European Agency for Safety and Health at Work

Abstract Introduction Through the EU Framework Directive (89/391) European employers are obliged to assess and eliminate/reduce any risk to workers’ safety and health. The awareness on the need to manage psychosocial risks (PSR) as part of this obligation has increased recently and several countries have modified their legislation, making the management of PSR a part of OSH. Methods EU-OSHA’s ESENER survey provides a comparative picture of how PSR are managed across Europe, identifying gaps and support needs. Results Over 45,000 public and private establishments employing at least five people and across all sectors are interviewed in over 30 European countries. ESENER (third wave in 2019) shows a large share of establishments reporting at least one PSR factor but significantly fewer reporting measures in place to deal with them. The level of PSR management varies greatly by country, sector and establishment size. Management and worker representatives of 240 micro and small enterprises surveyed in ESENER were interviewed again in-depth in 2021 on their approach to managing PSR. Discussion National legislative developments play an important role when managing PSR, while at the workplace level, management leadership and worker representation are key. COVID-19 has had a significant impact, increasing PSR in many ways, while, at the same time, it has contributed to raising awareness of mental health, with increasing discussions on the topic. Conclusion The presentation will explore trends of reported PSR at work and measures to deal with them, as well as ways for policy makers, social partners and practitioners to support workplaces and ensure adequate worker protection and business sustainability.

Abstract Introduction The OSH Barometer is a visual information system on status and trends of OSH in the EU. The system contains data from governmental sources, statistical authorities, European surveys and research. The included indicators are updated on a regular basis, while apart from data referring to previous years, a number of forecasted indicators referring to the year 2035 are included. Methods The tool has four sections: “Generic information”, “Steering of OSH”, “OSH outcomes and working conditions”, and “OSH infrastructure and monitoring capacity”. These four sections contain indicators such as: • OSH authorities • Economic and sector profile • Workforce profile • National strategies • Regulation • Social dialogue and Worker involvement • Work accidents • Work related diseases • Health perception of workers • Working conditions and prevention • Enforcement capacity Results In total, more than 90 single datasets (sub-indicators) are included. Every data set covers all EU Member States and provides EU27 average values as well. Discussion The OSH Barometer offers filtering and adaptation to the information needs of the users. It also allows comparison between Member States and the EU-average. The tool went live in 2020 but is regularly updated with the addition of new features and indicators. Included data are used for the development of analytical reports, with explanatory and analytical descriptions of status, trends that reach back between 10 and 25 years, and forecasts. Conclusion This exercise can provide knowledge and insights for safer and healthier work, in an ever-changing world of work, to wider audiences.

In modern workplaces, alongside physical, chemical, and biological hazards, other risks are linked to the organisation of work and to the nature of the work itself. This paper investigates the association between workers’ well-being and both psychosocial and physical risk factors at work proposing a synthetic measure suitable to generate insights on well-being at work and on individual risk factors. Exploiting data from the European Working Conditions Survey, we select as response variable the “self-assessed health”. As this proxy of well-being is measured on a Likert scale, Ordered Probit analyses are run, and respondents’ profiles are illustrated. Then, a Principal Component Analysis is carried out to build two synthetic measures summarising the selected risk determinants. The resulting first principal components are subsequently used as synthetic indicators in further, simplified, Ordered Probit models to explain the impact of different sets of risks on perceived health. Such a methodology allows for a straightforward interpretation of the results since many different risk drivers are replaced by two continuous synthetic indicators. Our findings, in line with existing research, confirm that both types of risk factors do exert a substantial impact on workers’ health, although the psychosocial determinants seem to be more prominent.

Background: There are limited data on the vaccination practices of footballers in low professional categories in Greece and Europe. The aim of this study was to investigate the vaccination practices followed by the medical staff of the low professional football categories in Central Greece. Methods: A questionnaire was developed and included questions on the vaccination practices of football players. The participants were chief medical officers of the fifteen low-category football teams in Central Greece. Overall, 10 out of 15 chief medical officers participated (response rate: 67%). Results: All participants recommended only the tetanus monovalent vaccine in cases with deep trauma of athletes. Influenza, pneumococcal vaccine, and Hepatitis A and B vaccines were not recommended by the medical officers. This was also the case for measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine and meningococcal vaccine with strains A, C, Y, W. Participants reported the lack of specific guidelines for vaccination in professional footballers. Conclusions: The recent study showed poor vaccination practices in low categories of professional football teams in Central Greece. The qualitative view of the respondents revealed the importance of the absence of guidelines on vaccination of football players.

Reabilitação: Teoria e Prática reúne estudos sobre a medicina em reabilitação e o trabalho multiprofissional necessário para o atendimento a pessoas com deficiência física, intelectual e auditiva. Trata-se de uma obra robusta. Com 52 capítulos que discutem, não apenas os cuidados necessários às pessoas com deficiência e o devido envolvimento das famílias no processo, esse repositório fundamental, apresenta teorias, práticas e experiências das diferentes áreas profissionais que devem atuar conjuntamente. No trabalho de reabilitação, médicos de diversas especialidades, fisioterapeutas, psicológicos, fonoaudiólogos, assistentes sociais, nutricionistas, e demais áreas profissionais, atuam, combinando teorias e técnicas num processo contínuo e coordenado.Reabilitação: Teoria e Prática torna-se útil não apenas a estudantes e profissionais, mas também para gestores sobre uma referência importante para a atuação do Centro Integrado de Reabilitação (CEIR), criado em 2008 e gerenciado pela Associação Reabilitar, hoje, uma referência de excelência no atendimento de pessoas com deficiência no Brasil.A obra foi construída inicialmente para desvendar de forma científica o trabalho realizado pelos profissionais do CEIR, que acumulam experiências, desafios e oportunidades desenvolvidas no processo de reabilitação a partir de diferentes realidades, inovando dentro da perspectiva de reabilitação no Estado do Piauí, uma vez que esse foi o primeiro Centro com essa envergadura de trabalho realizada no Estado.A obra é dividida em 5 partes, cada uma com capítulos organizados de forma consistente para facilitar a localização das informações. Ricamente ilustrado, cada capítulo possui um corpo teórico, com diretrizes claras, exemplos e práticas que incluem temas como ortopedia e neurologia, garantindo uma compreensão abrangente da reabilitação apoiada pelas pesquisas clínicas mais recentes.Toda a obra foi pautada em respeitabilidade à Lei Geral de Proteção de Dados (LGPD). O respeito à dignidade da pessoa com deficiência é o maior valor da obra, que envolve o princípio do “nada sobre nós sem nós”, mas, sobretudo, quando os autores se revestem do conhecimento científico para aperfeiçoar e disseminar novas práticas e intervenções profissionais.

Reabilitação: Teoria e Prática reúne estudos sobre a medicina em reabilitação e o trabalho multiprofissional necessário para o atendimento a pessoas com deficiência física, intelectual e auditiva. Trata-se de uma obra robusta. Com 52 capítulos que discutem, não apenas os cuidados necessários às pessoas com deficiência e o devido envolvimento das famílias no processo, esse repositório fundamental, apresenta teorias, práticas e experiências das diferentes áreas profissionais que devem atuar conjuntamente. No trabalho de reabilitação, médicos de diversas especialidades, fisioterapeutas, psicológicos, fonoaudiólogos, assistentes sociais, nutricionistas, e demais áreas profissionais, atuam, combinando teorias e técnicas num processo contínuo e coordenado.Reabilitação: Teoria e Prática torna-se útil não apenas a estudantes e profissionais, mas também para gestores sobre uma referência importante para a atuação do Centro Integrado de Reabilitação (CEIR), criado em 2008 e gerenciado pela Associação Reabilitar, hoje, uma referência de excelência no atendimento de pessoas com deficiência no Brasil.A obra foi construída inicialmente para desvendar de forma científica o trabalho realizado pelos profissionais do CEIR, que acumulam experiências, desafios e oportunidades desenvolvidas no processo de reabilitação a partir de diferentes realidades, inovando dentro da perspectiva de reabilitação no Estado do Piauí, uma vez que esse foi o primeiro Centro com essa envergadura de trabalho realizada no Estado.A obra é dividida em 5 partes, cada uma com capítulos organizados de forma consistente para facilitar a localização das informações. Ricamente ilustrado, cada capítulo possui um corpo teórico, com diretrizes claras, exemplos e práticas que incluem temas como ortopedia e neurologia, garantindo uma compreensão abrangente da reabilitação apoiada pelas pesquisas clínicas mais recentes.Toda a obra foi pautada em respeitabilidade à Lei Geral de Proteção de Dados (LGPD). O respeito à dignidade da pessoa com deficiência é o maior valor da obra, que envolve o princípio do “nada sobre nós sem nós”, mas, sobretudo, quando os autores se revestem do conhecimento científico para aperfeiçoar e disseminar novas práticas e intervenções profissionais.

IntroductionWith cancer accounting for an estimated 53% of all work-related deaths in the European Union, data on exposure to known cancer risk factors at work are essential to improve the safety and health of workers, support the evaluation of existing policies and foster a productive and sustainable economy.ObjectiveRecognising the lack of harmonised figures at European level, and having carried out a feasibility study, the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA) has started a workers’ survey on exposure to cancer risk factors following the Australian Workplace Exposure Studies (AWES) model. The objective of this initiative, which plans to publish first findings in 2023, is to identify the most prevalent cancer risk factors across occupations and sectors in Europe.MethodsEU-OSHA will initially carry out the survey in six European countries, interviewing a representative sample of workers about their current job. Based on the respondent information on specific tasks performed at work, exposure data to one or more cancer risk factors will be derived for each worker, using the occupational exposure assessment tool for epidemiological studies (OccIDEAS), an algorithm using epidemiological data, workplace measurements and expert assessment, which EU-OSHA is adapting to the European context.ResultsThe survey looks into the number and characteristics of the workers exposed to a range of cancer risk factors, including asbestos, benzene, chromium, diesel exhaust, nickel, silica dust, UV radiation, wood dust, among others. Information on workers’ multiple exposures and the use of control and protective measures at work will be available. Results can be analysed by activity sector, occupation, country, gender, etc.ConclusionTo provide an overview of the methodology and adaptations of the Australian model to Europe, and to discuss the limitations of the survey and the challenges in adapting it to national contexts.

This report takes an in-depth look at working with chronic musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) and makes a clear case for the benefits of enabling those with chronic conditions to remain in work. It highlights the importance of designing inclusive workplaces and sets out principles for managing chronic MSDs, with prevention, early intervention, and effective, participative rehabilitation and return-to-work planning being identified as key. Good practice examples detail a wide range of workplace adjustments made to accommodate individuals with MSDs, from offering flexitime to providing the right tools and ergonomic equipment. This comprehensive practical advice is complemented by broader recommendations for policy-makers.

Musculoskeletal (MSK) problems remain the most frequent reason why individuals are absent from work, including those with workrelated musculoskeletal disorders (WRMSDs or MSDs) and those with chronic MSK problems. This paper aims to examine changes in work and the workforce since 2000; how work impacts on chronic MSK conditions and how we can help people with these conditions to stay at work. While our knowledge of the causes of WRMSDs has increased since 2000, there has been limited workplace action in reducing exposure to hazards. A life course approach is needed as individuals of all ages are reporting MSK problems. How people work has also changed and informalisation of work contracts has increased with a perceived concurrent reduction in occupational safety and health (OSH) protection. Retaining people at work with MSK problems requires compliance with relevant safety, health and diversity legislation and a risk management approach. Good and open communication within the workplace and identification of other sources of support is also necessary. Considerations must be made at the individual level (internal motivation), organisational level (a supportive manager) and self-management of symptoms. Simple case examples are provided in the paper of what works in practice as well as a proposed research agenda. Increased awareness at all levels of society of MSK health is essential.