Absenteeism statistics-Government figures
HSE website
- 4.9 million working days lost (full day equivalents) due to back pain caused/made worse by work.
- On average each sufferer took about 19 days off in that 12 month period.
- 2.2 million people in Great Britain suffered from work related ill health in 2003/04 - one of five of those involved a bad back.
- At least 5 million adults consult their GP annually about back pain. Back pain is the nation's leading cause of disability with 1.1 million people disabled by it.
- The average absenteeism rate in the UK is 3.9% of the workforce.
CBI 2003 Absence and Labour Turnover Survey
- "Sickness costs on average £567 per employee per year".
- "Over 166 million working days are lost each year through illness, costing British businesses £11.6 billion".
Office For National Statistics
- Back pain and Stress are amongst the leading causes of absenteeism for all staff.
- Back pain is the leading cause of absenteeism for manual workers.
- Stress is the leading cause for non manual workers.
- Department of Heath Survey June 1998 of 5500 working adults:-
-39% had low back pain for more than 1 day in the last 12 months.
-15 % had been in pain all year.
-40% had seen their GP.
-33% has restricted duties/activities 4 weeks before the interview.
-15 % had been in pain all year.
-40% had seen their GP.
-33% has restricted duties/activities 4 weeks before the interview.
This is similar to the findings within a GP practice in the course of one year. Find out more...