• Journal of the Korea Safety Management & Science
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.203-213
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• 2014

Sickness absence is one of the most important indicators for worker's health and occupational safety and health performance. Sickness absence is primarily depended upon sickness but psycho-social factors in workplace may moderate sickness absence. Even though worker is falling into illness, sickness absence can be prevented by job satisfaction. In Korea it is very difficult to find research output about the association of sickness absence with job satisfaction. This study is planned to investigate the effect of job satisfaction on sickness absence. The third Korean Working Conditions Survey done by Occupational Safety and Health Research Institute in 2011 was used to analyze by logistic regression analysis. The result has shown that job satisfaction has statistically significant effect on sickness absence and simultaneously diminish the effect of symptoms experience on sickness absence. The effect of job satisfaction is greater in short term sickness absence than in long term sickness absence. This study has some limitation because of the cross sectional data of Korean Working Conditions Survey. In future, sophisticated statistical analysis may be done with modelling.

• Annals of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
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• v.35
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• pp.32.1-32.10
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• 2023

Background: Although many studies have been conducted on worker fatigue and sickness absence, the association between fatigue and sickness absence is unclear in Korean workers. This study was conducted to investigate the effect of worker fatigue on future sickness absence. Methods: The study was conducted on workers who received medical check-ups at a university hospital for two consecutive years (2014-2015). During check-ups in the first year, the Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS) was used to assess fatigue levels, and during check-ups in the second year, sickness absence was surveyed to determine whether they had been absent from work due to physical or mental illness during previous 12 months. The χ² test was used to analyze relationships between sociodemographic and occupational characteristics, fatigue levels, and sickness absence. Odds ratios (ORs) were calculated by logistic regression analysis controlled for confounding factors. Results: A total of 12,250 workers were included in the study, and 396 (3.2%) workers experienced more than one day of sickness absence during the study period. Adjusted ORs for sickness absence were 3.35 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.64-4.28) in the moderate-fatigue group and 6.87 (95% CI: 4.93-9.57) in the high-fatigue group versus the low-fatigue group. For men in the moderate- and high-fatigue groups, adjusted ORs for sickness absence were 3.40 (95% CI: 2.58-4.48) and 8.94 (95% CI: 6.12-13.07), and for women in the moderate- and high-fatigue groups, adjusted ORs for sickness absence were 2.93 (95% CI: 1.68-5.10) and 3.71 (95% CI: 1.84-7.49), respectively. Conclusions: Worker fatigue is associated with sickness absence during the following 12 months, and this association appears to be stronger for men than women. These results support the notion that sickness absence can be reduced by evaluating and managing work-related fatigue.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.228-234
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• 2020

Background: The concept of social capital has its focus on cooperative relations in the workplace. This study investigates the association between social capital and sickness absence among workers in 41 work groups in the Danish dairy industry and examines the possible effects of an intervention on social capital in the workplace on sickness absence. Methods: A sample of 791 dairy workers working in 41 work groups that participated in an intervention study on social capital filled in a questionnaire on four subtypes of social capital, and social capital scores from individual participants were aggregated to the level of work groups. Sickness absence was measured at the level of work groups in company registers as the two-year average percentage of working time lost to sickness absence. Group-level associations between social capital and sickness absence were analyzed using multilevel linear regression analysis. Analyses were adjusted for age, gender, group size, and random effects at the workplace level. Results: We found statistically significant associations between social capital within work groups, social capital in relation to the immediate manager, and social capital toward the workplace as a whole on the one side and sickness absence on the other side. We found no support for any effects of the intervention on sickness absence. Conclusion: The work group level of social capital is associated with the work group level of sickness absence. However, the intervention to enhance group-level social capital had no effect on reducing sickness absence in the intervention group.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.2 no.4
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• pp.313-320
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• 2011

Objectives: To analyze the association between changes in perceived physical and psychosocial working conditions and change of sickness absence days in younger and older (< 50 and ${\geq}50$ years) food industry employees. Methods: This was a follow up study of 679 employees, who completed working conditions survey questionnaires in 2005 and 2009 and for whom the requisite sickness absence data were available for the years 2004 and 2008. Results: Sickness absence increased and working conditions improved during follow-up. However, the change of increased sickness absence days were associated with the change of increased poor working postures and the change of deteriorated team spirit and reactivity (especially among < 50 years). No other changes in working conditions were associated with the changes in sickness absence. Conclusion: Sickness absence is affected by many factors other than working conditions. Nevertheless, according to this study improving team spirit and reactivity and preventing poor working postures are important in decreasing sickness absence.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.128-133
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• 2015

Background: To investigate the relationship between musculoskeletal disorders and comorbid health problems, including depression/anxiety disorder, insomnia/sleep disorder, fatigue, and injury by accident, and to determine whether certain physical and psychological factors reduce comorbid health problems. Methods: In total, 29,711 employees were selected from respondents of the Third Korean Working Conditions Survey and categorized into two groups: Musculoskeletal Complaints or Musculoskeletal Sickness Absence. Four self-reported health indicators (overall fatigue, depression/anxiety, insomnia/sleep disorder, and injury by accident) were selected as outcomes, based on their high prevalence in Korea. We used multiple logistic regression analysis to determine the relationship between comorbid health problems, musculoskeletal complaints, and sickness absence. Results: The prevalence of musculoskeletal complaints and musculoskeletal sickness absence due to muscular pain was 32.26% and 0.59%, respectively. Compared to the reference group, depression/anxiety disorder and overall fatigue were 5.2-6.1 times more prevalent in the Musculoskeletal Complaints Group and insomnia/sleep disorder and injury by accident were 7.6-11.0 times more prevalent in the Sickness Absence Group. When adjusted for individual and work-related physical factors, prevalence of all four comorbid health problems were slightly decreased in both groups. Conclusion: Increases in overall fatigue and depression/anxiety disorder were observed in the Musculoskeletal Complaints Group, while increases in insomnia/sleep disorder and injury by accident were observed in the Sickness Absence Group. For management of musculoskeletal complaints and sickness absence in the workplace, differences in health problems between employees with musculoskeletal complaints and those with sickness absence as well as the physical and psychological risk factors should be considered.

• Korean Journal of Occupational Health Nursing
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.216-226
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• 2016

Purpose: This study was to examine the influences of working conditions and health status on absence due to sickness in health and medical related workers. Methods: Data from the Third Korean Working Condition Survey was used. Study participants included 929 workers who have been working in the medical and healthcare fields. Descriptive analysis, independent t-test, ${\chi}^2$ test, Fisher's exact test and logistic regression analyses were performed using SPSS 21.0 statistical program. Results: Absence due to sickness was found in 7.8% of health and medical related workers. Absence due to sickness differed significantly depending on monthly income, company size, work-related musculoskeletal risk factors, job control, physical health problems and subjective health status would be important factors affecting absence. Conclusion: This study provides evidences that predictors of absence due to sickness in workers of medical and healthcare fields are identified. Therefore, we need the active support for health care service promotion and prevention for predictors of absence due to sickness.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.26 no.4 s.44
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• pp.574-586
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• 1993

This study was to examine the actual conditions and contributing factors of absenteeism in manufacturing workers. Subjects were 1,184 workers employed in Taejon city and the observation period for absenteeism was 3 months (June to August), 1992. We obtained the following results. 1. Percentage of the absentees among the studied subjects were 21.1% in gross absence and 6.9% in sickness absence. Gross absence rate of subjects was 1.2% and sickness absence rate was 0.5%. 2. In the group of absentees, mean days of absence was 2.8 days and those of sickness was 4.4 days. Mean days of sickness absence due to injury was higher than that of illness, but the total days of sickness absence was high in extremity injuries, trunk injury, general fatigue, head injury, musculoskeletal problem in that order. 3. Variables contributing to the absence were job classification, education level, working hours per day, exposure of noxious factor, worker classification. 4. In the group of absentees, variables influencing the gross absence rate were working atmosphere, body mass infer, working environment, working hours per day but those of the sickness absence were working hours per day, education level and working atomosphere.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.35-39
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• 1980

The researcher intended to investigate the rate of absenteeism and other related statistics among the workers in a steel and iron industry with the criteria and the recommendation of the International Association on Occupational Health. With the well designed questionaire and interview, 1,882 workers were surveyed from July the 24th to the 28th, 1978. The results were as follows; The workers who experienced absence were 16.8% in July. The rate of frequency (spells) was 3.24, the duration was 4.65, the frequency (persons) was 345.20, and the lost time was 1.27. 41.0% among the absentee experienced sickness absences and the rates of sickness absence were as follow; the frequency (spells) nab 1.34, the duration was 2.29, the frequency (persons) was 101.06 and the lost time was 0.63, respectively. The main causes of sickness absence were general symptoms, such as fatigue (50.8%) and gastro-intestinal symptoms (13.8%). The frequency of sickness was highly correlated to the frequency of drinking, the amount of smoking, the physical work-load and the amount of drinking, which was analysed by the stepwize multiple regrssion analysis. The multiple R due to the above mentioned four variables was 0.320 and the R square was 10.3%.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.536-543
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• 2021

Background: Sickness absenteeism is an area of concern in nursing and is more concerning given the recent impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on healthcare. This study is one of two meta-analyses that examined sickness absenteeism in nursing. In this study, we examined demographic, lifestyle, and physical health predictors. Methods: We reviewed five databases (CINAHL, ProQuest Allied, ProQuest database theses, PsycINFO, and PubMed) for our search. We registered the systematic review (CRD de-identified) and followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses. Additionally, we used the Population/Intervention/Comparison/Outcome Tool to improve our searches. Results: Following quality testing, 17 articles were used for quantitative synthesis. Female employees were at higher risks of sickness absenteeism than their male counterparts (OR = 1.73; 95% CI: 1.33-2.25). Nursing staff who rated their health as poor had a greater likelihood of experiencing sickness absence (OR = 1.38; 95% CI: 1.19-1.60). Also, previous sick leave predicted future leaves (OR = 3.35; 95% CI: 1.37-8.19). Moreover, experiencing musculoskeletal pain (OR = 2.41 95% CI: 1.77-3.27) increased the likelihood of sickness absence with greater odds when it is a back pain (OR = 3.05; 95% CI: 1.66-5.62). Increased age, physical activity, and sleep were not associated with sick leave. Conclusion: Several variables were statistically associated with the occurrence of sickness absenteeism. One primary concern is the limited research in this area despite alarming rates of sick leave in healthcare. More research is required to identify predictors of sickness absence, and thereby, implement preventative measures.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.276-281
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• 2017

Background: The present study was carried out to assess the relationship between sickness absence and occupational stress, sleep quality, and amplitude and stability of circadian rhythm as well as to determine contributing factors of sickness absence. Methods: This cross sectional study was conducted on 400 randomly selected employees of an Iranian gas company. The data were collected using Pittsburgh sleep quality index, Karolinska sleepiness scale, circadian type inventory, and Osipow occupational stress questionnaires. Results: The mean age and job tenure of the participants were $33.18{\pm}5.64years$ and $6.06{\pm}4.99years$, respectively. Also, the participants had been absent from work on average 2.16 days a year. According to the results, 209 participants had no absences, 129 participants had short-term absences, and 62 participants had long-term absences. The results showed a significant relationship between short-term absenteeism and amplitude of circadian rhythm [odds ratio (OR) = 6.13], sleep quality (OR = 14.46), sleepiness (OR = 2.08), role boundary (OR = 6.45), and responsibility (OR = 5.23). Long-term absenteeism was also significantly associated with amplitude of circadian rhythm (OR = 2.42), sleep quality (OR = 21.56), sleepiness (OR = 6.44), role overload (OR = 4.84), role boundary (OR = 4.27), and responsibility (OR = 3.72). Conclusion: The results revealed that poor sleep quality, amplitude of circadian rhythm, and occupational stress were the contributing factors for sickness absence in the study population.