Working conditions cause 25% of absenteeism

Absenteeism among workers has been on the decline in recent years. Besides that, a recent health and safety survey held under 23,000 workers shows that working conditions are increasingly less responsible for sick leave. Working conditions only cause 25% of all absenteeism.

According to the survey, sick leave in the private sector went down from 5.2% in 2002 to 4.6% in 2004. Those figures in the public sector were 5.6% in 2002 and 5.4% in 2003. The workers interviewed indicated that work pressure and work stress are the main causes of work-related sick leave. A third of the workers who became ill due to their work identify this as the cause. 20% cite excessive heavy physical stress as the main cause.

The survey shows that almost 90% of workers feel they are in fine health. There are, however, signs that the number of psychological complaints and RSI complaints have risen somewhat since 2003. RSI complaints rose from 25% to 27% from 2003-2005.

The number of work accidents declined by 17% from 2000 to 2004. In 2000, there were 13 work accidents to every 1,000 workers. That number dropped to less than 11 in 2004. The number of lethal accidents at work in the same period went down from 119 a year to 83.

Discrimination in the workplace has been stable for several years. Around 3% of workers report discrimination. The number of workers who experience violence and (sexual) intimidation seems to have stabilised as well after a rise between 2000 and 2003. Roughly 11% of workers report harassment by colleagues. Every year, 100,000 workers (1.5%) face systematic harassment.

Exposure to excessive physical stress, harmful noise and hazardous substances has also been reasonably stable for several years. Even though the figures concerning these risks have stabilised, workers are less satisfied with their working conditions. In 2005, 70% of workers expressed satisfaction, compared to 76% in 2003.

Source: Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment, 19 June 2006