Evaluation of job loss times before and during COVID 19 of employees in a food production factory in Ankara

This study was conducted to determine the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on workday losses in a factory. The study is a retrospective record review. In this study, all health-related absences between May 1. 2020, when the first case was detected in the factory, and April 30. 2021, among the employees of a food production factory in Ankara, were analyzed. The data were obtained from the personnel files in the workplace health unit in 2022. A total of 1034 employee records were examined. In the year 2019, when there were no Covid-19 cases in Turkey yet, the lost time due to work-related accidents was 3750 hours (13%), work-related illnesses accounted for 5542.5 hours (19%), and other illnesses caused a loss of 19702.5 hours (68%), resulting in a total loss of 28905 hours. During the Covid period, the loss due to work-related accidents was 982.5 hours (3%), work-related illnesses accounted for 7245 hours (23%), and other illnesses caused a loss of 10492.5 hours (33%). During the Covid-19 period, the non-Covid-related lost work hours were 18,720 (59.2%), which is lower than the work hours lost for the same reasons before Covid-19. The total loss due to Covid-related factors during the Covid period was 13200 hours (41.3%), resulting in a total loss duration of 31920 hours. It was determined that more than half (55.8%) of the total work hours lost due to Covid during this period were due to quarantine related to close contact, and only 5.5% were due to hospitalization or death. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that workers in the food sector were also affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, which has affected communities worldwide. The strict measures taken in the factory environment and the adherence of employees to the rules seem to have contributed to fewer workday losses during the pandemic.