Introduction
Construction company employees are at a higher risk of work-related diseases and occupational injuries.
Materials and methods
The data from primary medical examinations performed at a construction company with an average listed number of 1340 employees for a 3-year period, from 2019 to 2021, was analyzed. The number of primary cases and lost work days for each year of the period were presented, distributed according to age groups and occupational disease classes. The indicators of morbidity and temporary work incapacity were determined and compared with indicative-normative groups according to Batkis-Lekarev.
Results and discussion
More than 49% of the construction company employees were over 45, and the morbidity and labor losses in this age group were the highest. There was a low frequency of registered diseases, a relatively high share of short-term work incapacity, cases of temporary work incapacity, and labor losses. The average duration of a case was high (over 10 days), and the relative share of frequent and long-term work incapacity was low in 2020 and 2021, and at an average level in 2019. Cases under the category "Diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue" (DMSSCT) accounted for 23.1% of the total number of cases. Leading among them were the cases due to damage of the intervertebral discs in the lumbar and other segments with radiculopathy, with a frequency of 17.33 on average for the period. In terms of days of temporary work incapacity, the group DMSSCT was the leader with 27.8% of all days of temporary incapacity for work. The majority of labor losses were the result of damage to the intervertebral discs in the lumbar and other spinal segments due to radiculopathy (405.3 on average over the 3-year period).
Conclusions
Employees over 45 years of age had the highest morbidity rate during the period analyzed. The most common occupational diseases they suffered from were those of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue. The majority of the cases involved damage to the intervertebral discs. The introduction and adherence to measures for safe working conditions, along with the development of an occupational risk assessment program, would definitely help reduce morbidity and temporary work incapacity in the long run.
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