on mathematic and statistic analysis of results obtained in studies of human heat exchange with cooling water medium, the authors represented canonical correlational patterns to determine integral parameter of cooling conditions (IPCC) referred to naked human and with various clothes on, both with and without additional heat releasing sources. Mathematic and statistic analysis helped to present correlational patterns for predicting levels of changes in human functional state according to IPCC comprising complex of factors that determine heat exchange in water medium, including safe time for stay in it.

[The physiological classification of human thermal states under high environmental temperatures]. / Fiziologicheskaia klassifikatsiia teplovykh sostoianii cheloveka v usloviiakh vysokikh temperatur okruzhaiushchei sredy.

The paper deals with the physiological classification of human thermal states in a hot environment. A review of the basic systems of classifications of thermal states is given, their main drawbacks are discussed. On the basis of human functional state research in a broad range of environmental temperatures the system of evaluation and classification of human thermal states is proposed. New integral one-dimensional multi-parametric criteria for evaluation are used. For the development of these criteria methods of factor, cluster and canonical correlation analyses are applied. Stochastic nomograms capable of identification of human thermal state for different intensity of influence are given. In this case evaluation of intensity is estimated according to one-dimensional criteria taking into account environmental temperature, physical load and time of man's staying in overheating conditions.

Integrated estimation of the effect of physical factors on human functional state during mental work.

The purpose of this study was to develop a model for an integrated estimation of the functional state of the human organism (FSHO) and an integral estimation of physical factors (PF) for hygienic rating. Tests were performed twice with 3 men in 0.7-clo clothing during 4-hr mental work with 9 combinations of 4 PF: wideband noise (55- 83 dB(A)), whole-body vibration (6 Hz, a(z) = 0.2-1.8 ms(-2)), air temperature (18-30 degrees C), and illumination (1, 3, 5 lx). Thermoregulatory, cardiovascular, and psychophysiological reactions and temporary threshold of hearing (TTS2) shifts were studied. For the integral estimation of PF influence on FSHO the model F(y1,y2..........ym) = f(x1,x2,.......xn) was used, relating both FSHO and PF sets. The most important physiological parameters in creating FSHO are defined and the contribution of individual parameters of FSHO and PF is found.

[Quantification of combined effect of physical-chemical factors by the parameters of human external breathing]. / Kolichestvennaia otsenka kombinirovannogo vliianiia fiziko-khimicheskikh faktorov po pokazateliam vneshnego dykhaniia cheloveka.

Quantitative evaluation of the combined effect of physical-chemical factors, i.e. hypodynamia, ionizing radiation at small doses, noise, vibration, and altered gas composition of the atmosphere was accomplished during 3- and 15-day experiments with exposure of 11 volunteers (factually 16 subjects) to specified environment in hyperbaric chamber by the parameters of external breathing. Established was an integral parameter of quantitative assessment, functional strain index, variations of which are fully consistent with the alterations in external breathing parameters. Symptoms of a summed effect can be deduced from shifts in external breathing as a result of combined action of a set of diverse factors.

[Workers' health and various approaches to its quantitative evaluation]. / Zdoro've rabotaiushchego cheloveka i nekotorye podkhody k ego kolichestvennoi otsenke.

A new approach to the assessment of health status of the working people is proposed. Qualitative determinations of the "cost" of body adaptation to occupational and nonoccupational factors could be used as a health standard. The adaptation "cost" was calculated by means of integral indicators, characterizing body system response to human vital activity factors. Some approaches to the development of the "alphabet" of human functional states formed during the process of adaptation to vital activity factors. The proposed methods of assessing health levels can be used in the development of automated systems for mass prenosologic examinations and dispensarization of the population and also in workers' health management.

[Influence of stress at work on reliability of astronauts' activities]. / Vliianie professional'nogo stressa na nadezhnost' deiatel'nosti kosmonavtov.

The article presents definition of "stress at work" term, covers principles and methods of occupational medicine so as to specify criteria for evaluation and regulation of stress at work. Technology of the criteria application is exemplified by influence of occupational stress on reliability of astronauts activities in simulated docking during spaceflight.

[The evaluation of skin temperature points and heat flow in the area of the foot for the measurement of the footwear heat insulation]. / Tochki izmereniia temperatury kozi i teplovogo potoka v oblasti stopy dlia otsenki teploizoliatsii obuvi.

Analyzing results of the personal experiments, the authors present methodology to minimize number of sites for measurement of foot skin temperature and heat flow. Average foot temperature could be reliably measured through one or several sites. The studies revealed informativeness of each among 11 measurement sites and helped to specify corresponding equations for evaluation of foot heat conditions and heat insulation.

[Intergral criterion and prediction of cosmonauts professional reliability in flight]. / Integral'naia otsenka i prognoz professional'noi nadezhnosti kosmonavtov v polete.

Discussed is the problem of professional reliability of cosmonauts simulating manual docking of transport vehicle SOYUZ-TM to space station MIR during acute adaptation to microgravity. A new concept of cosmonaut's reliability qualification is based on the parameters that characterize the systemic body response to job-related factors: integral efficiency and psychophysiological "cost". Justification is given to the statistic methodology of the change-over from prime job quality indices and the functional state of human to integral. Underlined is the possibility to apply this methodical approach to enhancement of the program of assessment and recovery of the professional reliability of cosmonauts in flight.

[Integral evaluation of optimal microclimate and human thermoregulation]. / Intergral'naia otsenka optimal'nogo mikroklimata i teplovogo sostoianiia cheloveka.

The article presents integral parameters of heat comfort determined numerically through parameters of microclimate and human heat state. The authors defined human heat state classes that necessitate differentiated evaluation of heat comfort depending on energy expenditure. The materials also cover regression equations to calculate criterial parameters for optimal heat state.

[Evaluation of the effects of a complex of physical factors on the functional state of men doing mental work]. / Otsenka vliianiia kompleksa fizicheskikh faktorov na funktsional'noe sostoianie cheloveka, vypolniaiushchego umstvennuiu rabotu.

The article evaluates influence of environmental, physical factors (noise, vibration, ambient temperature, illumination) on human functional state. The study involved 3 males performing mental tasks (following the object movements on monitor and correcting the track after variable interferences appearing in uneven time intervals) in specific microclimate chamber. The study revealed physiologic parameters more substantial for human functional state if influenced by environmental physical factors. For each parameter of human functional state and environmental physical factor a significance share was determined. If significant (r = 0.82, p < 0.001), correlations between parameters of human functional state and environmental physical factors became a material for integral equations. Method of cluster analyses defined 3 classes of human functional state and environmental status. Evaluation and regulation of those integral parameters became possible through a probability nomogram obtained.

[Evolution of methodical approaches to solve problem of evaluating and predicting the thermal status of cosmonauts in the real flight]. / Evoliutsiia metodicheskikh podkhodov k resheniiu problemy otsenki i prognozirovaniia teplovogo sostoianiia kosmonavta v real'nom polete.

The problem of evaluating and predicting the thermal status of a cosmonaut in the long-term space mission is a pressing one and remains to be solved. The previous studies indicated that the best plan to be followed is to evaluate the thermal status of a cosmonaut during his egress into outer space with the use of the procedure of parotid thermometry of the mean body temperature.

[Prognosis of the thermal status of man in view of the impact of a variety of factors]. / Prognozirovanie teplovogo sostoianiia cheloveka pri vozdeistvii kompleksa faktorov.

Mathematic and statistic analysis helped to determine classes of human functional state characterized by variable degree of thermoregulatory and cardiovascular strain. The authors represented technology forecasting a class of human functional state under influence of combined factors that change heat status and overcharge cardiovascular system and technology forecasting reliable time tolerance interval for the complex of factors influencing human.