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Med. Pr. 2003;54(1):9-15

SICKNESS ABSENCE AMONG WORKERS EMPLOYED IN A RESTRUCTURED ENTERPRISE

ABSENCJA CHOROBOWA W PRZEDSIĘBIORSTWIE PO RESTRUKTURYZACJI

Zuzanna Szubert, Wojciech Sobala

Abstract

Ownership and restructuring transformations that are taking now place in Poland, as well as the situation on the labor market have their impact on the indicators, which illustrate the workers' health situation, including temporary work disability preceding the issue of the certification granting the disability pension.
The aim of this analysis was to identify the changes in the extent and causes of sickness absence among workers after restructuring.
The study was carried out in one of the largest transport industry enterprises during the years of its restructuring (1984-1994), covering 8588 workers, and after its restructuring (1997-1999), covering 2702 workers. Following the restructuring, the enterprise's staff was rejuvenated so that thenumber of workers aged over 50 years decreased by almost fifty percent. The analysis was based on the sickness absence rate calculated as the ratio between the number of days of work disability in a given period of time and the number of person-days in the same period.
In 1997-1999, a 33% decrease in sickness absence among women and a 25% decrease among men were observed in the study enterprise as compared with the period of 1989ś1994. However,the enhanced absence was also found due to the following diseases: mental disorders (a threefold increase in men); diseases of the musculosceletal system (by 54% in men and by 43% in women); endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases and immunity disorders (a threefold increase in women).
Following the restructuring, considerable changes in the sickness absence structure, by causes of diseases, were revealed. A substantial decrease in the share of male and female absence due to diseases of the respiratory and circulatory systems and almost threefold decrease in complications of pregnancy, childbirth and the puerperium in women were noted. In addition, over twofold increase in male and female sickness absence due to diseases of the musculosceletal system, and lower but significant increase due to mental pathologies (from 3 to 12% in males and from 4 to 7% in women)were recorded.
The changes observed in sickness absence result mainly from the changes in the magnitude and structure of employment in the restructured enterprise and related organizational modifications, which arise stressogenic situations among workers, more intensified at risk of unemployment.

Key words

sickness absence, economic transition