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EU-OSHA’s latest European Survey of Enterprises on New and Emerging Risks (ESENER) highlights major concerns in 2024: prolonged sedentary work, psychosocial risks (PSRs) and the impact of digitization.
As in 2019, musculoskeletal disorders remain at the top of the risk list, with the two main factors being prolonged sitting (64% of workplaces concerned) and repetitive hand or arm movements (63%). Next comes the lifting or moving of heavy loads (52%), just after the difficulty of dealing with difficult customers, patients or pupils (56%).
On the subject of PSRs, William Cockburn, Executive Director of EU-OSHA, warns: “25% of organizations still do not recognize the existence of psychosocial risks, revealing a major gap”. Hence the importance of the next “Healthy Workplaces” campaign, scheduled for 2026, which will aim to raise awareness of the impact of PSRs on workers’ mental health.
The survey also reveals an increase in telecommuting, with 23% of establishments concerned in 2024, compared with 13% in 2019. This trend is accompanied by a growing awareness of the effects of digitization on occupational health and safety. New technologies such as artificial intelligence and advanced robotics have been identified as potential sources of psychosocial risk. Digital technologies are now present in 43% of workplaces (60% in Spain and Slovenia). Their rise is accompanied by growing challenges: increased work intensity (35%), information overload (32%) and the blurring of boundaries between work and private life (27%).
Finally, the survey notes this advance: 35% of establishments using digital technologies now consult their employees, compared with 24% in 2019.
