Tell us what you did to 'Lighten the load'

It’s easy! Simply use the electronic form on the Agency website at http://ew2007.osha.europa.eu/sign and you will receive a personalised Certificate of Participation in recognition of your commitment to the Lighten the load campaign, and enter a prize draw.

This is the message from the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work as the European campaign on musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) draws to a conclusion in the European Week taking place from 22-26 October 2007.

The 2007 European campaign seeks to promote an integrated management approach to tackle MSDs embracing prevention, and the retention, rehabilitation and reintegration of workers who already suffer from MSDs. Participation in the Lighten the load campaign is an opportunity to reduce the number of work-related MSDs and to make workplaces safer and healthier.

The Agency has also published the Lighten the load magazine which has been produced to support the European campaign on MSDs. As the articles in this publication demonstrate, the extent of the problem varies considerably in individual countries across the EU.

The magazine gives examples of good practice in mitigating MSDs in the workplace. These include simple practical measures such as providing lifting hoists to ensure that nurses do not have to lift patients manually, novel diagnostic methods, and systematic, practical procedures for identifying and alleviating risk factors for MSDs in a variety of different work environments. Publicity campaigns from several countries are cited to provide examples of how education and information can help combat the problem.

MSDs are the most common of all reported work-related health problems in the European Union. One in four European workers reported suffering from back pain in 2005, and a smaller number complained of muscular pains.

While they may be traditionally associated with manual workers, MSDs affect millions of Europeans across all employment sectors, with the highest rates found in agriculture and construction. They take a high toll on individual companies, individual workers and their families, and to society at large. MSDs not only result in high financial costs due to medical and social security expenses, compensation payments and lost productivity, but also result in personal suffering for many workers and their families.

The focus of the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work’s campaign in 2007 on MSDs in the workplace is therefore timely and relevant.

The Lighten the load campaign culminates in the European Week for Safety and Health at Work from 22 - 26 October 2007, with a range of activities being organised in over 30 countries.

Press enquiries:
A comprehensive information pack is available at: http://ew2007.osha.europa.eu/infopack/

For information about national activities please contact our Focal Points' Network.
The complete contact list is available at: http://ew2007.osha.europa.eu/nationalcontactsandactivities

International press: Birgit Müller, Press Officer   European Agency for Safety and Health at Work, Bilbao, tel. +34 94 479 35 52

Brussels: Brenda O'Brien, Brussels Liaison Officer, NCI Business Centre, Rue Wiertz 50, 1050 Brussels, tel. +32 2 401 68 59

Bilbao and Spanish press: Marta Urrutia,   Project Manager, European Agency for Safety and Health at Work, Bilbao tel. +34 94 479 57 46

Other enquiries:
European Agency for Safety and Health at Work, Gran Via 33, E-48009 Bilbao, Spain,
Email:
Fax: +34 94 479 4383


Notes to editors:

1. 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.

2. ‘Lighten the load’ is the Agency's 2007 campaign to tackle MSDs in the workplace. It supports an integrated management approach with three key elements. First, employers, employees and government need to work together to tackle MSDs. Secondly, any actions should address the ‘whole load on the body’, which covers all the stresses and strains being placed on the body, environmental factors such as cold working conditions, and the load being carried. Thirdly, employers need to manage the retention, rehabilitation and return to work of employees with MSDs. ‘Lighten the Load’ is backed by the EU Presidencies of Germany and Portugal in 2007, the European Parliament, the European Commission and the European social partners.

3. The Agency’s ‘Work-related musculoskeletal disorders: Back to work report‘ supports ‘Lighten the Load’ by providing information on the retention, rehabilitation and reintegration of workers who suffer from MSDs.

4. Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are impairments of the bodily structures such as muscles, joints, tendons, ligaments and nerves, or localised blood circulation systems that are caused or aggravated primarily by the performance of work and by the effects of the immediate environment where the work is carried out.

5. ‘Lighten the load’ follows a decentralised model: the Agency coordinates campaign activities, provides information in 22 languages and, via the campaign website, organises the European Week, the Good Practice Awards and the Closing Event in Bilbao on 26 February 2008; national Focal Points in each of the 27 EU Member Sates promote, stimulate and organise activities at national level. The dual objectives of the campaign are to increase awareness of risks and to promote good practice solutions.

6. Labour inspectorates in the EU have launched an inspection and communication campaign to prevent lower back disorders, targeting the transport and healthcare sectors. The main focus is on lower back disorders that result from the manual handling of loads. In addition to distributing information, the campaign also includes wide-ranging in-company inspections carried out by national labour inspectorates. This European initiative is organised by the Senior Labour Inspectorates Committee (SLIC), which fully supports the ‘Lighten the load’ campaign.

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