You're right about the link between tobacco use and certain health problems.

The bad news: lung cancer, heart disease, osteoporosis, and poor wound healing are linked with tobacco use. Depression and anxiety occur more often in smokers. Life span in smokers is five to 10 years shorter than for nonsmokers.

The good news: a recent study of outcomes after rehab for low back pain reports tobacco use may not be a factor in the results. Smokers had just as good a response to rehab as nonsmokers.

Other factors may be at work here. Perhaps higher rates of smoking occur in unemployed workers. There may be other reasons besides smoking for work absence. Future research will continue to assess effects of smoking in the workplace.