A recent analysis by the insurance giant MetLife suggests that five chronic causes of workplace disability cost employers $500 billion annually. Research based on the company's short- and long-term disability claims data puts lower back disorders in first place, followed by depression, coronary heart disease, arthritis, and pulmonary diseases. Each year, says MetLife, these illnesses cost a half-billion dollars in employee absences, diminished productivity, and increased health care costs. The good news, according to the insurer, is that disabilities and costs can be managed and in many cases significantly reduced.

The study offered details, including the following:

• Half of employees on disability for lower back strain will be absent from work for at least a month. Half of those with disc disorders are out for more than two months.
  
• A third of employees absent due to depression will be out for more than a month.
  
• Coronary heart disease claims are higher for men than for women, and are higher among older employees.
  
• Some 60 million Americans, or nearly 20% of the population, will be affected by arthritis by the year 2020.
  
• Pulmonary disease claims are most commonly caused by asthma, bronchitis, and chronic, obstructive pulmonary disease.
  

MetLife recommends that employers focus on prevention through health and wellness programs and employee assistance programs, and by making adjustments in medical coverage to promote early treatment for the conditions that most often affect employees.