Evaluation of the Work Ability of workers in the furniture sector of a city in the south of Brazil

João Eduardo Linhares,Renato Tonello,Sergio Luiz Ribas Pessa,Jaqueline Marcis,Gilson Adamczuk Oliveira

doi:10.1590/0104-530x3619-19

João Eduardo Linhares, Renato Tonello + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1590/0104-530x3619-19

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Abstract

Abstract The aging of the workforce is a phenomenon that the world population is facing. Researchers at the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health have developed a tool for assessing the work ability, an instrument through which it is possible to identify the existence of early functional aging among a certain group of workers. The present study measured the Work Capability Index (WAI) of workers from 5 small furniture companies in a city in southern Brazil. It was possible to notice that with the increase of age, the average WAI of the workers was smaller, although there was no statistical significance (p> 0.05), by the nonparametric Kruskal-Wallis test. The variables “civil status”, “current schooling” and “education” presented statistical significance (p <0.05), being possible to associate these variables with the decline in work ability. The results showed that only 13.6% of workers have a low or moderate work ability. For 86.4%, the results showed good or excellent indices, and in these cases, actions must be taken that can maintain and improve the work ability.

Highlights

The aging of the workforce is a phenomenon that many countries have gone through or are going through
The ability to carry out activities in the company was evaluated through the Work Ability Index (WAI) questionnaire developed by the Finnish Occupational Health Institute (FIOH) in the 1980s (Martinez et al, 2010; El Fassi et al, 2013)
About 75% of workers were under 40 years old, with an average age of 32.16 years. This result was found with carpenters from a city of Mineira, whose average age

Summary

Introduction

The aging of the workforce is a phenomenon that many countries have gone through or are going through. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the world population over the age of 60 will almost double, from 12% to 22% between 2015 and 2050. In countries like Brazil, China and India, the population over 60 years old will increase from 10% to 20% in a little more than 20 years (WHO, 2015; Martinez & Latorre, 2008). Before the retirement age is reached, workers in the market may seek to improve their quality of life and their work ability. 3, e3619, 2019 can promote policies to promote the work ability, as indicated by previous studies (Tuomi et al, 2001; Tuomi et al, 2005; Martinez et al, 2010; Koolhaas et al, 2014) Prod., São Carlos, v. 26, n. 3, e3619, 2019 can promote policies to promote the work ability, as indicated by previous studies (Tuomi et al, 2001; Tuomi et al, 2005; Martinez et al, 2010; Koolhaas et al, 2014)

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