Occupational factors affecting sick leave attributed to low-back pain

Area of Science:

• Occupational Health
• Ergonomics
• Public Health

Background:

• Low-back pain is a leading cause of sick leave globally.
• Identifying occupational risk factors is crucial for prevention strategies.
• Previous research has explored various workplace factors, but comprehensive analysis is ongoing.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine specific occupational factors contributing to sick leave due to low-back pain.
• To differentiate between factors predicting recurrent low-back pain and those predicting sick leave attributed to it.

Main Methods:

• A longitudinal study involving 306 employees (117 white-collar, 189 blue-collar) from two metal industry companies.
• Questionnaires assessed recurrent low-back pain and exposure to biomechanical, environmental, and psychosocial risk factors.
• Sick leave data was collected over a 24-month interval.

Main Results:

• Harmful biomechanical loads predicted low-back pain in both worker groups (OR 4.1-4.7).
• Stress predicted low-back pain in white-collar workers (OR 2.4), and draft in blue-collar workers (OR 2.3).
• Exposure to biomechanical loads (RR 1.7) and lack of recognition/respect (RR 2.0) predicted sick leave for low-back pain, especially in blue-collar workers.

Conclusions:

• Recurrent low-back pain is strongly linked to biomechanical loads, with stress and draft as contributing factors for specific worker groups.
• Biomechanical loading is the primary occupational factor for both low-back pain and associated sick leave.
• Lack of recognition and respect at work significantly predicts sick leave attributed to back disorders, particularly among blue-collar employees.