Back to work for back pain sufferers
News release - 16.10.2007
The European Week for Safety and Health at Work, which takes place from 22 – 26 October 2007, tackles musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) in the workplace. A new publication - ‘Work-related musculoskeletal disorders: Back to work report’ - launched to coincide with the event, focuses on the retention, reintegration and rehabilitation of workers with MSDs.
MSDs are the most common work-related health problem in Europe, affecting millions of workers. Across the EU27, 25% of workers complain of backache and 23% report muscular pains.
Manual handling, frequent bending and twisting, repetition of movements, heavy physical work and vibration are the main causes of MSDs. And the risk tends to increase with the pace of work, low satisfaction, high work demands and job stress.
‘MSDs reduce company profitability and also add to the social costs of government. But these disorders also strongly reduce the employability and working capacity of those affected. Therefore, tackling MSDs is morally and ethically important,’ says Jukka Takala, Director of the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work.
Tackling MSDs means taking action in the workplace. Prevention is the best method, but for workers who are already suffering from MSDs, the challenge is to help them stay working and, if necessary, reintegrate them into the workplace.
‘Work-related musculoskeletal disorders: Back to work report’ supports ‘Lighten the load’, the Agency's 2007 campaign to tackle MSDs in the workplace. It evaluates the effectiveness of taking action in the workplace and gives an overview of European and international policy initiatives to retain, reintegrate and rehabilitate workers with MSDs.
For back pain, the evidence suggests that it is important for workers with MSDs to stay active and return to ordinary activities as early as possible. Combining action, including providing clinical management, rehabilitation programmes and workplace intervention, is more effective than single elements alone.
It has been demonstrated that timely, appropriate reintegration strategies increase the likelihood of return to work after illness or an accident.
‘Lighten the load’ culminates in the European Week for Safety and Health at Work from 22 – 26 October 2007, with a range of activities and events across Europe. The campaign also features the Good Practice Awards, which recognise organisations that have made outstanding and innovative contributions to tackle MSDs. The Agency will announce the winners at the campaign's closing event in Bilbao in spring 2008.
For more information, see the campaign website at http://ew2007.osha.europa.eu/
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
Other enquiries:
European Agency for Safety and Health at Work, Gran Vía 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. ‘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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. Jukka Takala took over as Director of the Agency in September 2006. He has worked in the safety and health field for more than 30 years. Before joining the Agency he worked at the International Labour Organization where he was Director of the International Programme on Safety and Health at Work and the Environment (SafeWork), the ILO's largest programme in social protection. Dr Takala is a mechanical engineer by training and holds a doctorate in technology from Tampere University of Technology.
7. 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.
Manual handling, frequent bending and twisting, repetition of movements, heavy physical work and vibration are the main causes of MSDs. And the risk tends to increase with the pace of work, low satisfaction, high work demands and job stress.
‘MSDs reduce company profitability and also add to the social costs of government. But these disorders also strongly reduce the employability and working capacity of those affected. Therefore, tackling MSDs is morally and ethically important,’ says Jukka Takala, Director of the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work.
Tackling MSDs means taking action in the workplace. Prevention is the best method, but for workers who are already suffering from MSDs, the challenge is to help them stay working and, if necessary, reintegrate them into the workplace.
‘Work-related musculoskeletal disorders: Back to work report’ supports ‘Lighten the load’, the Agency's 2007 campaign to tackle MSDs in the workplace. It evaluates the effectiveness of taking action in the workplace and gives an overview of European and international policy initiatives to retain, reintegrate and rehabilitate workers with MSDs.
For back pain, the evidence suggests that it is important for workers with MSDs to stay active and return to ordinary activities as early as possible. Combining action, including providing clinical management, rehabilitation programmes and workplace intervention, is more effective than single elements alone.
It has been demonstrated that timely, appropriate reintegration strategies increase the likelihood of return to work after illness or an accident.
‘Lighten the load’ culminates in the European Week for Safety and Health at Work from 22 – 26 October 2007, with a range of activities and events across Europe. The campaign also features the Good Practice Awards, which recognise organisations that have made outstanding and innovative contributions to tackle MSDs. The Agency will announce the winners at the campaign's closing event in Bilbao in spring 2008.
For more information, see the campaign website at http://ew2007.osha.europa.eu/
Ends
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 Vía 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. ‘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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. Jukka Takala took over as Director of the Agency in September 2006. He has worked in the safety and health field for more than 30 years. Before joining the Agency he worked at the International Labour Organization where he was Director of the International Programme on Safety and Health at Work and the Environment (SafeWork), the ILO's largest programme in social protection. Dr Takala is a mechanical engineer by training and holds a doctorate in technology from Tampere University of Technology.
7. 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.
