Factsheet 42 - Gender issues in safety and health at work

The occupational safety and health of cleaning workers

This report provides an overview of the most important issues related to occupational safety and health (OSH) for cleaning workers in terms of working conditions, risks and prevalence of exposures and health outcomes, and identifies information gaps and challenges. Cleaning includes a broad range of activities performed in different work environments across all sectors. The risks to which cleaners are exposed therefore depend on the tasks they perform and the premises they work in. As most of the cleaning work is performed as contract cleaning, employers sometimes face difficulties in controlling the OSH conditions in the "host companies" where their staff work. Accessing information on occupational accidents and diseases remains challenging as cleaning workers are spread over different sectors and it is therefore difficult to put monitoring systems in place. In addition, a significant part of the cleaning workforce is undeclared, especially in private households, which also complicates data collection. Studies on work-related diseases indicate that MSDs, respiratory diseases, including asthma, skin diseases and mental ill health are the most common work-related health effects found in cleaners, and suggest a higher prevalence of health problems in cleaning workers than in other sectors.

Report - Expert forecast on emerging chemical risks related to occupational safety and health

It is estimated that about 74,000 work-related deaths may be linked to hazardous substances at work each year in the EU – about 10 times more than workplace accidents. About 15% of European workers report handling chemical products for a quarter of their working time and 19% report breathing in dust, fumes and smoke in their workplaces. The 49 experts from 21 European countries who participated in this forecast highlighted particles and dusts as major emerging concerns and put nanoparticles at the top of the list of emerging risks. Other main groups of emerging risks identified were carcinogenic, mutagenic and reprotoxic substances, and the increasing use of allergenic and sensitising substances. Specific occupations of emerging concerns were also highlighted and include the increasing waste management industry, construction, and service activities such as cleaning or home nursing. In addition, there is a growing number of workers in SMEs and sub-contracted jobs, where the management of chemical risks is generally poorer. Last but not least, concern about multiple exposures is increasing as it was also shown in the three other forecasts on emerging biological, physical and psychosocial emerging risks.

Report - Skin diseases and dermal exposure: policy and practice overview

Skin diseases are the second most common work-related health problem in Europe. They represent more than 7% of all occupational illnesses and are one of the most important emerging risks related to the exposure to chemical, physical and biological risk factors. The fact that there is no scientific method to measure the level of the body’s exposures to risks via dermal contact and their physiological consequences, increases the importance of recognising risk factors and developing methods of assessing the level of exposure and controlling it. This report presents an overview of dermal exposures and occupational skin diseases. It also presents the principal policies relating to the recognition and recording of skin diseases, as well as the recognition, assessment and control of dermal exposure to chemical, biological and physical risk factors in the Member States of the European Union.