Absenteeism of Shift and Day Workers with Special Reference to Peptic Ulcer

Abstract

The causes and duration of sickness absences have been registered for workers in 30 plants of 17 member companies of The Japan Chemical Fibers and Textile Association (JCFTA). Diseases that caused absence were classified into 38 categories by plant physicians according to a simplified version of the International Classification of Diseases, and recorded monthly in the central file of JCFTA. Using 1982 data for 26, 324 male manufacturing workers including 13, 472 shift workers, incidences (inception rate) of diseases that caused absence and days lost due to them were studied in order to evaluate the effect of shift work. The incidence of peptic ulcer was significantly higher (rate ratlo=1.6) among shift workers as compared with day workers. The incidences of days lost due to other diseases in shift workers were almost equal to or lower than those in day workers.