diff --git a/src/core/ngx_connection.c b/src/core/ngx_connection.c
index 3bd9cc6..9a90236 100644
--- a/src/core/ngx_connection.c
+++ b/src/core/ngx_connection.c
@@ -634,7 +634,7 @@
 #if (NGX_HAVE_UNIX_DOMAIN)
 
         if (ls[i].sockaddr->sa_family == AF_UNIX
-            && ngx_process != NGX_PROCESS_WORKER
+            && ngx_process <= NGX_PROCESS_MASTER
             && ngx_new_binary == 0)
         {
             u_char *name = ls[i].addr_text.data + sizeof("unix:") - 1;
diff --git a/src/event/modules/ngx_poll_module.c b/src/event/modules/ngx_poll_module.c
index e45942b..10098d6 100644
--- a/src/event/modules/ngx_poll_module.c
+++ b/src/event/modules/ngx_poll_module.c
@@ -72,7 +72,7 @@
         nevents = 0;
     }
 
-    if (ngx_process == NGX_PROCESS_WORKER
+    if (ngx_process >= NGX_PROCESS_WORKER
         || cycle->old_cycle == NULL
         || cycle->old_cycle->connection_n < cycle->connection_n)
     {
diff --git a/src/event/modules/ngx_select_module.c b/src/event/modules/ngx_select_module.c
index 5d00ecf..e76da5b 100644
--- a/src/event/modules/ngx_select_module.c
+++ b/src/event/modules/ngx_select_module.c
@@ -81,7 +81,7 @@
         nevents = 0;
     }
 
-    if (ngx_process == NGX_PROCESS_WORKER
+    if (ngx_process >= NGX_PROCESS_WORKER
         || cycle->old_cycle == NULL
         || cycle->old_cycle->connection_n < cycle->connection_n)
     {
diff --git a/src/event/modules/ngx_win32_select_module.c b/src/event/modules/ngx_win32_select_module.c
index bfcc0e2..8c22f39 100644
--- a/src/event/modules/ngx_win32_select_module.c
+++ b/src/event/modules/ngx_win32_select_module.c
@@ -82,7 +82,7 @@
         nevents = 0;
     }
 
-    if (ngx_process == NGX_PROCESS_WORKER
+    if (ngx_process >= NGX_PROCESS_WORKER
         || cycle->old_cycle == NULL
         || cycle->old_cycle->connection_n < cycle->connection_n)
     {
diff --git a/src/os/unix/ngx_process.c b/src/os/unix/ngx_process.c
index 48ba9d4..f140d62 100644
--- a/src/os/unix/ngx_process.c
+++ b/src/os/unix/ngx_process.c
@@ -388,6 +388,7 @@
         break;
 
     case NGX_PROCESS_WORKER:
+    case NGX_PROCESS_HELPER:
         switch (signo) {
 
         case ngx_signal_value(NGX_NOACCEPT_SIGNAL):
diff --git a/src/os/unix/ngx_process_cycle.c b/src/os/unix/ngx_process_cycle.c
index e203ea3..06e020e 100644
--- a/src/os/unix/ngx_process_cycle.c
+++ b/src/os/unix/ngx_process_cycle.c
@@ -714,6 +714,8 @@
     ngx_uint_t         i;
     ngx_connection_t  *c;
 
+    ngx_process = NGX_PROCESS_WORKER;
+
     ngx_worker_process_init(cycle, 1);
 
     ngx_setproctitle("worker process");
@@ -829,8 +831,6 @@
     ngx_core_conf_t  *ccf;
     ngx_listening_t  *ls;
 
-    ngx_process = NGX_PROCESS_WORKER;
-
     if (ngx_set_environment(cycle, NULL) == NULL) {
         /* fatal */
         exit(2);
@@ -1289,6 +1289,8 @@
 
     cycle->connection_n = 512;
 
+    ngx_process = NGX_PROCESS_HELPER;
+
     ngx_worker_process_init(cycle, 0);
 
     ngx_close_listening_sockets(cycle);
diff --git a/src/os/unix/ngx_process_cycle.h b/src/os/unix/ngx_process_cycle.h
index f46ad46..e6cef6b 100644
--- a/src/os/unix/ngx_process_cycle.h
+++ b/src/os/unix/ngx_process_cycle.h
@@ -21,8 +21,9 @@
 
 #define NGX_PROCESS_SINGLE     0
 #define NGX_PROCESS_MASTER     1
-#define NGX_PROCESS_WORKER     2
-#define NGX_PROCESS_SIGNALLER  3
+#define NGX_PROCESS_SIGNALLER  2
+#define NGX_PROCESS_WORKER     3
+#define NGX_PROCESS_HELPER     4
 
 
 typedef struct {
diff --git a/src/os/win32/ngx_process.h b/src/os/win32/ngx_process.h
index edcde39..55f5648 100644
--- a/src/os/win32/ngx_process.h
+++ b/src/os/win32/ngx_process.h
@@ -48,11 +48,6 @@
 } ngx_exec_ctx_t;
 
 
-#define NGX_PROCESS_SINGLE  0
-#define NGX_PROCESS_MASTER  1
-#define NGX_PROCESS_WORKER  2
-
-
 ngx_pid_t ngx_spawn_process(ngx_cycle_t *cycle, char *name, ngx_int_t respawn);
 ngx_pid_t ngx_execute(ngx_cycle_t *cycle, ngx_exec_ctx_t *ctx);
 
diff --git a/src/os/win32/ngx_process_cycle.h b/src/os/win32/ngx_process_cycle.h
index cd5f011..aaa4ba3 100644
--- a/src/os/win32/ngx_process_cycle.h
+++ b/src/os/win32/ngx_process_cycle.h
@@ -14,8 +14,8 @@
 
 #define NGX_PROCESS_SINGLE     0
 #define NGX_PROCESS_MASTER     1
-#define NGX_PROCESS_WORKER     2
-#define NGX_PROCESS_SIGNALLER  3
+#define NGX_PROCESS_SIGNALLER  2
+#define NGX_PROCESS_WORKER     3
 
 
 void ngx_master_process_cycle(ngx_cycle_t *cycle);