ABSTRACT
People in heavy occupations or those carried out in difficult circumstances find it more difficult to report to work when not seriously ill than those in light or easy occupations. The information contained in this chapter is from the survey unless otherwise stated. The Factory and Workshops Act, 1891, marked the beginning of social policy for dealing with the first problem. The most favoured week for giving up employment was the twelth week preceding confinement when 10.5% of the sample gave up work. The amount of registered incapacity for work on account of sickness is an underestimate of the real extent since it is based on information provided by the Ministry of Social Security on the number of persons claiming sickness benefit. It excludes two-thirds of married women at work who do not pay full contributions and are not entitled to sickness benefit. Claims for sickness benefit are made on medical certificates of incapacity signed by the claimant's doctor.
