Occupational burnout predicts severe injuries

Saturday, 02/12/2023, 09:59(GMT +7)

Occupational burnout increases the risk of injuries leading to death or hospitalization in all types of accidental injuries at work and in leisure time. An employee that experiences occupational burnout symptoms weekly has a 19% higher risk of injuries than a colleague with less frequent symptoms, as shown in the new study among forest industry workers conducted by the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health. The study was recently published electronically in the Journal of Occupational Health.

Of the occupational burnout symptoms, exhaustion and cynicism in particular were related to an increased risk of injury.

“Burnout may compromise cognitive functioning and prevent individuals from responding appropriately to novel, changing, or complicated tasks. On the other hand, people with burnout may be cynical and skip phases or procedures in their actions because they do not find it worthwhile to invest time and energy into them. A person with burnout may just not have enough energy left to master the best ways to do things at work, during commuting as well as in leisure time,” considers the leader of the Work and Mental Health team, Adjunct Professor Kirsi Ahola from the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health (FIOH) on the causes of accidental injuries.

Employees with occupational burnout belong to the risk group of all types of accidental injuries

All injuries whether they  occurred at work or  in leisure time were taken into account in the study. Injuries were more common among males and manual workers. In the study data, the most common types of injuries were falls (59%). Occupational burnout also increased the risk of other injuries.

Work ability support helps to detect problems in time and tackle them

Absences and disabilities resulted from injuries also cause harm to employers. Therefore, working conditions in the work community should be monitored and developed so that workload does not become excessive in the workplace.

“In addition, vigilance to detect problems at an individual level and their early discussion support the work ability of employees,” says Ahola.

In recent years, many Finnish workplaces have agreed on early prevention practices including  a list of warning signs and a course of action upon detecting these warning signs. Thus, potential problems regarding work ability can be tackled in time. Warning signs may include continuous problems with work performance, irritability, withdrawal from interaction, and behavioural change.

“The concern for a colleague should be addressed so that it can be resolved if the concern is justified,” encourages Ahola. 

Occupational burnout develops as a result of a prolonged work stress

Occupational burnout is a process, in which worker’s psychological resources are depleted when a solution to a stressful work situation cannot be found and high workload prevails. According to the Finnish Health 2011 study, two percent of men and three percent of women suffer from severe occupational burnout. Mild occupational burnout occurs in 22% of men and 23% of women. Studies on occupational burnout and health have shown that severe burnout is related to physical and mental disorders.

The study was conducted in the forest industry

A total of 10,062 forest industry employees participated in the study. Only those employees who had no previous injuries during the two years before the assessment of occupational burnout were included in the study. The data on occupational burnout was collected in two rounds: in 1996 and 2000. There were 788 severe injuries over eight years. The data on them was derived from the National Mortality Register maintained by Statistics Finland, and from the National Hospital Discharge Register maintained by the National Institute for Health and Welfare. A total of 15 of the injuries led to death and 773 to hospitalization. The analyses were adjusted for age, sex, marital status, and occupational status.

Source: FIOH


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