Product category:
Industrialsafetytalk: Health and Safety Strategy and Risk Assessment
News Release from: European Agency For Safety And Health At Work | Subject: Report on changing occupational risks
Edited by the Engineeringtalk Editorial
Team on 09 December 2005
Survey highlights changes in
occupational risks
Changes in society, work organisation and production methods are leading to new types and new combinations of occupational risks, which demand new approaches, concludes a recent survey.
Changes in society, work organisation and production methods are leading to new types and new combinations of occupational risks, which demand new approaches, concludes a recent survey The survey was carried out among a panel of over 60 safety and health experts in fourteen European countries and the USA
This article was originally published on Engineeringtalk on 6 Dec 2004 at 8.00am (UK)
Related stories
Promoting better jobs for disabled workers
The European Agency for Safety and Health at Work is publishing a practical guide to securing the workplace health and safety of people with disabilities while avoiding accusations of discrimination.
Japan and Europe co-operate on health and safety
The European Union and Japan have taken an important step towards co-operation on occupational safety and health information.
Its results have now been published in a report by the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EASHW).
The report looks into emerging physical risks, ie risks which are both new (or changing) and increasing.
"The world of work is changing rapidly and work-related health issues are changing too', explains Hans-Horst Konkolewsky, the Agency's director.
Further reading
Report on health and safety in SMEs
A new EASHW report describes over fifty projects that have led to improved health and safety in SMEs.
Report highlights business benefits of OSH
A new report from the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work identifies ten occupational safety and health criteria that underpin corporate social responsibility.
"Our report sheds new light on these changes by defining top ten emerging physical risks and major trends behind them.
"With this knowledge EU policymakers and governments will be better equipped to review current prevention measures".
The top emerging risks include lack of physical activity, the impact on workers of increasing complexity of new technologies, and a greater vulnerability of low-status workers, eg to thermal risks.
A new underlying trend is also visible: work health and safety is increasingly affected by multifactoral issues.
In places like call centres, for instance, staff can be exposed to a combination of interacting risks, such as prolonged sitting at desks poorly adjusted to their personal needs, background noise, inadequate headsets, low job control, high time pressure, and high mental and emotional demands.
This, in turn, may lead to a combination of health problems, ranging from musculoskeletal disorders, varicose veins, nose and throat diseases and voice disorders due to fatigue, stress and burnout.
"The report clearly indicates that multifactoral and combined risks are a growing concern", concludes Hans-Horst Konkolewsky.
"The resulting message for policymakers and health and safety experts is that we can no longer treat individual risks separately.
"What we need is a holistic approach to risk prevention".
This publication is said to be the first report of a risk observatory set up by the European Agency to monitor emerging risks.
Apart from emerging risks, this on-line observatory currently offers thematic sections on noise exposure and hearing loss, and a review of OSH monitoring systems.
More information will follow, including forecasts on emerging human, social and organisational risks, on chemical and biological risks, and thematic sections on accidents, stress and occupational diseases, with a focus on specific sectors and groups of workers.
• European Agency For Safety And Health At Work: contact details and other news
• Email this article to a colleague
• Register for the free Engineeringtalk email newsletter
• Engineeringtalk Home Page
Search the Pro-Talk network of sites
