Work ability index and occupational Fatigue in the Workers of a Large Automotive company in Iran

Abstract

Background Work ability and occupational fatigue are two critical topics in occupational health. We aimed to assess fatigue and the work ability and find their association in the workers of a large Iranian car company. Methods In this cross-sectional study, we enrolled the workers of SAIPA Automotive Corporation between April and September 2019. We used the Work Ability Index and SOFI-20 questionnaires to assess the work ability and occupational fatigue in the study population, respectively. Then the correlation between work ability index and its association with fatigue dimensions and general study variables were tested. Results From a total of 400 workers, we analyzed the data of 376 workers (mean age = 37.1 ± 5.6 years). The mean WAI was 38.01 ± 7.46. Workers with regular exercise training had higher WAI (P < 0.001). Workers in the press shop had a higher WAI as compared with those who worked in the painting shop or trim shop (P < 0.001). The work ability index had a moderate indirect correlation with all of the fatigue dimensions. There was a significant association between the work stations (P = 0.002) and WAI. As regards the fatigue dimensions, higher physical discomfort, lack of motivation and sleepiness were associated with a lower WAI (P = 0.048, P = 0.012 and P < 0.001 respectively). Conclusion In this study, we found a negative association between fatigue dimensions and the workability index.