Community news|07/07/15

Psychosocial risks (PSRs) and musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs): The most frequent emerging risks

Home > The news of EUROGIP and occupational risks in Europe > Psychosocial risks (PSRs) and musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs): The most frequent emerging risks

On 23 June 2015, EU-OSHA presented to the European Parliament the main conclusions of the second European Survey of Enterprises on New and Emerging Risks (ESENER 2).

The survey was carried out in the autumn of 2014 with “people having the best knowledge of the subject” in around 50,000 companies having five employees or more in 36 European countries. PSRs and MSDs top the list of the most prevalent emerging occupational risks in European workplaces. With regard to PSRs in EU countries, according to 58% of establishments, the main identified factor is having to deal with difficult customers, pupils or patients, followed by time pressure. One establishment in five says that it lacks information or adequate tools to combat these risks. This is especially true in Malta and Slovakia. On average, 16% of the establishments say they call on a psychologist to manage PSRs, but in Finland and Sweden the percentage is close to 60%. Finally, in the three years prior to the survey, 63% of the establishments indicate that the employees contributed to the design and implementation of PSR prevention measures. Apart from PSRs, the risk factors present in establishments are tiring or painful positions (56%) and repetitive hand or arm movements (52%). These are followed by the risk of accidents with machines or hand tools, lifting or moving people or heavy loads, and the risk of accidents with vehicles in the course of work.
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