Indicators of sickness absence express the magnitude of this phenomenon in the public sector and can assist in planning health actions for the worker, prioritizing the most vulnerable occupational groups.

Objective To establish and evaluate the indicators of absenteeism for low back pain among municipal public servants of the city of Goiania in 2008 and 2009. Material and methods This is a descriptive, epidemiological, retrospective study. We used secondary data provided by the Municipal Medical Board of Goiânia. The sample was composed by active, statutory and commissioned civil servants of the executive branch, of both sexes, who took sick leaves for health care in the period from January 2008 to December 2009. We analyzed all cases of sick leave for health care which were taken for a period of more than 3 days and caused by low back pain. Frequency and severity indexes, proportion of lost time and average length of absences were calculated. The data were statistically analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Results 625 sick leaves were analyzed. In 2008, 32% of public servants took sick leave for health care. 2.83% of these leaves were for low back pain, generating 3541 days of absence. In 2009, the total percentage of sick leaves was 30%. 5.38% of these were due to low back pain, leading to 6890 lost working days. The indicators of absenteeism for 2008 and 2009 were, respectively: frequency index = 0.009 and 0.015; severity index = 0.14 and 0.26, proportion of lost time = 13.89% and 27.34%; average length of absences = 16.39 and 16.84 days. Conclusion The results indicate the need for the creation of intervention policies on work organization, since low back pain is a disorder that can be prevented at the primary level.