Working conditions, health and occupational risk factors of teachers employed at higher education and vocational education institutions (literature review)

Working conditions have a direct effect on health of employable population. This fact is evidenced by both Russian and foreign studies. At present, the educational process is being intensified and digital technologies are being implemented in education quite actively. All this creates high workloads on all educational workers, teachers included. Success and efficiency of teaching are determined by teachers’ health, which largely depends on working conditions. The aim of this study was to generalize and analyze Russian and foreign publications that focus on occupational risks, working conditions and their effects on health, life quality and psychoemotional state of teachers employed at higher education and vocational education institutions. Publications on the subject were searched in the largest electronic resources eLIBRARY, PubMed and on official web-sites of peer-reviewed scientific journals with subject items covering the issues selected for analysis. The search depth was 15 years (2009-2024). As a result, we established that most publications on assessing teachers’ working conditions and health covered professors and lecturers of medical higher education institutions. High work intensity was the main adverse occupational factor (hazard category of working conditions 3.1-3.3), which, according to some authors, tended to be higher for higher positions and lecturers with senior academic degrees. Other adverse occupational factors for teachers include physical (electromagnetic fields, workplace illuminance, and microclimate), chemical, and biological ones. Analysis of the obtained results has revealed that a new approach is required for preserving high levels of work ability, preventing diseases and neural-emotional burnout. Such an approach should be based on providing working conditions that conform to established safe standards and timely psychological support, organizing and conducting qualitative preliminary and periodical medical examinations. It is necessary to accomplish timely assessment of working conditions and health of teachers employed at modern educational establishments.