Healthy Workplaces Campaign 2020-22 LIGHTEN THE

Transcript:Healthy Workplaces Campaign 2020-22 LIGHTEN THE:
Healthy Workplaces Campaign 2020-22 LIGHTEN THE LOAD Workforce Diversity and Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs) Introduction: Workforce diversity and MSD-related risks Definitions Exposure to work-related health risk factors Prevalence of general health problems and MSDs Examples of practice and policy initiatives Policy pointers Bibliography Overview Introduction: Workforce diversity and MSD-related risks Workforce diversity refers to the individual characteristics employees have that make them unique. These characteristics can include gender, race, ethnicity, religion, age, sexual orientation, physical abilities and ideologies, etc. Certain characteristics of the workforce allow to identify groups of workers that frequently report poor working conditions and a higher exposure to health-related issues, including Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs). Three specific groups of workers have been selected for in-depth analysis (migrant workers, women workers and LGBTI¹ workers), with other disadvantages (age, low education) included in the analysis. The aim was to fill research gaps and complement the information already available for other groups of workers (workers suffering from chronic health conditions or young and prospective workers). ¹ Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex. Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs): impairments of body structures such as muscles, joints, tendons, ligaments, nerves, cartilage, bones and the localised blood circulation system. Work-related MSDs: MSDs that are caused or aggravated primarily by work and by the effects of the immediate environment in which work is carried out. MSDs are one of the most common work-related health problems in Europe, entailing important consequences for workers, businesses and society. Most work-related MSDs are cumulative disorders (also known as chronic MSDs). Other work-related MSDs result from acute traumas occurring due to an accident. Definition of work-related MSDs Causes of MSDs A multidimensional model Work-related MSDs are caused by many different (combinations of) risk factors: Sociodemographic and individual factors Physical and environmental risk factors Organisational and psychosocial risk factors Occupation and employment-related risk factors Exposure to work-related health risk factors Women workers Women workers are particularly exposed to a number of work-related physical risk factors (such as lifting/handling people, repetitive movements, awkward positions) associated with the risk of developing MSDs and are often linked to the specific sectors/occupations where women are particularly present. According to European Working Conditions Survey data (2015): High proportion of women workers is employed in jobs involving prolonged sitting (62 %), use of computers (62 %), and repetitive hand or arm movements (61 %) for at least a quarter of their working time. 42 % of women report working in