Setting the scene: What is the issue with MSDs in Europe?

Facts and figures of MSDs in Europe

Musculoskeletal Disorders OSH overview – Final conference 22 October 2020

Lorenzo Munar

Safety and health at work is everyone’s concern. It’s good for you. It’s good for business.
 Introduction

EU surveys (ESENER, EWCS, LFS) provide data / information mainly on:
•MSDs prevalence
•Exposure / MSD-related risk factors
•MSDs impact
•Preventive measures.

Data on direct and indirect costs of MSDs not available at EU level

This PPT is based on the following reports:

•EU-OSHA, Work-related musculoskeletal disorders: prevalence, costs and
demographics in the EU, 2019 available at: https://osha.europa.eu/es/publications/msds-
facts-and-figures-overview-prevalence-costs-and-demographics-msds-europe/view
•EU-OSHA, Work-related musculoskeletal disorders: Facts and Figures — Synthesis
report of 10 EU Member states reports, 2020 (AT, DE, DK, ES, FI, FR, HU, IT, NL and
SE) available at: https://osha.europa.eu/en/publications/work-related-musculoskeletal-
disorders-facts-and-figures-synthesis-report-10-eu-member/view

http://osha.europa.eu
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Around 60% of all workers with a work-related health problem,
identify MSDs as their most serious issue

Percentage of workers reporting a work-related health problem, by type of problem, EU-27, 2013

1% Musculoskeletal disorders
1% 1%
Stress, depression, anxiety
2%
4%
4% Other not elsewhere mentioned

5%
Headache, eyestrain

5% Cardiovascular disorders

Pulmonary disorders

Stomach, liver, kidney or digestive problem

16% 60%

Skin problems

Hearing disorders

Infectious diseases

Source: Eurostat, Labour Force Survey ad hoc module ‘Accidents at work and other work-related health problems’ (2013)

http://osha.europa.eu
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The proportion of workers reporting MSD complaints slightly
decreased between 2010 and 2015
Percentage of workers reporting different musculoskeletal disorders in the past 12 months, EU-28,
2010 and 2015

Source: Panteia based on the fifth (2010) and sixth (2015) waves of the European Working Conditions Survey (EWCS)

http://osha.europa.eu
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Prevalence of MSDs varies between Member States, sectors
and occupations
Country differences are hardly (or not at all) related to
differences in the sectoral or occupational distribution of the
workforce or to differences in terms of age, gender, education
level and country of birth of the workforce.
Differences between MS must also be explained in terms of
social, political and economic environments.
Policies and strategies to prevent MSDs must be taylored and
adapted to the specific national circumstances
Given the differences among sectors (and occupations) in
prevalence, type of MSDs and severity of MSDs, sector-specific
approaches for addressing MSDs are needed.

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Women report slightly more MSDs than men

Percentage of workers reporting different musculoskeletal disorders in the past 12

months, by gender, EU-28, 2015

Source: Panteia based on the sixth (2015) wave of the European Working Conditions Survey (EWCS)

http://osha.europa.eu
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MSDs prevalence is higher among older workers

Percentage of workers reporting different musculoskeletal disorders in the past 12 months,

by age group, EU-28, 2015

Source: Panteia based on the sixth (2015) wave of the European Working Conditions Survey (EWCS)

http://osha.europa.eu
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MSDs prevalence decreases with educational level

Percentage of workers reporting different musculoskeletal disorders in the past 12

months, by educational level, EU-28, 2015

Source: Panteia based on the sixth (2015) wave of the European Working Conditions Survey (EWCS)

http://osha.europa.eu
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 MSDs-related accidents

 The types of accidents Distribution of fatal and non-fatal accidents at work

by type of injury, EU-28, 2016
related to MSDs-related
are: dislocations, sprains
and strains and bone
fractures.
 MSD work-related
accidents are among
the most common work-
related accidents.

Source: Eurostat, European Statistics on Accidents at Work (ESAW)

http://osha.europa.eu
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Impact of MSDs

 MSDs have an impact on the general health of workers

• Proportion of workers with (very) good health is smaller for workers
who suffer from MSDs
• Headaches, overall fatigue and sleeping problems affect the lives of
workers who suffer from MSDs

 Workers with MSDs tend to be absent from work more often than
others and for longer periods
 Lack of data on the economic impact of MSDs at EU level

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Impact of MSDs

 Some data on the economic impacts derived from MSDs are

available in terms of both:
• direct costs (contributions and compensations paid by companies, costs
paid for health care and medicines, etc.).
• (in some cases) indirect costs (disruptions in working teams,
decreases of productivity, production delays, losses of production
caused by reduced ability to work and sick leave).
 In Germany, musculoskeletal and connective tissue disorders
accounted for EUR 17,200 million of production loss (production
loss costs based on labour costs) in 2016 and EUR 30,400 million
in loss of gross value added (loss of labour productivity). This
represents 0.5 % and 1.0 % of Germany’s gross domestic product
(GDP), respectively.

 More information available at: EU-OSHA, Work-related musculoskeletal

disorders: Facts and Figures — Synthesis report of 10 EU Member states
reports, 2020 (AT, DE, DK, ES, FI, FR, HU, IT, NL and SE)
http://osha.europa.eu
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High prevalence of MSD-related risk factors in EU establishments

Percentages of employees working in establishments where different physical risk

factors are in place (% establishments, EU28, 2019 and 2014)

44
Heat, cold or draught
44

64
Lifting or moving people or heavy loads
59

69
Repetitive hand or arm movements
60

Tiring or painful positions, including sitting for long periods

69

37
Tiring or painful positions

74
Prolonged sitting

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

2019 2014

Note: “Prolonged sitting” and “Tiring or painful positions” are new items in ESENER 2019. Previously they were covered by a single
item “Tiring or painful positions, including sitting for long periods”
Source: EU-OSHA based on ESENER 2014 and ESENER 2019. (ESENER – European Survey of Enterprises on New and Emerging Risks)

http://osha.europa.eu
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Associations between self-reported MSDs and organisational
and psychological risk factors (and other health problems)

Body Significant relationship identified

Area
Back •
•
Anxiety
Overall fatigue
•
•
Mental well-being
Feeling energized
• Sleeping problems • Knowing what is expected at work
• At work subjected to • Pace of work dependents on
• verbal abuse • direct demands from customers etc.
• unwanted sexual attention • direct control by management
• bullying /harassment

Lower •
•
Anxiety
Overall fatigue
• At work subjected to
• verbal abuse
limbs •
•
Sleeping problems
Mental well-being
• unwanted sexual attention
• Knowing what is expected at work
• Feeling energized • Able to choose or change order of tasks

Upper •
•
Anxiety
Overall fatigue
•
•
Employee voice
Job gives the feeling of work well done
limbs •
•
Sleeping problems
Mental well-being
•
•
Take a break when you wish
Fairly treated at workplace
• At work subjected to • Job requires hiding of feelings
• verbal abuse • Work-related stress
• threats • Working at very high speed
• physical violence

This table is based on the results of various binary logistic regressions that have been estimated to explain the prevalence of self-reported MSD
complaints in the 6th (2015) wave of EWCS.
Source: Panteia, 2019

http://osha.europa.eu
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Availability of preventive measures increases by
establishment size

Percentage of employees working in establishments where different preventive

measures are in place, by establishment size, EU-28, 2019
100 92 90
90 85 85 83
80 79
80 76 73
69 70 69 70
70 64
57 59 59 58
60 51
50 45
40
30
20
10
0
5-9 10-49 50-249 250+ Total

Rotation of tasks to reduce repetitive movements or physical strain

Encouraging regular breaks for people in uncomfortable or static postures including prolonged
sitting
Provision of ergonomic equipment

Equipment to help with the lifting or moving

Source: EU-OSHA based on ESENER 2019. (ESENER – European Survey of Enterprises on New and Emerging Risks)

http://osha.europa.eu
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Workers in countries and sectors where more preventive
measures are in place are less likely to report MSD complaints
Percentage of workers having MSDs in back, upper limbs and lower limbs, by average
number of precautionary measures in place, EU 28, 2015.

Source: Panteia based on sixth (2015) wave of European Working Condition Survey (EWCS) and second European
Survey of Enterprises on New and Emerging Risks (ESENER 2014)

http://osha.europa.eu
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Thank you for your attention

Lorenzo Munar
munar@osha.europa.eu

http://osha.europa.eu
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