Survey Says Work Adversely Affecting Health of 25 Percent of European Workers

The first results of the fifth European Working Conditions Survey was presented recently by the director and researchers from the Dublin-based European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions (Eurofound). This was part of the conferences organized in Brussels by the Belgian Presidency of the European Union.

The data for this fifth survey were collected between January and June 2010, and 43,816 workers active in 34 European countries were surveyed. The sample was substantially higher than in the fourth survey, because in 2005, no more than 30,000 workers across 31 countries were questioned. (WCxKit)

The initial data available allow some introductory, non-exhaustive observations to be made in terms of health and safety at work.

Currently, 84% of EU-27 workers report that they are satisfied or even very satisfied with their working conditions – an increase of 2% over 2000 and 2005. However, one quarter of European workers still feel that work is having an adverse effect on their health.

Likewise, although 90% of European workers consider that they are well informed about the risks to their health and safety, 25% of them feel that their health and safety are threatened in the conduct of their work. All these indicators vary according to the position occupied in the social division of labor: manual workers are more likely to consider their health to be at risk and affected by their work than clerical workers. There is nothing surprising about this: blue-collar workers are – as the results of the survey once again confirm – more exposed to physical and professional risks overall than white-collar workers.

When it comes to the major physical risks, the survey results provide little cause for celebration. The proportion of workers forced to make repetitive hand or arm movements continues to increase. In 2010, the share of workers exposed to this risk stood at 63.5%, an increase of 7.4% in ten years. Exposure to chemical products and substances is also on the rise, albeit to a lesser extent. Currently, averages of 15.3% of EU-27 workers are exposed to them, compared to 14.5% in 2005. Among skilled manual workers, almost one worker in three is so exposed.

The proportion of workers who are forced to adopt painful or tiring positions for at least a quarter of their working time has risen by 1% over 2005, and now stands at 46 %. Exposure to this risk is far higher among manual workers (72% among skilled workers and 59% among unskilled workers).

Finally, the 2010 results show a slight decrease in average exposure to vibrations. However, this figure masks an opposite trend among skilled manual workers, whose exposure to vibrations has increased by close to 10% over 10 years. Ultimately it is no surprise to find that while on average, 60% of European workers say that they would be able to continue doing their job after the age of 60, this is the case for less than half of manual workers.

This fifth survey likewise hints at some effects of the economic crisis. Some questions give a snapshot of the prevailing uncertainty and anxiety. The survey shows, for example, that the percentage of European workers who think that they might lose their job in the next six months has risen by 3% since 2005. Unsurprisingly, workers without a fixed-term contract are more likely to believe this. Indeed, while 16% of European workers take this view – irrespective of their employment status –, they are 32% among those without a fixed-term contract.

Another answer sheds a revealing light on the current social climate. When questioned about the possibility of losing their job, a little under a third of European workers thought they would be able to find another job with a similar salary. Finally, a question about presenteeism showed that over the twelve months preceding the survey, almost 40% of European workers had gone in to work when they were sick. (WCxKit)

The full report on the fifth European Working Conditions Survey will be published in the next few months.

Author Rebecca Shafer, JD, President of Amaxx Risks Solutions, Inc. is a national expert in the field of workers compensation. She is a writer, speaker and website publisher. Her expertise is working with employers to reduce workers compensation costs, and her clients include airlines, healthcare, printing/publishing, pharmaceuticals, retail, hospitality and manufacturing. Contact: RShafer@ReduceYourWorkersComp.com .

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