E-fact 45 - Checklist for preventing bad working postures
A good posture is one that is comfortable and in which the joints are naturally aligned — the neutral body posture. Working with the body in a neutral position reduces stress and strain on the muscles, tendons, and skeletal system, and therefore reduces the risk of workers developing MSDs. This checklist includes questions on working postures of the back and neck, arms and hands, legs during sitting and standing tasks. It also gives examples of the type of action at a technical, organisational and individual level that can be put in place to prevent or reduce the risks caused by awkward postures.
:
European Agency for Safety and Health at Work
:
04.11.2008
The report shows that emergency workers have a high risk of suffering fatal accidents, injuries and other occupational diseases. Past disasters demonstrate that both communities and companies are often not fully prepared for major accidents and catastrophes. Better protection for emergency workers against occupational hazards should be given high priority, as current environmental, economic, and political developments suggest an increase in the severity and frequency of future disasters.
In 2009 and 2010, the Agency commissioned an update to its previous research on gender issues at work , which found that inequality both inside and outside the workplace can have an effect on the health and safety of women at work. This summary provides a policy perspective and is meant to contribute to the task outlined by the European strategy on health and safety at work for EU-OSHA’s European Risk Observatory, “examining the specific challenges in terms of health and safety posed by the more extensive integration of women in the labour market”. It provides a statistical overview of the trends in employment and working conditions, hazard exposure and work-related accidents and health problems for women at work. It explores selected issues (combined exposures, occupational cancer, access to rehabilitation, women and informal work, and “emerging” female professions such as home care and domestic work). The research highlights the type of work carried out by women, issues faced by younger and older women, the growth of the service sector, violence and harassment, and increasingly diversified working time patterns as major risk factors.
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- Upcoming Events
- Congress of German speaking Ergonomic Societies DE Kassel, 22.02.2012
- 13th Annual RSI DAYPlus 2012 CA Ontario, 29.02.2012
- New Challenges in the Prevention of Occupational Risk PT Porto, 01.03.2012
- PRAISE France seminar FR Paris, 07.03.2012
- European Conference on Occupational Diseases FR Paris, 15.03.2012
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