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Sickness Absenteeism in an Engineering Industry—an Analysis with Special Reference to Absence for Neck and Upper Extremity Symptoms

Lennart Dimberg, Volvo Flygmotor AB, Trollhättan, Sweden, Address for offprints: Lennart Dimberg Volvo Flygmotor AB S-46181 Trollhättan Sweden

Ari Olafsson

Orthopaedic Department, F.S.A., Akureyri, Iceland

Eythor Stefansson

Department of Handsurgery, Sahlgren Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden

Hans Aagaard

Volvo Flygmotor AB, Trollhättan, Sweden

Anders Odén

Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Chicago, III., USA,

Gunnar B.J. Andersson

Kungälv, Sweden, Rush-Presbyterian-St Luke's Medical Center

Carl-Göran Hagert

Faculty of Medicine, University of Kuwait

Tommy Hansson

Department of Orthopaedics, Sahlgren Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden

Neck and upper extremity symptoms (NES) are reported to increase among industrial workers. In order to quantify sickness absenteeism and relate it to some factors a questionnaire study was performed among 2814 workers occupied at a Swedish engineering industry. Questions pertaining to age, sex, worker category, work with vibrating handtools, type of job and smoking habits were analyzed and correlated to sickness absenteeism for the previous year (1983). We found that the average days lost for personal illness was 17.2 days; 16.2 for men and 23.5 days for women. Ninety-four persons, 77 men and 17 women comprising 3.0% of all employees were sicklisted for NES corresponding to 3.3% of total sickness time lost. Blue-collar workers were sicklisted for NES five times more often than white collar workers and women in type 3 jobs (high NE stress), twice that of men occupied in the same type of job. Smokers had significantly higher absenteeism than non-smokers for any reason studied including NES. The study indicated a high prevalence of present NES problems (23%) but also that NES as a cause of leave of absence was relatively rare (3%).

Key Words: sickness absenteeism • industrial workers • cer-vicobrachial symptoms • questionnaire.

Scandinavian Journal of Public Health, Vol. 17, No. 1, 77-84 (1989)
DOI: 10.1177/140349488901700112


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