Relationship between Accidents Frequency, Work Ability Index and Respiratory Function: A Case Study in a Power Plant Manufacturing Industry

The nature of machining jobs has classified it as one of the special, dangerous, and important jobs. The ability to do this job, in addition to having the necessary knowledge and skills, requires acceptable physical, physical, and mental performance of people. Therefore, the present study was conducted with the aim of investigating the relationship between the occurrence of accidents with the work ability index and respiratory performance in a power plant equipment manufacturing industry.

The present study was conducted on 142 machine workers. In order to collect data, researcher-made demographic-occupational information questionnaires and workability indexes were used. A pulmonary function test was performed with a spirometry device based on the standards of the American Thoracic Society. In order to analyze the data, SPSS21 statistical software was used.

The study samples' mean WAI was in the good category (37-44). The results of respiratory function (% FEV1 / FVC) in the workers with more than five years of experience showed that an average of 95.8% of the study population had a respiratory function of below 85%. The mean number of occupational accidents was 65.9% of the study population was reported to have equal to or less than three accidents. In the study sample, the average accident severity (days lost) was 94.5% of the population had equal to or less than nine days lost due to the accidents. The relationship between the WAI, respiratory system function, and occupational accidents was significant (p < 0.05).

The Work Ability Index in the machinery workers was within a reasonable range, and the number and severity of their occupational accidents were low. Further studies should be conducted on these indicators and respiratory function. Also, it is recommended that the workability be examined during the pre-employment process and the results are applied in the human resources management.