What is absenteeism and accident data?
This section covers two related types of workplace health and safety data:- Absenteeisms: Periods when an employee is absent from work (e.g., sick leave, work-related injury leave)
- Accidents: Workplace incidents that may or may not result in an absence
Why is it needed?
Organizations must report on workplace health and safety to demonstrate:- Accident frequency: How often workplace incidents occur
- Accident severity: How much work time is lost due to accidents
- Sick leave: Overall absenteeism rates
- Safety trends: Whether conditions are improving or deteriorating
Types of records
Absenteeisms
An absenteeism records a period of absence from work. It captures:- Start date: When the absence began
- End date: When the absence ended (or empty if ongoing)
- Hours: Total hours of absence (optional — can be calculated from dates)
Accidents
An accident records a workplace incident. It captures:- Date: When the accident occurred
- Context: Where the accident happened
| Context | Meaning |
|---|---|
in_labore | The accident occurred at the workplace during work hours |
in_itinere | The accident occurred while commuting to or from work |
Combined records
Each uploaded record is either an absenteeism, an accident, or both (an accident that caused an absence). Thetype field determines which:
| Type | Contains | Description |
|---|---|---|
absenteeism | Absence dates and hours | Sick leave or other absence not caused by a workplace accident |
accident | Accident date and context | Workplace incident that did not result in an absence |
accident_with_absenteeism | Both accident and absence data | Workplace incident that resulted in time off work |
Data structure
Absenteeism and accident records are linked to employees via the External Employee ID.Employees must already exist in the system before you can upload their absenteeism and accident records. Upload contract data first.
CSV format
| Column | Type | Required | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
external_employee_id | String | Yes | The employee’s ID (must match an existing employee) | EMP001 |
type | String | Yes | Record type: absenteeism, accident, or accident_with_absenteeism | absenteeism |
start_date | Date | Conditional | Absence start date (required for absenteeism and accident_with_absenteeism) | 2024-01-10 |
end_date | Date | No | Absence end date (empty if ongoing) | 2024-01-12 |
hours | Decimal | No | Total hours of absence (>= 0) | 24.0 |
accident_date | Date | Conditional | When the accident occurred (required for accident and accident_with_absenteeism). Must be today or earlier. | 2024-03-05 |
accident_context | String | Conditional | in_labore or in_itinere (required for accident and accident_with_absenteeism) | in_labore |
Required fields by type
| Field | absenteeism | accident | accident_with_absenteeism |
|---|---|---|---|
external_employee_id | Required | Required | Required |
type | Required | Required | Required |
start_date | Required | — | Required |
end_date | Optional | — | Optional |
hours | Optional | — | Optional |
accident_date | — | Required | Required |
accident_context | — | Required | Required |
Example CSV
How to upload
Go to Data > Workforce > Absenteeisms & Accidents
Navigate to the Workforce section and select the Absenteeisms & Accidents tab.
Review and confirm
The importer validates that:
- Each
external_employee_idmatches an existing employee - The
typefield has a valid value - Required fields for the selected type are present
- Accident dates are not in the future
- End dates are on or after start dates
- Hours are a valid positive number (if provided)
Viewing absenteeism and accident data
List view
The list shows all uploaded records with:- Employee ID: Which employee the record belongs to
- Type: Absenteeism, Accident, or Accident with Absenteeism
- Dates: Absence period or accident date
- Hours: Duration of absence (if applicable)
- Context: In labore or In itinere (for accidents)
- Upload source: Which file the record came from
- Upload file
- Upload date range
Employee detail view
From the employee detail page, the Absenteeisms & Accidents section shows all records for that specific employee.How it appears in reports
Absenteeism and accident data feeds into these report metrics:Accident metrics
| Metric | Calculation | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Total accidents | Count of accident records | Number of workplace incidents |
| Accidents in labore | Count where context = in_labore | Incidents at the workplace |
| Accidents in itinere | Count where context = in_itinere | Incidents during commute |
| Accidents with sick leave | Count of accident_with_absenteeism records | Incidents that caused time off |
| Accidents without sick leave | Count of accident records (no absence) | Incidents with no time lost |
| Accident frequency rate | (Accidents x 1,000,000) / Hours worked | Standardized rate per million hours |
| Accident severity rate | (Lost days x 1,000) / Hours worked | Lost days per thousand hours worked |
Absenteeism metrics
| Metric | Calculation | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Total absent days | Sum of absence durations | Total work time lost to absences |
| Absent days by gender | Grouped by employee gender | Gender breakdown of absences |
Absent days from accidents directly affect the FTE calculation. Days absent are subtracted from the working days when computing full-time equivalents, giving a more accurate picture of actual workforce capacity.
Understanding accident context
In labore
In labore accidents occur at the workplace during working hours. Examples:- Slips, trips, and falls in the office or factory
- Injuries from machinery or equipment
- Ergonomic injuries (e.g., repetitive strain)
- Chemical exposure incidents
In itinere
In itinere accidents occur during the employee’s commute between home and work. Examples:- Traffic accidents on the way to/from work
- Injuries on public transport
- Falls while walking to the workplace
The distinction between in labore and in itinere is legally significant in many jurisdictions and affects insurance coverage, liability, and reporting obligations.
Frequently asked questions
Do employees need to exist before I upload absenteeisms?
Do employees need to exist before I upload absenteeisms?
Yes. The
external_employee_id in each record must match an employee already uploaded through the contracts upload.How do I record an accident that resulted in sick leave?
How do I record an accident that resulted in sick leave?
Use type
accident_with_absenteeism and fill in both the accident fields (date, context) and the absence fields (start_date, end_date, hours).What if an absence is ongoing?
What if an absence is ongoing?
Leave the
end_date empty. You can update the record later when the absence ends.Should I include non-work-related sick leave?
Should I include non-work-related sick leave?
Can I have multiple absences and accidents for the same employee?
Can I have multiple absences and accidents for the same employee?
Yes. An employee can have any number of absenteeism and accident records.
What's the difference between hours and date range?
What's the difference between hours and date range?
The date range (
start_date to end_date) indicates when the absence occurred. The hours field specifies the actual hours missed, which may differ from the calendar duration (e.g., a 3-day absence for a part-time employee might be 12 hours, not 24).