Embargoed
until 1200hrs 2nd July 2002
Press
pack available at http://osha.europa.eu/ew2002/presspack/
First pan-European campaign to combat work-related
stress
President of European Parliament and EC Commissioner
put weight behind campaign
·
28%
of employees in the EU report they are affected by work-related stress;
·
Women
appear to suffer slightly more than men;
·
Common
causes include lack of job security and control and work overload;
·
Over
50% of absenteeism has its roots in work-related stress;
·
The
problem is thought to cost the EU at least
20 billion a year in lost time and health costs.
A
major campaign to combat work-related stress - the second biggest occupational health problem in the European Union
after back pain is to be launched by the
European Agency for Safety and Health at Work on
2nd July 2002 at the European Parliament in Strasbourg. The
initiative, which forms the heart of the Agency's annual European Week for
Safety and Health at Work, will be the first EU-wide campaign to tackle work-related
stress, a problem that is estimated to affect over 40 million employees in the
EU.
The
campaign will be officially opened by Mr Pat Cox, the President of the European
Parliament, and Mrs Anna Diamantopoulou, European Commissioner for Employment
and Social Affairs (see Notes to Editors for 'photo opportunities' including the
world's biggest 'stress ball').
According
to a number of major studies, work-related stress affects nearly one-in-three
(28%) workers in the EU's 15 member states. Women report the highest levels, but
for both sexes stress can be a problem in all sectors and at all levels of an
organisation. One of the most common causes is lack of control at work. 35% of
employees, for instance, say they have no say in the order of their tasks and
55% claim no influence over how long they work. Monotony, tight deadlines (29%
of staff claim to work regularly to these) and bullying are some of the other
factors that enter the equation.
The
human costs are significant. It is estimated that 16% of male and 22% of female
cardiovascular diseases in the EU are due to work-related stress. Other diseases
and conditions associated with this issue include
musculoskeletal disorders and mental health problems.
The
economic costs are equally large. Between
50% and 60% of absenteeism, for instance, has been related to work-related
stress. Together with allied health costs, the total annual bill to the EU is
estimated to be around 20 billion, not to mention loss of productivity.
"The changing world of work - and in particular the rise of job insecurity - has made work-related stress one of the biggest safety and health challenges facing today's businesses," says Mr Pat Cox, President of the European Parliament. "The European Parliament is fully committed to tackling this issue, as we showed in our recent resolution on workplace harassment, and welcomes the Agency's determination to give it the profile it deserves."
"Stress is a growing problem with massive human and financial costs, but it is not one we have to accept, says Mrs Anna Diamantopoulou, European Commissioner for Employment and Social Affairs. The Commission is convinced that work-related stress can and must be prevented. However, we know that the only way it can be tackled effectively is by working together. That means involving everyone: from policy makers to researchers to social partners to the individual workers themselves. The Agency's campaign is an important step in this direction."
The
campaign, which is being backed by all Member States, the European Commission
and Parliament, trade unions and employers federations will run until October
and end with the European Week for Safety and Health at Work.
Hans-Horst
Konkolewsky, Director of the European Agency, adds: "Although the extent of
this growing problem varies marginally between Member States, its causes are
very similar across the EU, warranting an EU-wide campaign. Our campaign, 'Working
on Stress', will not only enable us to achieve economies of scale but more
crucially allow us to draw on and disseminate examples of good practice for
combating work-related stress across the EU. No single country has the solution;
together, however, we can make inroads into this costly human and economic
problem."
To
support this drive, the Agency's campaign will raise awareness of the risks of
work-related stress and suggest effective solutions through a range of media.
This will include comprehensive information packs in all 11 EU languages,
posters, leaflets and a multilingual
website at http://osha.europa.eu/ew2002/.
The Agency will also announce the winners of its European Good Practice awards
for the organisations that have most successfully tackled work-related stress
and some of its key triggers. Events
will be organised in October across Europe to
bring this message to life in all organisations, large and small, public
and private
- ENDS -
Further
information (European Week press pack available at http://osha.europa.eu/ew2002/presspack/)
Press contacts:
Andrew
Smith or Francoise Murillo, European Agency for Safety and Health at Work,
Bilbao Tel: +34 94 479 5733 or +34 94 479 4382 emails: smith@osha.europa.eu
or murillo@osha.europa.eu.
Alun Jones or Monica Azaola, European Agency, Strasbourg (1-3 July), Tel (GSM):
+34 609 612 941.
Other enquiries:
European Agency for Safety and Health at Work, Gran Via 33, E-48009
Bilbao, Spain, email: information@osha.europa.eu, fax: +34 94 479 4383.
Specialists on work-related stress available for
interviews:
Professor
Tom Cox,
Institute of Work, Health and Organisations, University of Nottingham, United
Kingdom
Tel: + 44 115 8467523
email: tom.cox@nottingham.ac.uk
Isabelle Leleu, EUROGIP, Paris, France,
Tel: +33 0 1 40 56 05 65 (direct),
email: leleu.eurogip@inrs.fr
Vilhelm Borg (until 5 July), National Institute of Occupational Health,
Denmark, Tel: +45 39 16 53 58
e-mail: vb@ami.dk
Karen
Albetsen (until
5 July), National Institute of Occupational Health, Denmark Tel: +45 39 16 54
66,
email: ka@ami.dk
Notes to editors
- A press conference will be held at the European Parliament in Strasbourg at 12.10pm on 2nd July 2002. This will include the President of the European Parliament, European Commissioner for Employment and Social Affairs, and the Director of the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work. They will be available for photographs at 12.00pm. To launch the campaign, the Agency has produced the world's biggest 'stress ball' - 4 metres in diameter.
- The European Agency for Safety and Health at Work was set up by the European Union to help meet the information needs in the field of occupational safety and health. Based in Bilbao, Spain, the Agency aims to improve the lives of people at work by stimulating the flow of technical, scientific and economic information between all those involved in occupational safety and health issues.
- The European Week for Safety and Health at Work which will take place during October 2002 is an information campaign designed to raise awareness and promote activities to make Europe a safe and healthy place to work. It is coordinated by the European Agency and will be run in the Member States in October 2002 with each Member State deciding the precise week. The Week is aimed at the workplace and all safety and health institutions and organisations, trade unions, companies, managers, employees and safety representatives are invited to take part and organise their own activities. These can include special audits and risk assessment activities in the workplace, organising training, distributing information material, launching a new workplace policy, suggestion schemes, encouraging participation of employees and their representatives or linking-up with other organisations, businesses or sub contractors to carry out activities in partnership. The slogan of EW2002 is "Working on Stress".
- An Agency information report Research on Work-related Stress provides a comprehensive overview. The report is free to download from the Agency site at http://osha.europa.eu/ew2002/ew2002.php?lang=en&id=4.
- The statistics quoted in this news release came from: European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions; Eurostat, and The International Labour Organization
