Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are the most common work-related health problem in Europe, affecting millions of workers. Across the EU member states, 25percent of workers complain of backache and 23percent report muscular pains.

MSDs are caused by activities routinely found in the process industries, such as manual handling, frequent bending and twisting, heavy physical work and whole-body vibration. Cold or excessive heat, poor lighting and noisy workplaces are also important contributors. In addition, organisational and psychosocial factors such as the pace of work, low job satisfaction, high job demands and job stress are also significant factors.

There is also a strong interrelation between nervous and muscular systems: MSDs affect other aspects of workers’ health, and other health conditions can trigger MSDs. MSDs are the biggest cause of absence from work in practically all member states. In some states, 40percent of the costs of workers’ compensation are caused by MSDs, and up to 1.6percent of the gross domestic product (GDP) of the country itself. They reduce company profitability and add to the social costs of the government.

Many problems can be prevented or greatly reduced through employers complying with existing safety and health law and following good practice. However, there are specific actions that have to be taken if MSDs are to be tackled effectively.

‘Lighten the load’, the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work’s 2007 campaign to tackle MSDs in the workplace, supports an integrated management approach with three key elements. First, employers, employees and government need to work together to tackle MSDs. Secondly, any actions should address the ‘whole load on the body’, which covers all the stresses and strains being placed on the body, environmental factors such as cold working conditions, and the load being carried. Thirdly, employers need to manage the retention, rehabilitation and return to work of employees with MSDs.

Announcing the launch of ‘Lighten the load’ in Brussels, EU commissioner for employment, social affairs and equal opportunities Vladimír Spidla, said: “Tackling MSDs is a priority for the EU if we are to create more and better jobs in Europe. Given the demographic change, people will probably have to work longer and this makes it even more imperative that we tackle this problem now. It is essential if European workers are to enjoy not only better quality jobs but a better quality of life and a higher standard of living. We can increase productivity and therefore prosperity in the EU if we manage to improve the situation of days lost to MSDs”.

The cost of MSDs to workers, employers and governments is huge. For the employee, they cause personal suffering and loss of income; for the employer, they reduce business efficiency; and for the government, they increase social security costs.

“There is a strong correlation between workers’ health, wellbeing and quality of work on the one hand, and economic prosperity,” says Jukka Takala, Director of the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work. “Although weekly working hours are decreasing, the pace of work is increasing. Painful or tiring positions, working at very high speeds and to tight deadlines and the increasing use of machinery and computers result in high levels of work-related MSDs and stress. For these reasons, there is a need to implement prevention strategies and programmes to combat staff health problems. These strategies must place the worker at the centre of organisational changes and redesign of the workplace.”

‘Lighten the load’ culminates with the European Week for Safety and Health at Work from 22 to 26 October 2007, with a range of activities and events across Europe. More information about the issue and the event itself can be found on the campaign website, http://ew2007.osha.europa.eu/.

A brochure available on this website includes a number of examples of good practice that have bought significant improvements to process industries.

Examples of good practice

Crane operators in a waste recycling company in Germany complained about pain in the neck, shoulders and upper limbs. They worked in a cab at the top of an enclosed receiving pit where waste was delivered by trucks, and sat in a simple, rotating seat using joysticks to operate a clamshell crane to mix and transport the waste into the incineration funnel.

Complaints were reported when the crane operators were moved temporarily to a new facility. BGFW, the statutory accident insurance body for the gas, heating and water industry, was contacted to identify the cause of the musculoskeletal disorders, and it invited Berufsgenossenschaftliches Institut für Arbeitsschutz – the BG Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (BGIA) – to investigate.

Workplaces were measured using CUELA, an expert system used successfully in a variety of different workplaces to record and assess the load factors causing MSDs. The measuring system consisted of sensors and a miniature computer attached to the workers' clothing. The different body/joint movements were continuously measured with high time resolution (50Hz) throughout a shift and stored on a memory card.

Employees wearing the measuring system could go about their work in the usual way. The measurements were additionally documented on video, and posture was displayed with the aid of a three-dimensional computer-animated figure.

The workplaces investigated appeared identical; the work organisation, shift patterns, work environment and tasks were the same. The difference was found in the position of the crane operators' cab and this was the cause of the problem. The non-adjustable seat and its instruments were designed for working in an upright position, so that working in an extreme inclined position led to poor arm postures.

The seat was redesigned to improve posture so that it tilted forward continuously and was adjustable by the crane operator. The impact of the new seat showed significantly improved postures of the crane operators, a real improvement of the work situation, and a sharp decline in MSDs.

MSDs of neck and shoulders are a problem in many different sectors throughout Europe. This method can be transferred to similar workplaces; for example, where the area of vision is underneath the employee.

A second case study involves a bioscience company in Austria that was not satisfied with its accident and absence rates and took action to improve the working conditions and behaviour of its employees.

A strategy and a programme for safety and health were developed. The ergo guide concept (EGC) gives all employees involved in workplace design, directly or indirectly, a basic knowledge of ergonomics – stress and strain, working conditions, prevention, methods of analysis and assessment, and how to make systematic improvements.

The core of the EGC is a three-step programme: basic workshops, two in-depth workshops and annual follow-up workshops. During all workshops seven issues of ergonomics are dealt with including postures and movements at the workplace, measurements at the workplace and work equipment, working time, work-related psychological stress, climate and indoor air, light and noise. Participants become competent to put their knowledge into practice, particularly in planning new workplaces and modifications.

In the first three years of the EGC the accident rate decreased by 29percent and sick leave days decreased by about 50percent. The EGC can be used in an adapted form in all companies.