The reason for this is the current health report of the health insurance fund, which shows clear differences between men and women from the federal state regarding sickness-related absences from work. For the report, incapacity for work notifications from around 52,000 BARMER-insured working individuals residing in Saarland from the year 2021 were evaluated. According to this, the number of days of incapacity for work among male employees due to injuries such as sprains or ligament tears was 40 percent higher than that of employed women. Dunja Kleis, state managing director of BARMER in Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland, says: “Good company health management takes into account differences between the genders.”
Hand and knee injuries significantly more common in men than in women
According to the health report, Saarland men were absent an average of 2.8 days due to workplace injuries, while Saarland women were absent only 2.0 days. Employed men from Saarland even had more than double the risk of absence due to fractures in the wrist and hand area compared to employed women from the state (men: 0.18 days, women: 0.07 days). "Gender-specific offerings tailored to the respective workplace are necessary in corporate health management. For increased occupational safety, behavioral prevention is required to keep the injury risk for men performing manual tasks as low as possible through prescribed and strictly adhered-to work procedures," Kleis demands.
Men often suffer from mental disorders caused by alcohol
The analyses for the BARMER Health Report also show that men from Saarland are on average significantly less likely to be absent from work due to mental illnesses than women (men: 3.9 days, women: 5.9 days). This applies to depression and many other conditions within the field of mental health disorders. An exception is mental disorders caused by alcohol. Here, the number of days absent from work among Saarland men (0.11 days) in 2021 was almost twice as high as among Saarland women (0.06 days). "The addictive potential and health risks of alcohol are often underestimated. Anyone who suspects they have an alcohol problem should seek medical advice," says Kleis. Addiction counseling or self-help groups can also be a good first point of contact.
Circulatory system problems twice as common in men
It is also striking in the results of the health report that men in Saarland have significantly more days of incapacity for work due to circulatory system diseases such as high blood pressure and heart failure than women from the federal state. The risk of absenteeism was about twice as high among male employees here (men: 1.1 days, women: 0.6 days). "Through corporate health management, employers have the opportunity to positively influence the extent of circulatory diseases among their workforce by means of training to strengthen the circulatory system and offers for healthy nutrition in the workplace. In addition, workshops can be used within the framework of corporate health management in which employees learn the use of relaxation techniques," reports Kleis.
