The problems of physiology of work were of priority in the Institute of Occupational Health of the NAMS of Ukraine named after Yu.I. Kundiyev since the first days of its foundation. Academician V.Yu.Chagovets stood at the roots of the scientific direction of physiology of work. At that time, the main directions of scientific research were studying physiological mechanisms of formation of work capacity; there were proposed measures on organization of work and rest schedules for workers of various sectors of agriculture and industry.
Later, due to the increased electrification of the economy in the country, the interest of physiologists of work began to spread to new objects - large power plants and other objects of modern, at that time, production. The main topic of research in the laboratory, headed by Professor O.O. Navakatikyan, who was a student and a follower of the outstanding Soviet physiologist Academician P.K. Anokhin, became an operator's work. In particular, special attention was paid to the study of work activities of operators with different levels of nervous and emotional strain. The principles of occupational selection of operators for the energy sector and other branches of industry have been developed, and rational work and rest schedules are proposed. There have been revealed mechanisms of development of chronic fatigue, strain and prepathological conditions at work on video display terminals (0.0 Navakatikyan, V.V. Kalnysh, S.N. Stryukov), air traffic controllers and other specialists. The ways of transformation of the functional states of a working person were investigated, which were the basis for development of the hygienic Classification of labor and sanitary rules for work with video display terminals.
The Laboratory consistently develops the research directions initiated by the pioneers of the national physiology of work - V.Yu. Chagovets, M.K. Vitte, M.V. Leinik, V.G. Kryzhanovsky, Yu.I. Kundiyev, 0.0. Navakatikyan. Currently, the Laboratory of Psychophysiology of Work is headed by Professor V.V. Kalnysh, a student of Academician 0.0. Navakatikyan.
The team of the laboratory continues studying efficiency and reliability of operator’s work with high tension, influence of the emotional component on the operator's activity. Methodical approaches to assessing the reliability of operators' activity have been developed. A particular attention is paid to research of monotonous work in operators. There have been proposed a Classification of system-generating factors contributing to development of the state of monotony when performing uniform work.
Recently, specialists of the Laboratory conduct studies on the states of chronic fatigue, "burnout" and "chronic fatigue syndrome", and their relationship with production factors (G.Yu. Pyshnov), mechanisms of adaptation in special conditions of the Antarctic. In particular, approaches have been developed to determine the level of chronic fatigue for professions with high nervous-emotional stress.
According to the challenge of the present day, the Laboratory is actively engaged in identifying peculiarities of the effect of combat stress on the work capacity of combatants and there are developed psycho-physiological rehabilitation measures for them.
The Laboratory takes an active part in the work of the Committee on Hygienic Regulation (Physiology of Work), the Problem Commission on Occupational Health of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, the Coordinating Council on Medical Informatics of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, etc.
For the time of existence, there have been prepared dozens of doctors and candidates of medical and biological sciences. Many of them are Heads (or were Heads) of Chairs or Laboratories in Kyiv, Donetsk, Lviv, Kharkiv, and other cities. The results of the scientific work of the Laboratory are reflected in more than 10 monographs, textbooks, hundreds of articles in professional editions, dozens of patents, normative documents, methodological instructions, etc.
1. Development of methodical approaches to evaluation of the functional state by parameters of psychophysiological functions, cardiovascular system and vestibular apparatus.
2. Development of criteria for evaluating the functional state of the body of a working person.
3. Development of criteria for occupational psycho-physiological selection and monitoring of professionally important qualities for high-risk occupations.
4. Development of methodical approaches to assessment of the predisposition or stability of a person to development of the monotony state.
5. Development of methodical approaches to the assessment of work capacity and reliability of the operator's activity.
6. Assessment of the level of development of chronic fatigue and working out preventive measures.
7. Development of psychophysiological measures for rehabilitation of the ATO participants and consequences of combat stress.
8. Development of rational work and rest schedules for highly dangerous occupations..
9. Development of criteria and procedures for conducting psycho-physiological examinations.
10. Development of approaches to assessment of chronic fatigue, overstrain and other pre-pathological states.