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Abstract Introduction Coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic outbreak has contributed to increase work absenteeism associated with sick leave benefits and the measures to mitigate the spread of coronavirus. This study had the objective to verify if the COVID-19 pandemic have impacted in the absenteeism and work-related accidents involving workers of a Brazilian Water/Sewage Company. Methods A retrospective and paired cohort study was performed, in which the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic was evaluated in regard to absenteeism management and the number of work-related accidents.The data were analyzed for a period of 12 months from April 2018 until March 2019, before the Coronavirus outbreak, compared with the data collected from April 2020 until March 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Results The results showed a 79,6 % increase in the number of absenteeism in 2020-2021 (absenteeism index=5,4) compared to the same period in 2018-2019 (absenteeism index=1.1). The data also revealed a reduction of the total numbers of work-related accidents at 60% during the pandemic. The company had 95 (20%) workers who had tested positive for COVID1-9. Discussion In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was shown the impact on absenteeism and work-related accidents in order to secure and maintain the continuity of the essential services, and proper execution of the operations. Conclusion It was observed that there was an increase in absenteeism and a reduction in the number of work-related accidents. The pandemic had mostly influenced the work absenteeism and the number of work-related due to the restrictive measures, and also to the elevated number of COVID-19 positive cases.
Ferreira et al. (Mon,) studied this question.