Biometeorological effects on worker absenteeism

The effects of six biometeorological variables (temperature, precipitation, air pressure, humidity, wind speed, and snow) on plant-wide worker absenteeism rates were investigated using 4 years of daily absence data (n=889). After holding constant temporal variables (years, season, and day of week), and then other biometeorological variables, all but one of the variables under consideration were uniquely and significantly related to absenteeism: temperature (r_partial=–0.17***), precipitation (r_partial=0.12***), air pressure (r_partial=–0.09**), wind speed (r_partial=0.11*), and snow (r_partial=0.30***). Humidity (r_partial=–00, ns) was not uniquely correlated. The adjusted R² of .29 (full R=0.55) for the entire model was also significant, illustrating the importance of these exogenous, meteorological variables in developing a prediction model of plant-wide absenteeism.