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Kola MMC workers to undergo robotic medical examination

MURMANSK, December 28. /TASS/. The Kola Mining and Metallurgical Company (Kola MMC, a part of Nornickel) implements a project of electronic medical examinations at its Severny mine, the company’s press service said on Friday.

"By using this system, workers will have to spend less time for tests before shifts, and the tests’ quality will be higher," the company said.

Traditionally, two medical attendants from the local hospital make those examinations. The biggest problem is they have to examine very many people in limited time. Sometimes, as many as 300 people may be on the line. By using the new methods, the workers will save time, and the risk of traumas and professional diseases will be less.

"The automatic system not only examines the health conditions before the shift, but also informs doctors about test results to that they could see conditions in dynamics or list the risk groups," the press service said.

The complex of electronic medical examination unites ten robotic terminals with a video camera, which are equipped to measure the pulse, blood pressure, body temperature, and which also have a breethalyzer. A medical attendant watches the examination and may assist in taking tests correctly. The terminal examination takes only about one minute, and all records are kept in a database.

This is another stage of using digital technologies at the Kola MMC. The medical examination project will be upgraded to use the health tests’ results to issue automatic permissions for tested workers to begin shifts. Kola MMC is Nornickel’s first enterprise to use an electronic system for medical examinations. The company’s investments in the project were more than 20 million rubles ($288,000).

Kola MMC

The Kola Mining and Metallurgical Company is a leading production complex in the Murmansk Region - a major producer of non-ferrous metals, including strategic metals. The company is the world’s biggest nickel refining enterprise and Russia’s only producer of electrolytic cobalt of highest grades. The Kola MMC accounts for 39% of nickel and 42% of cobalt the Norilsk Nickel Company produces. The products are supplied to the domestic market and exported to European countries. Nickel is a basic component of most super alloys - heat-resistant materials, used in the aerospace industry for power machines’ parts. The Murmansk Region has a biggest in Russia deposit of nickel ores.