Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2012 Sep;102(9):e59-64.
doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2011.300482. Epub 2012 Jun 21.

Paid sick leave and nonfatal occupational injuries

Abay Asfaw  1 , Regina Pana-Cryan, Roger Rosa
Affiliations

Paid sick leave and nonfatal occupational injuries

Abay Asfaw et al. Am J Public Health. 2012 Sep.

Abstract

Objectives: We examined the association between US workers' access to paid sick leave and the incidence of nonfatal occupational injuries from the employer's perspective. We also examined this association in different industries and occupations.

Methods: We developed a theoretical framework to examine the business value of offering paid sick leave. Data from the National Health Interview Survey were used to test the hypothesis that offering paid sick leave is associated with a reduced incidence of occupational injuries. We used data on approximately 38 000 working adults to estimate a multivariate model.

Results: With all other variables held constant, workers with access to paid sick leave were 28% (95% confidence interval = 0.52, 0.99) less likely than workers without access to paid sick leave to be injured. The association between the availability of paid sick leave and the incidence of occupational injuries varied across sectors and occupations, with the greatest differences occurring in high-risk sectors and occupations.

Conclusions: Our findings suggest that, similar to other investments in worker safety and health, introducing or expanding paid sick leave programs might help businesses reduce the incidence of nonfatal occupational injuries, particularly in high-risk sectors and occupations.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

FIGURE 1—
FIGURE 1—
Predicted probabilities of nonfatal occupational injuries, by availability of paid sick leave and occupational sector: National Health Interview Survey, 2005–2008.
FIGURE 2—
FIGURE 2—
Predicted probabilities of nonfatal occupational injuries, by availability of paid sick leave and occupation: National Health Interview Survey, 2005–2008.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. US Dept of Labor The Family Medical Leave Act. Available at: http://www.dol.gov/compliance/laws/comp-fmla.htm. Accessed May 17, 2012
    1. Treble J. A Tale of Two Continents: Sickness Absence and the Household Division of Labour in North America and Europe. Cardiff, Wales: University of Wales; 2007
    1. Lovell V. No Time to Be Sick: Why Everyone Suffers When Workers Don’t Have Paid Sick Leave. Washington, DC: Institute for Women’s Policy Research; 2004
    1. Appelbaum E, Milkman R. Leaves that pay: employer and worker experiences with paid family leave in California. Available at: http://www.cepr.net/documents/publications/paid-family-leave-1-2011.pdf. Accessed May 17, 2012
    1. Palmer SJ. Care of sick children by parents: a meaningful role. J Adv Nurs. 1993;18(2):185–191 - PubMed