Absenteeism of people with disabilities in the construction industry in Brazil

The employment rates of people with disabilities (PWDs) are lower than the general population in many countries because of several factors, including prejudices about labour production and absenteeism of these workers.

The objective of the research was to evaluate the absenteeism of PWDs in the construction industry in the metropolitan area of Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil.

Study participants were workers with disabilities that performed jobs at the work sites in the construction industry. Participants were interviewed and they answered the Work Limitation Questionnaire (WLQ). In order to compare the absenteeism of people with disabilities and without disabilities, the companies provided real absenteeism data.

Twenty-five workers with disabilities participated in the study, of which 32% were laborers and 72% had physical disabilities. The companies made accommodations for 56% of PWDs and all of them were the organizational type. The WLQ summed score of the PWDs was 3.16. The mean absenteeism of the PWDs was 19.00% ±1.22 standard deviation (SD) (p = 0.238) higher in relation to workers without disabilities.

Most of the workers with disabilities had lower absenteeism than those without disability, however, the mean absenteeism of PWDs was higher in relation to workers without disabilities. In addition, workers higher educational level, the laborer of auxiliary warehouse, the workers for whom the companies have not made accommodations to the workplace and the higher WLQ summed score lower statistically significantly absenteeism in relation to workers without disabilities.