The work ability of 961 construction workers, aged 40 yr and over, was followed in two consecutive interviews in 1991 and 1995. A total of 736 (77%) construction workers participated in the follow-up interview. A work ability index was calculated for each respondent at baseline and at follow-up. Information on disability pensions was obtained from the registries of the LEL Employment Pension Fund. The actual working status was followed in the pension insurance register. Due to the recession during the early 1990s, nearly half of the respondents were unemployed for at least some period during the study. The work ability declined, especially in the age-group 50 yr and older. The work ability index was highly predictive of disability pensions during the follow-up. Relevance to industry Reduced work ability and early retirement due to disabilities is commonplace in physically demanding jobs. There are few methods to forecast and monitor the risk of disability. This paper presents an easy to administer questionnaire, the work ability index, which is suitable for description and prediction of work ability in a group of ageing workers in physically demanding tasks, such as construction work. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
