Maximal oxygen uptake in dockers performing heavy work and in operators of mechanic equipment in harbour.

The present work was meant to determine by means of the Astrand method the maximal oxygen uptake in dockers performing a physically heavy loading work and in operators of the mechanic equipment. The study groups consisted of randomly selected 78 stevedores-trimmers and 84 mechanic equipment operators. The age of the stevedores-trimmers examined averaged 38.67 +/- 10.13 and of mechanic equipment operators 39.93 +/- 9.72 years. Statistically significant differences between the both groups were found concerning the body mass, heart rate at rest, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, frequency of the traits of parasympathetic system effect in ecg. The differences were consistent with the adaptation of the stevedores-trimmers to the physically heavy loading work they perform. Maximal oxygen uptake for all stevedores-trimmers averaged 3.45 +/- 0.60 l/min and in mechanic equipment operators 2.95 +/- 0.66 l/min, reduced to ml/kg/min 45.91 +/- 9.13 and 37.96 +/- 9.26, respectively. On the basis of regression equations it was found that the mean rate of maximal oxygen uptake in the productive age range at issue, per one decade of life amounted: in stevedores-trimmers 5.31 ml/min/kg and in mechanic equipment operators 4.05 ml/min/kg. The majority of the stevedores-trimmers had physical efficiency at a high and a very high level (55.20%), while the mechanic equipment operators at low and very low (71.51%).