Milford chronicle., 1954-08-27
Young Folks Lose
More Time From
Work Than Others

Young persons lose more time
from work because Of illness than
do older men and women, accord
ing to a recent survey among en-
pI0yees Of the Dupont Company.
In the 24-29 age bracket, 55 per
cent Of all employees had a time
losing illness last year. Among
those in the S6-40 bracket, only 80
per cent had lost time, while in
the $3.50 bracket it was 49 per
cent. In all groups, most missed
less than a week.
A typical family Of four spends
about $500 a year on medical bills,
including insurance, and this is
bolstered by the health services and
protection which the company pro-
Yiies each employee. Annual physi-
cal examinations, basic research in
industrial medicine, special atten-
ton to such problems as alcohol
ism, and other activities have all
worked toward better health. Disa-
bility wages. which DUPONT piO-
neered IL years ago, provide normal
pay for three months. eliminating
loss Of income during prolonged
illness. Other cOmpany-paid plans
cover hospital and surgical care
for employees. The cOmpany's to-
tai bill for these services is in eX-
cess Of $12,OO0,000.
For the nation as a whole, ill-
ness each year costs the average
person $100 loss of pay plus $40 or
more in medical care. Thus the
average Dupont employee and his
family have much more than a
proportiOnate share Of the medical
care available.
He also lost less time from work
The average u. S. worker loses
rs days Of work year because Of
illness or non-OccupatiOnal acci-
dent. The average Dupont employee
loses only 4.3 days from the same
causes.
A cardinal factor IN the Dupont
employees health record is the
company's emphasis on preventive
medicine. A corps Of 1853 doctors,
six scientists, and about $50 nurses
and technicians conducts this pro-
gram Annual physical examina-
tiOns for all employees and periodic
checks for certain employees in
particular jobs are designed to pre-
vent illness by keeping a close
watch on general health and spot
ting trouble early. Further than
that, the company undertakes pio-
neering research in preventive
medicine, exploring areas such as
PHYSICAL fatigue and probing the
fundamentals Of better health for
men and women in industry.
The survey covered 1,190 mar
ried and 281 single employees at
company plants at Chicago, Ill,
Rochester and Newburgh, New
York, and the Wilmington, Del,
Shops.
More than 56 per cent Of them
had no occasion to call a doctor
for themselves during the year but
81 per cent summoned one for fam
lily illness-fOr which the doctor
made an average Of 2.5 calls during
the year. Medicine and drugs cost
an average Of SIS for employees
who kept records of what they
spent.
Just 40 per cent Of the employees
saw a dentist last year; 40 per
cent more than once. Up to age
35, some n per cent saw the den
tist, but over that age, only 81
per cent had dental care.
Over ALL only one employee in
seven had faced major surgery dur
ing the past five years; but a third
in the so to So age bracket had lost
time (an average of II weeks) due
to operations in those five years.
During last year, according to
the survey, "a per cent of the en-
plOyees missed no time due to i'll
ness while q per cent missed less
than week Only two per. cent
missed as much as four weeks.
Even at age 40 and over, 56 per
cent had no time-losing illness.