Temporary work disability in Poland--analysis of morbidity causes in the years 1985-1994

Observation and analysis of sickness absenteeism, its morbidity causes, range and trends in certain periods of time, help to identify major health problems in the working population and the dynamic of changes. They also permit to anticipate the consequences reflected in permanent work disability. Certificates recording temporary work disability serve as a reference source for the analysis. The material under study comes from the national sickness absenteeism data base developed and managed by the Nofer Institute of Occupational Medicine in Lodz. It covers a 15-percent random sample of those cards. During the last decade, temporary work disability showed a rapidly growing tendency. During the years 1985-1994 mean annual rate of sickness absenteeism growth accounted for 6.4%, and since 1990 this rate has evidently increased reaching 10% per year. The rate of sickness absenteeism growth was considerably higher among males (9.8%) than among females (4.1%). The highest mean annual rates of growth were noted in absenteeism caused by diseases of the musculoskeletal system (33%--males; 15%--females), the nervous system (18%--males; 4% females) and the circulatory system (12% in general) including arterial hypertension (52%--males; 17% females). A differentiated trend in work disability due to individual disease categories observed during the analysed decade was responsible for changes in the structure of sick absenteeism noted in the same period. Thus, sickness absenteeism because of diseases of the respiratory system has decreased while diseases of the musculoskeletal system have contributed to its increase (at present they account for 18.2% in males and 15.4% in females), the same applies to diseases of the nervous system (17.2% in males) and to gynecological diseases (17.1% of female absenteeism). During the past five years a high dynamics of sickness absenteeism growth can be mostly attributed to a modified system of sickness allowances as well as to social and economic transformations, restructuring of industry and an increased unemployment in our country.     

Workplace absenteeism and alcohol use: A sequential analysis.

This investigation examined the day-to-day relationship between alcohol use and workplace absenteeism among a sample of participants (N = 280) employed in 1 of 3 large companies located in the northeastern U.S. With a semistructured interview, information was collected from employees about specific days of drinking during a 1-month period and marked on a calendar. Data about employees' absences during the same target time period were collected from the companies' human resource departments and were also marked on a calendar. A significant relationship was found between alcohol use and workplace absences; workers were, roughly 2 times more likely to be absent from work the day after alcohol was consumed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Evaluation of the quality of life of disabled workers based on the most frequently used type of health care]

An investigation was conducted among the dock workers from the port of Rijeka, where disabled workers made 13.1% of the total number of the employed. The most common causes of disablement were musculo-skeletal and connective tissue diseases (27%), injuries (20%) and diseases of the nervous and circulatory systems (13%). Chronic diseases in these workers whose mean age was 43.8 years were twice as frequent as in other workers (mean age 39.7 years). The average working span of disabled workers was 12.2 years, compared to 8.9 years of the rest of the working population. Analysis showed that in the year after disability assessment, workers with reduced working capacity visited their physicians 2.1 and specialists 1.7 times less often than the other workers. In general, the rate of absenteeism in the year following the assessment of disability was reduced 3.5 times. All the differences were very significant, (P < 0.01). Results lead to the conclusion that medical and social rehabilitation of disabled workers as well as their integration into the working environment were very successful, which undoubtedly had a positive impact on the quality of their life.     

Predicting absenteeism from prior absenteeism and work attitudes.

Recent reviews of the absenteeism literature indicate that absenteeism as a phenomenon is still neither well understood nor accurately predicted. The present study incorporated many of the suggestions for improving absenteeism research that were made in the reviews. More specifically, a longitudinal design was used to assess the accuracy with which the 1977 absenteeism (i.e., total days absent, absence frequency, and supervisory absenteeism rating) of 112 research scientists could be predicted from their previous absenteeism (1974–1976). In addition, the relationships between 1977 absenteeism and 3 work attitudes (job satisfaction, job involvement, and supervisory satisfaction) were assessed. Findings show that past absenteeism was a better predictor of 1977 absenteeism than were the 3 work attitudes. Data relevant to the psychometric equivalence and stability of the absenteeism measures are also reported. (14 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Predicting absenteeism from prior absenteeism, attitudinal factors, and nonattitudinal factors.

Prior absenteeism, job attitudes, demographic variables, and personality variables were correlated in a longitudinal study with absence frequency for 174 employees (mean age 34 yrs) in a manufacturing plant. Measures included the Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire, Health Locus of Control (LOC) Scale, and Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. Multiple regression analysis showed, as hypothesized, that tenure, marital status (married), group cohesiveness, self-esteem, and an internal health LOC were negatively related to absenteeism and that sex (female) and prior absenteeism were positively related to absenteeism. Job satisfaction, job level, and age did not predict absenteeism. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that prior absenteeism, group cohesiveness, and an internal health LOC accounted for unique variance in absenteeism. (28 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Man-machine interaction and absenteeism.

Designed a study of a paper products factory to provide objective data for the hypothesis that certain classes of industrial work cause alienation, using absenteeism as an index of dissatisfaction. A questionnaire was developed involving 38 distinctive features of man-machine interaction that characterized 40 different job stations involving a labor force of 230 male workers. Absentee records for a set of 6,000 man-work weeks provided the basis for the computation of absentee rates for each station. Of the 40 job stations, those that embodied conditions where employees (a) set their own pace, and/or (b) could adjust or correct the machine had less absenteeism associated with them. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Alcohol consumption and workplace absenteeism: The moderating effect of social support.

[Correction Notice: An erratum for this article was reported in Vol 95(3) of Journal of Applied Psychology (see record 2010-09357-014). the R-square estimates for models 4 and 5 of Table 2 on page 343 are incorrectly reported. The correct R-square values are .10 for both of these models (instead of .010). All the other values reported in this table are correct.] Although it is commonly assumed that alcohol consumption has a significant impact on employee absenteeism, the nature of the alcohol–absence relationship remains poorly understood. Proposing that alcohol impairment likely serves as a key mechanism linking drinking and work absence, we posit that this relationship is likely governed less by the amount of alcohol consumed and more by the way it is consumed. Using a prospective study design and a random sample of urban transit workers, we found that the frequency of heavy episodic drinking over the previous month is positively associated with the number of days of absence recorded in the subsequent 12-month period, whereas modal consumption (a metric capturing the typical amount of alcohol consumed in a given period of time) is not. In addition, consistent with both volitional treatments of absenteeism and social exchange theory, perceived coworker support was found to attenuate, and supervisory support to amplify, the link between the frequency of heavy episodic drinking and absenteeism. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

“Alcohol consumption and workplace absenteeism: The moderating effect of social support”: Correction.

Reports an error in "Alcohol consumption and workplace absenteeism: The moderating effect of social support" by Samuel B. Bacharach, Peter A. Bamberger and Michal Biron (Journal of Applied Psychology, 2010[Mar], Vol 95[2], 334-348). The R-square estimates for models 4 and 5 of Table 2 on page 343 are incorrectly reported. The correct R-square values are .10 for both of these models (instead of .010). All the other values reported in this table are correct. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 2010-04488-009.) Although it is commonly assumed that alcohol consumption has a significant impact on employee absenteeism, the nature of the alcohol–absence relationship remains poorly understood. Proposing that alcohol impairment likely serves as a key mechanism linking drinking and work absence, we posit that this relationship is likely governed less by the amount of alcohol consumed and more by the way it is consumed. Using a prospective study design and a random sample of urban transit workers, we found that the frequency of heavy episodic drinking over the previous month is positively associated with the number of days of absence recorded in the subsequent 12-month period, whereas modal consumption (a metric capturing the typical amount of alcohol consumed in a given period of time) is not. In addition, consistent with both volitional treatments of absenteeism and social exchange theory, perceived coworker support was found to attenuate, and supervisory support to amplify, the link between the frequency of heavy episodic drinking and absenteeism. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Prevalence of enteropathogenic and enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli in children with and without diarrhoea in Esteli, Nicaragua

OBJECTIVE: To assess some of the employment experiences of people with diabetes mellitus and to compare their experiences with those of a non-diabetic sibling control group. DESIGN: A questionnaire about employment experiences was administered to diabetic subjects aged 16-39 years, and an abbreviated questionnaire was administered to their eligible siblings. SETTING: The Illawarra area of New South Wales. PARTICIPANTS: The names of diabetic subjects were obtained from the Illawarra diabetes register. RESULTS: Interviews were conducted with 184 of 226 (81.4%) eligible diabetic subjects and with 70 eligible siblings. There were no significant differences between the diabetic subjects and their siblings with respect to educational achievements and rates of employment. Siblings reported a mean of 2.6 days sickness absenteeism in the year prior to the survey. Diabetics were absent from work for a mean of 4.5 days for reasons not related to their diabetes and for a mean of 2.6 days for diabetic causes. Within the diabetic group, 50% felt that having diabetes would make it more difficult to find another job, 33.7% felt that diabetes would influence their search for alternative employment and 19.6% felt that at some stage they had been refused employment because of their diabetes. Fifteen per cent of diabetics were aware of an example of discrimination and 24.2% of diabetics in employment had at some stage tried to hide their diagnosis from their employer. CONCLUSIONS: Diabetics do not appear disadvantaged compared with their siblings with respect to employment participation but are more likely to be absent from work due to sickness. However, many diabetic subjects had experienced a job refusal, had tried to hide their diagnosis from employers, were aware of examples of discrimination and were very negative about future employment prospects.     

Factors Affecting Absenteeism in Electrical Construction

Construction contractors continue to be faced with the challenge of improving productivity in order to remain successful in an increasingly competitive industry. One factor that contributes to lower productivity is absenteeism. Yet, little is known or understood about the reasons electricians miss work, and very few studies have been conducted on absenteeism in the construction industry. As a positive step to reduce the problems associated with voluntary and involuntary absences, a study was initiated to identify why workers miss work and what steps should be taken to minimize absenteeism. The main objectives of the study were to learn the reasons for absenteeism and to quantify the impacts so that solutions can be developed to help contractors improve their productivity. The study determined that managers and electricians agreed that illnesses and medical appointments were two common reasons workers missed work. However, managers also believed workers were absent because of a lack of interest or irresponsibility, while electricians reported injuries and unsafe working conditions as reasons for missing work. Furthermore, a quantitative analysis of the data revealed that when the absenteeism rate was between 0 and 5%, there was no loss in productivity. However, when the absenteeism rate was between 6 and 10%, a 24.4% loss in productivity was experienced. By understanding what causes electricians to miss work, and the effect of absences on productivity, a company can manage and control absenteeism on electrical construction projects.     

Individual and group cognitive-behavioral treatment for work-related stress complaints and sickness absence: A randomized controlled trial.

Work-related stress is widespread and can lead to long-term absenteeism and work disability. Cognitive-behavioral treatment (CBT) has demonstrated effectiveness in treating psychopathology but has only rarely been tested in clinical samples with work-related stress. A randomized controlled trial was conducted to investigate the efficacy of CBT-based stress management training (SMT). Eighty-two patients on sickness leave with work-related stress were randomly assigned to (a) individual SMT, (b) group SMT, or (c) care as usual (CAU). The SMT comprised 12 sessions conducted by a psychologist. Complaints of burnout and distress were measured at baseline, and at 4, 7, and 10 months. Absenteeism was measured during the whole research period. Across treatment conditions, complaints and sickness absence reduced considerably between baseline and 4 months. Thereafter, complaints remained approximately stable, whereas sickness absence further reduced. Hardly any significant group difference emerged, and no consistent pattern could be discerned in favor of any treatment condition. In subgroups with low depressive complaints, though, individual SMT resulted in larger reductions of some complaints than CAU. In conclusion, this study adds to the evidence that CBT-based interventions as currently practiced are not successful in treating patients with clinical levels of work-related stress. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Supported employment for adults with psychiatric disability: Results of an innovative demonstration project.

Describes an innovative 3-yr research and demonstration project evaluating a supported employment program on a university campus designed specifically for persons with psychiatric disability. The vocational status, job satisfaction, work integration, symptomatology, and social supports of 20 Ss were assessed during the project, and a 2-yr follow-up of employment status was conducted. While a university setting was ideal for providing supported employment services for persons with psychiatric disabilities, the university itself was not a particularly receptive or compatible employer. The 2-yr follow-up showed that 10 Ss were employed an average of 17.5 hrs per week with mean earnings of $156 per week, representing a modest increase in percentage of Ss employed, and a substantial increase in average hours worked and average wages earned. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Evaluation of the incidence of clinical symptoms and risk factors for COPD based on the monitoring of refinery workers in Piock (1993-1996)

Work place environment plays an important role in development diseases because of the time spend in and different toxic factors placed in it. The aim of study was to assess the ventilatory efficiency in individuals employed in Generating Plant (GP) in relation to the pollution of the work place and the tobacco smoking habit during 3 years. The study covered a group of 144 male individuals employed at GP. (age 39.3 +/- 8.7 yrs, period of employment 20.3 +/- 8.6 yrs, smokers 53.5%. Lung function tests consisted of VC, FVC, FEV1, FEV1%VC, PEF, FEF50 counted from flow-volume curve and TGV, Rt measured using pletysmographic method. All tests were performed using pletysmograph (Masterlab) "Jaeger" placed on the ambulance near to the work place. The measurements were taken in May 1993 and 1996. Results were compared to with normal values (acc. ECSC). The anamnesis was obtained from all workers in the form of questionnaire projected for this study. All measurements were done during work time (9.00 a.m. to 2.00 p.m.). Mean values of the ventilation indices remained within the normal range but comparing results in smokers and non-smokers group significant differences in FEV1 and TGV were found. The symptoms of chronic bronchitis were present in 20.8% of persons. Spirometric criteria for the COPD diagnosis were found in 16 persons (11%). Only 5 persons (31%) were symptomatic. The mean decrease of FEV1 was 16.2 ml/yr, in the COPD group it was 82.5 ml/yr. The greater annual loss of FEV1 was found in the smokers and symptoms groups.     

Measuring absenteeism from the opposite side of the coin.

Arguments for abandoning measures of absenteeism in favor of the criterion, "number of people who come to work," were supported empirically. Measures of absenteeism and attendance were collected daily from 379 wood harvesting crews for 12 consecutive wks. Intercorrelations were made between early odd, early even, late odd, and late even wks. The test-retest reliabilities of worker attendance were superior (.92-.96) to those of absenteeism (.41-.61). These results were replicated on a 2nd sample of 46 wood harvesting crews. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Premature separation of centromere and aneuploidy: an indicator of high risk in unaffected individuals from familial breast cancer families?

OBJECTIVES: Injury is the leading cause of death in the male working population of Brazil. An important fraction of these deaths are work related. Very few cohort studies of steel workers, and none from developing countries, have reported on mortality from injuries. This paper analyses mortality from work and non-work related injuries among Brazilian steel workers. METHODS: Deaths during employment from 1 January 1977 to 30 November 1992 were analysed in a cohort of 21,816 male steel workers. Mortality rates specific for age and calendar year among the workers were compared with those of the male population of the state where the plant is located. Work related injuries were analysed by comparing the mortality rates for different subgroups of the cohort. RESULTS: The number of deaths (391) was less than half that expected based on death rates of the general population. Over 60% (242) of deaths were due to injuries. Mortality from most causes was substantially below that in the general population, but that from unintentional injury, was 50% above that of the general population. Standardised mortality ratios (SMRs) were highest for the youngest and the oldest employees and for labourers and clerical workers. Mortality from motor vehicle injury was twice that expected from population rates (SMR = 209, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 176-244). There was a 67% fall in the age adjusted mortality from occupational injuries in the study period. CONCLUSION: The healthy worker effect in this cohort was greater than that commonly found in studies of occupational groups in developed countries, probably because of a greater socioeconomic gap between employed and unemployed populations in Brazil, and unequal distribution of health care resources. Mortality was especially high for motor vehicle injuries. The fall in mortality from occupational injuries during the study period was probably due to improvement in safety standards, increased automation, and better medical care. There is a need to investigate risk factors for unintentional injuries among steel workers, especially those due to motor vehicle injuries. Prevention of occupational and nonoccupational injuries should be a main priority in Brazil.     

Absenteeism during treatment for leprosy. Analysis of causes as apparent from a survey in southern India

The reasons for absenteeism during leprosy treatment were investigated in a rural area of southern India. 120 patients known as "absents" to most controls were first interviewed and the major causes for absenteeism thus determined. A questionnaire was then elaborated in view to reveal these principal causes with efficiency and was applied by 8 investigators to 1200 patients, mostly absents or irregular to medical visits. 620 were selected at random for computer analysis. Results suggest that anxiety for loss of income while attending the medical control and erroneous impression of cure as soon as skin lesions have improved could be of first importance. Nevertheless no relation appears between absenteeism and income level, number of persons depending on the patient, or type of leprosy. Adverse reactions attributed to DDS are also frequently reported, especially fever, because of confusion with leprosy reactions, malaria and any other febrile condition. Assiduity to medical visits could be determined during the year following this study in 1191 of the 1200 patients showing clear beneficial effect over this period.     

Predictive tests of response to radiotherapy. Assessment and perspectives in 1997

A cohort study was carried out in order to evaluate the cancer risk in the asbestos-cement industry workers. The cohort consisted of workers employed in four asbestos-cement plants. One of those plants was established in 1924, the other three in the 1960s and 1970s. Currently only two of these plants continue their production. The plants used mainly chrysotile asbestos as well as crocidolite and amosite. Amphibolite asbestos was used before the mid-nineteen eighties in production of pressure pipes utilising about 15% of the total quantity of asbestos used. The measurements of the asbestos fibre concentration at work-sites have been taken occasionally since the mid 1980s, thus, the determination of a cumulative dose for individual persons in the cohort and the evaluation of the dose-effect relationship were not feasible. It could only be supposed that the concentrations at the preparatory work-site during first years of the plants' operation accounted for several tens fibres/cm3 in the production that employed the dry method. The cohort consisted of workers employed in the plant for at least three months between beginning of the plant during the post-war period, and 1980, that is during the period when amphibolite asbestos was in use. The retrospective observation was completed on 31 December 1991. The analysis of the death risk by causes was based on a standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) calculated using the person-years method. Statistical significance of SMRs was assessed by means of Poisson distribution one-sided test. The general population of Poland was used as the reference population to estimate the death risk. The cohort comprised 4,712 persons (3,563 males and 1,149 females). Of this number 4,500 persons (3,405 males and 1,095 females) were followed. The cohort availability were 95.5%. Male mortality, both total (473 deaths; SMR = 83) and due to malignant neoplasms (108 deaths; SMR = 86) was lower than in the general population. An excess of deaths from neoplasm of the pleura was by about 23 times higher (5 deaths; SMR = 2,288) and from neoplasm of the large intestine by two times higher (7 deaths; SMR = 214). Among females (41 deaths; SMR = 50) death risk was lower than in the reference population. At a low level of total mortality from neoplasms (13 deaths; SMR = 52) a statistically significant excess of deaths from neoplasm of the pleura (2 deaths; SMR = 2,112) was observed. In the plants investigated the analysis revealed a considerably diversified mortality from asbestos-related neoplasms. The incidence of pleura mesothelioma should be attributed to the use of considerable quantities of crocidolite asbestos and high concentrations of fibres in the air in plants II and IV, particularly during the first years after their establishment. In view of a long period of latency the excess of this neoplasm can be expected till 2020.     

Mortality of short-term workers in two international cohorts

The purpose of this study was to compare the pattern of mortality of blue-collar workers employed less and more than 1 year in the man-made vitreous fiber (MMVF) and the reinforced plastic industries, the latter group being exposed to styrene. We conducted an analysis among 21,784 workers with less than 1 year of employment (short-term workers) and 19,117 workers with 1 or more years of employment (long-term workers) employed in eight European countries. We conducted analyses based on external as well as internal comparisons. In both cohorts, the standardized mortality ratio for all causes among short-term workers was approximately 40% higher, compared with that for longer-term workers. In internal comparisons, the difference was reduced to 9% in the MMVF cohort and 11% in the styrene cohort. Workers with less than 1 month of employment displayed an increased mortality in both cohorts and in most countries. The increased mortality among short-term workers was not concentrated shortly after they quit employment. In both cohorts, short-term workers had a higher mortality from external causes, while little difference was seen in mortality from ischemic heart disease and malignant neoplasms. Although extra-occupational factors may contribute to increase the mortality of short-term workers and, in particular, of those employed for less than 1 month, the difference observed in analyses adjusted for characteristics of employment suggested a relatively small difference in mortality from most causes.     

Objective and subjective work monotony: Effects on job satisfaction, psychological distress, and absenteeism in blue-collar workers.

The relation of objective work conditions (work underload, repetitive or varied work) and subjective monotony to job satisfaction, psychological distress, and sickness absence was examined in 1,278 male and female workers. Subjective monotony was moderately related to the objective work conditions. Hierarchical regression analyses showed that the effects on all outcomes were partially mediated by subjective monotony and were also directly related to repetitive work and work underload. Job satisfaction and psychological distress were mainly related to subjective monotony, whereas sickness absence was equally related to the work conditions and subjective monotony. The highest impact was observed for short-cycle repetitive work. Testing sex interactions revealed that sickness absence was related to the work conditions in women but not in men. The findings highlight the significance of noting the actual work conditions in predicting employee outcomes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Employee drug use, demographic characteristics, work reactions, and absenteeism.

Investigated the relationships between employee use of illicit drugs, perceptions of and reactions to the work environment, and employee absenteeism and tardiness above and beyond that accounted for by demographic and work reaction variables. 162 employees in a large work organization completed demographic and background information and assessments of work perceptions and reactions and absenteeism and tardiness. Drug use was assessed with a questionnaire and urine testing. Employee drug use accounted for additional statistically significant variance in overall absenteeism and in absenteeism due to injuries and suspensions, as well as days tardy. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)