European Trade Union Committee for Education

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Pursuing on its involvement for healthier workplaces and OSH awareness, ETUCE has renewed its status of Official Campaign Partner for EU-OSHA’s Lighten the Load campaign. This campaign will consist of a series of events and actions to raise awareness on work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). It follows and builds on a 4-year research initiative on MSDs, set to conclude late 2020.

Across Europe and professions, around three out of five workers suffer from MSDs, making them the most common work-related health problem. As common causes include awkward and static postures, lack of breaks or prolonged sitting or standing, education personnel are particularly exposed. In their 2019 study, EU-OSHA found that, in the previous year, 36% of education workers reported back pain, 35% reported MSDs in upper limbs and 22% reported MSDs in lower limbs.

Yet, despite these astonishing figures and the dire consequences of MSDs, there is a general lack of awareness and effective action taken. The pain caused from MSDs has a significant impact on individuals’ quality of life and reduces their ability to work, making MSDs one of the most common causes of sick and disability leaves. The nature of MSDs and their high prevalence further causes numerous workers to work while unwell, endangering their health.

ETUCE is committed to addressing this issue, as we continuously struggle for healthy working and learning environments. Discover Healthy Workplaces’ toolkit on how to get involved and run your own campaign on the issue.