BACKGROUND & AIMS:
BACKGROUND:Malaria is known to contribute to reduction in productivity through absenteeism as worker-hours are lost thus impacting company productivity and performance. This paper analysed the impact of malaria on productivity in a banana plantation through absenteeism.
METHODS:This study was carried out at Matanuska farm in Burma Valley, Zimbabwe. Raw data on absenteeism was obtained in retrospect from the Farm Manager. Malaria infection was detected using malaria Rapid Diagnostic Test. Measures of absence from work place were determined and included; incidence of absence (number of absentees divided by the total workforce), absence frequency (number of malaria spells), frequency rate (number of spells divided by the number of absentees), estimated duration of spells (number of days lost due to malaria), severity rate (number of days lost divided by number of spells), incapacity rate (number of days lost divided by the number of absentees), number of absent days (number of spells times the severity rate), number of scheduled working days (actual working days in 5 months multiplied by total number of employees), absenteeism rate.
RESULTS:A total of 143 employees were followed up over a 5-month period. Malaria positivity was 21%, 31.5%, 44.8%, 35.7% and 12.6% for January 2014 to May 2014, respectively. One spell of absence [194 (86.6%)] was common followed by 2 spells of absence [30 (13.4%)] for all employees. Duration of spells of absence due to malaria ranged from 1.5 to 4.1 working-days, with general workers being the most affected. Incidence of absence was 143/155 (93.3%), with total of spells of absence of over a 5-month period totalling 224. The frequency rate of absenteeism was 1.6 with severity rate of absence being 2.4. and incapacity rate was 3.7.
CONCLUSION:Malaria contributes significantly to worker absenteeism. Employers, therefore, ought to put measures that protect workers from malaria infections. Protecting workers can be done through malaria educative campaigns, providing mosquito nets, providing insecticide-treated work suits, providing repellents and partnering with different ministries to ensure protection of workers from mosquito bites.
背景与目标:
背景:众所周知,疟疾会因旷工而造成工作效率下降,从而导致工作效率下降。本文通过旷工分析了疟疾对香蕉种植园生产力的影响。
方法:这项研究是在津巴布韦缅甸山谷的马塔努斯卡农场进行的。旷工的原始数据是从农场经理那里获得的。使用疟疾快速诊断测试检测到疟疾感染。确定并包括离开工作场所的措施;缺勤的发生率(缺勤人数除以劳动力总数),缺勤频率(疟疾发作次数),发生频率(发病率除以缺勤人数),估计的持续时间(由于疟疾而损失的天数) ,严重性比率(损失的天数除以法术次数),丧失工作能力的比率(损失的天数除以缺勤者的数目),缺勤天数(损失的法术次数乘以严重性比率),计划的工作天数( 5个月的实际工作天数乘以员工总数),缺勤率。
结果:在5个月的时间内,共对143名员工进行了随访。 2014年1月至2014年5月的疟疾阳性率分别为21%,31.5%,44.8%,35.7%和12.6%。所有员工普遍缺勤1次(194(86.6%)],其次是2缺勤[30(13.4%)]。因疟疾而缺勤的持续时间为1.5至4.1个工作日,其中普通工人受影响最大。缺席发生率为143/155(93.3%),五个月内缺勤总数为224。缺勤发生率为1.6,缺席严重度为2.4。残废率是3.7。
结论:疟疾是导致工人旷工的重要原因。因此,雇主应采取措施保护工人免受疟疾感染。可以通过开展疟疾教育运动,提供蚊帐,提供经过杀虫剂处理的工作服,提供驱虫剂以及与不同部门合作来保护工人,以保护工人免受蚊虫叮咬。