The Commission, together with the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work, has launched the EU-OSHA 2020-2022 campaign ‘Healthy Workplaces Lighten the Load’.
The campaign focuses on work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs), which are impairments of bodily structures, such as muscles, joints and tendons, that are caused or intensified primarily by work or the work environment.
The most frequent work-related MSDs are backache and pains in the upper limbs. Around three in every five workers in the EU suffer from MSDs and they remain the most common work-related health complaint in Europe, affecting workers in all jobs and sectors.
Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights, Nicolas Schmit, said: “The Commission wholeheartedly supports the campaign launched today by the European Agency for Safety & Health at Work to tackle the issue of work-related musculoskeletal disorders. Ensuring the best possible work environment is critical for the health and wellbeing of the workforce, and therefore a duty of all employers. Many of us – 3 in 5 – have experienced backache, stiff muscles or a sore neck as a result of our work.”
“This can severely affect our everyday lives, our productivity, and it can be detrimental to our physical and mental health. With the pandemic affecting how we live and work, we can all benefit from the guidance and resources published today.”
The launch of the campaign kicks off a two-year programme of events and actions aimed at drawing attention to this important issue.
