This discussion paper looks at the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) in the construction sector in the EU and in Italy in particular and at the tasks that put workers at risk, such as manual lifting and awkward postures.

Regardless of what rheumatic diagnosis you have, you can train to feel better, according to physiotherapist Emma Haglund. After 25 years in rheumatology, she has two messages; start treatment early and avoid prolonged sedentary life.This website provides usefull and encouraging information for...

This poster indicates the good and bad postures when working at a desk.

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 reports on an initiative in Sweden to raise awareness of and improve women’s occupational health in general and to reduce their risks of developing MSDs in particular. Under the initiative, labour inspectors were given training in mainstreaming gender into their everyday practice...

This article presents the data sheets developed by INAIL-CONTARP to assess the risk of many non-standardisable repetitive tasks in the sector. The method used was the OCRA checklist. This method has proved to be reliable and allows users to draw up a map of the risk for repetitive work.

This synthesis report is part of a much larger project intended to support policy-makers at EU and national levels by providing an accurate picture of the prevalence and costs of MSDs across Europe, pulling together existing data from a number of relevant and reliable official statistical sources...