Two new publications: one on violence at work and the other on safety at work for women

Dublin Foundation: Physical and psychological violence at the workplace

According to the latest Eurofound report, about 6% of European workers reported having experienced a form of physical or psychological violence at work in the previous 12-month period.
On the whole, bullying and harassment are relatively more frequent in France and the Benelux than in South and East European countries. Variations from one country to another may reflect the level of awareness of the issue, the willingness to report such events or not, and their actual occurrence.
Exposure to all forms of violence tends to be concentrated in sectors where personnel are in contact with the public. This is especially true in the healthcare and social service sectors, and in government departments.
As regards the sequels, those suffering violence report significantly higher levels of health problems than those who are not exposed. The symptoms most commonly reported are stress, sleep disorders, fatigue and depression.

EU-OSHA: New risks and trends in the safety and health of women at work

This report presents an update to the Agency´s previous research on gender issues at work. It provides a policy perspective and is meant to help “examine the specific challenges in terms of health and safety posed by the more extensive integration of women in the labour market”.

It contains:

• a statistical overview of the trends in employment and working conditions, hazard exposure and work-related accidents and health problems for women at work;
• an exploration of the following issues: combined exposures, occupational cancer, access to rehabilitation, and female professions such as home care and domestic work.

The report highlights as major risk factors: the type of work carried out by women, issues faced by younger and older women, the growth of the service sector, violence and harassment, and increasingly diversified working time patterns.