QUALITY OF LIFE IN FLIGHT PERSONNEL OF CIVIL AVIATION AIRCRAFT AFFECTED BY INDUSTRIAL NOISE: HYGIENIC, CLINICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL ASPECTS

Hygienic studies have shown in the cockpit of aircraft and helicopters of crew equivalent levels of sound and vibration in most cases to exceed the maximum permissible levels. There was an exhaustion of the labor process of flight crew members (FCM) due to the high intellectual, sensory, emotional loads caused by the elevated responsibility for safety. The assessment of working conditions of the flight crew can be attributed to their class 3.1-3.4 (harmful working conditions). The clinical and audiological picture showed hearing loss in all subjects to be chronic, bilateral, sensorineural type, slowly progressive, without general somatic pathology, which could lead to hearing loss. The excess of the total physical component of the health-related quality of life (HRQL) over the total psychological component was identified in FCM. The values of the mental health and life activity scores of HRQL were found to be lower than in the comparison group. Evaluation of the psychoemotional status of FCM revealed the adaptive type of attitude to the disease, the lack of social frustration and personality traits predisposing to the development of neurosis and reflecting neurotic changes. The further longitudinal studies are needed to clarify identified socio-psychological characteristics of patients and to develop effective measures of psychosocial and medical rehabilitation that improve the HRQL of the FCM affected by the impact of industrial noise.