Assessment of Psychological State of Employees Involved in Hazardous Jobs

Modern work conditions have been increasingly characterized by an added complexity of specialists' activities in a number of professional categories due to higher intensity of mental and physical activity, the need to perform hazardous operations in the setting of adverse environmental factors. Poor mental condition of employees during the performance of their working duties is known to be the main cause of injuries and deaths at workplace. At the end of the working day and week, the body accumulates fatigue and irritability. Therefore, the purpose of the study was to assess indices of psychological state in employees involved in hazardous jobs, with the detection of high values. Material and methods. The study employed psychodiagnostic method of survey “Mini-mult”. The study ranged by gender showed high values of psychological state in employees involved in hazardous jobs in both women and men as assessed by Pt and Sc scales. They indicated that hazardous operations resulted in such disorders as aloofness, narrow interests, capriciousness and paradoxical thinking, emotions and behavior. The qualities included in the data of the scale showed a tendency to personal detachment. Assessment of high values of psychological state indices in employees of the studied specialties using the “Mini-mult” questionnaire ranged by work experience in hazardous jobs showed the highest values on Pt and Sc scales in employees with experience up to 10 years and in 11-20 years category. High values of psychological state in employees involved in hazardous jobs ranged by age were observed in the age group of 50-59 on Pt and Sc scales. Results and discussion. Assessment of psychological state indices in employees, whose duties involved neuro-emotional stress, did not show accentuation of this indicator in the majority of the respondents on Hs scale. At the same time there was a number of workers with values, indicating a pre-nosological psychological state of asthenoneurotic type. They were found to have passivity, obedience up to complete passivity, slow adaptation secondary to bad tolerance of changes in circumstances. High values on Ra scale were absent, which suggested suspiciousness and caution when performing the duties. The highest values of all the indices in employees, whose duties involved neuro-emotional stress, were observed on Pt scale, which allowed to diagnose individuals with features of character, characterized by anxiety, timidity, indecisiveness, constant doubts. Sc scale also showed high values, which meant that they were capable of perceiving subtle feelings and abstract images, but everyday joy and sadness did not cause emotional response. Assessment of psychological state in employees, whose duties involved administration of transport, showed a number of respondents with high values: these were individuals of asthenoneurotic type, who typically had anxiety not due to external social causes, but due to their physical health.