I NFLUENCE OF PROFESSION AL STRESS ON TEMPORA RY AND PERMANENT WORKIN G ABILITY OF EXPOSED WORKERS

Occupational stress presents a health risk and affects working ability, leaving also a significant economic impact. Our aim was to examine the effect of the level of professional stress on temporary and permanent working disability in exposed workers. The study included 3527 workers of various professions, who in the period 2011-2016 on the territory of South East Serbia did the same job for at least last five years, and who were referred by their chosen doctor to the Disability Commission for the assessment of their permanent making disability due to a work injury or illness. The number of lost working days in relation to the level of occupational stress at their workplaces (the Occupational Stress Index- score) was analyzed. There was an increase in the average number of lost working days in the subgroups of workers with higher levels of occupational stress. Additionally, the number of workers who were entitled to a disability pension increased in the subgroups of workers with a higher level of stress at work. The research implies that stress at the workplace significantly affects the temporary and permanent working ability of the exposed workers.