The work of some 600 older support staff at University Hospital Vienna, the largest hospital in Austria, is physically strenuous. A new work environment designed to accommodate this ageing workforce was needed. With the involvement and participation of workers, the hospital introduced measures such...

This series of short informative case studies looks at a range of policy level initiatives across Europe and beyond aiming to prevent and manage work-related MSDs. The studies focus on achievements, factors contributing to their success and challenges encountered, and transferability to other...

This case study finds that the percentage of workers in Austria with a MSD is higher than the EU average. The AUVAsicher programme focuses particularly on MSD prevention and on SMEs. AUVA provides support to companies also through AUVAfit and BAUfit schemes. The AUVAfit programme has a specific...

This guide presents the risks factors related to the manual handling of loads, the biomechanical principles of safety and economy of effort, and how to use the body.

All the organisation of work associated with the grape harvesting and transportation to the processing equipment was implemented with the objective of reducing, as much as possible, the manual effort associated with the transportation of grapes from the vines to the processing equipment and...

Traditionally the collecting of fruits was performed using mobile ladders (extension ladders and double sided step ladders). The efficiency of the collection process was very low and the risk to accidents and health problems to the workers was very high. Simultaneously to reduce workload on the...

The Austrian Social Insurance Institution of Farmers (Sozialversicherungsanstalt der Bauern, SVB) started in 2003 with the health promotion project ‘BBB – Bewusst bewegt am Bauernhof’ (‘moving consciously at the farm’) and its ‘Bewegungsstraße’ programme. The programme offers a specific training for...