Eusebio Rial González Head of the Prevention and Research Unit

1. The OSH situation in the EU An overview “How to make the working environment more human friendly?” 6 October 2011, Ljubljana Eusebio Rial González Head of the Prevention and Research Unit

2. Overview • EU-OSHA and its network • Contextual factors affecting the future of OSH • Exposures and outcomes • Overall trends • A fragmented future • Some needs identified from the data available

3. Aimof the Agency • “In order to improve the working environment, (…) the aim of the Agency shall be to provide (…) technical, scientific and economic information of usein the field of safety and health at work.” • Tripartite Governing Board, with all 27Member States represented + EC

4. European Agency for Safety and Health at Work

5. EU Focal Points Candidate & Potential Candidate Countries EEA/EFTAFocal Points A network agency: Focal Points Eurofound Eurostat ECHA

6. Introduction • Key issues • Important not to lose sight of contextual factors & underlying trends that give rise to different patterns of exposure to risks • Employment issues impact on OSH (e.g., gender segregation: different jobs, different risks) • OSH status impact on employment (e.g., are we healthy enough to work until we are 67? How do we achieve the Lisbon objectives, or sustainable/smart growth?)

7. Employment and contextual factors:workforce •  rates of employment • long-term trend, despite the economic crisis •  rates of female employment • but still unequally distributed across the workforce •  ageing  reduced pool of workers •  need to improve workability of those who may have previously easily gone into early or medical retirement. Health issues > accidents •  migrant workers, likely to continue despite recent dip due to the crisis • Double demographic drive: older EU & extremely young populations in emigrant countries(with weak economies, unable to generate jobs for them)

8. ‘The greying of Europe”EU27: 2010 and 2060 (Demography report 2010, EUROSTAT)

9. Younger immigrant populations alleviate the problem – for now

10. Population change by component, EU-27, 1961-2009(Demography report 2010, EUROSTAT)

11. Median age of the total population, EU-27, 1990-2010(Demography report 2010, EUROSTAT)

12. Population age structure by major age groups, EU-27(Demography report 2010, EUROSTAT)

13. Employment and contextual factors:labour market • Non-standard employment • Part-time jobs, especially among women • Multiple jobs (especially in personal services). Likely growth area:  need for child & elderly care,  State provision  from large public sector providers to private sector SMEs  harder to monitor, inspect, etc. • Self-employed: 4%-21% depending on MS; average 16%; stable % of the whole workforce (2004-09) • Increase in ‘economically dependent workers’ (or pseudo self-employed): lack of information about their potential specific OSH issues • Undeclared work: usually performed by the most (socially & economically) vulnerable groups: women, migrants, unemployed. Often concentrated in some sectors. • Tertiarisation

14. Changes in industrial structure Distribution of employment by activity branches, 2000-2009, EU-27. Agriculture, industry and services (%). Source: Eurostat

15. - Employment decreasing in agriculture- Impact of the economic crisis Annual employment growth, 2000-2009, EU-27. Total, agriculture, industry and services (%). Source: Eurostat

16. Impact of the economic crisis – only personal services on the increase

17. The gender dimension • There is still significant gender segregation across sectors, occupations, and tasks • Need to challenge assumptions about ‘typical’ female jobs and their risks/exposures •  accident statistics may under-estimate the impact for women (public sector health & education; agriculture; undeclared work) • Also differences across the age cohorts • different sectors & with different educational attainment • Over-represented in part-time or temporary jobs • Lower pay, less access to training, limited professional development & preventive services • ‘Combined vulnerability’, at higher risk of social exclusion • Older, female, migrant workers (e.g., cleaners) • Gender should be a transversal aspect • in policy, implementation (e.g., gender-sensitive risk assessment), data collection/analysis…

18. Exposures and outcomes (1) • Accidents still a (decreasing) concern, but the figures are worse for health problems • Top concerns: MSDs & psychosocial • e.g., BAuA 2009 report on OSH: early retirement due to work incapacity increased by 8.1%; notably in mental and behavioural disorders (2006-2009: 32.5%  37.7%), women are particularly concerned (43.9% of all incapacities among women linked to these causes); • Road traffic accidents • Accident and health data need closer analysis • Effects on ‘vulnerable groups’ may be masked in the (improved) headline figures • Effects of reduced workability or incapacity on individuals, companies and the EU/MS economy • Psychosocial issues have a larger effect: usually longer-term absence + more frequent in younger cohorts

19. Exposures and outcomes (2) • Forecast reports on physical, biological, psychosocial and chemical emerging risks • ‘New’ risks, but traditional risks still a concern • Need to strike a balance when tackling old & new risks: different actions needed, depending on degree of knowledge (causes & solutions) • e.g., BAuA 2009 report on OSH, workdays lost: 22.8% linked to MSDs, 14.8% respiratory disorders; 12.2% accidents and injuries; 11.4% mental health • REACH does not replace workplace legislation • Combined factors: e.g., MSDs + psychosocial • Tackle underlying issues & risk factors (both physical & organisational: work organisation)

20. Overall trend: a fragmented future Fragmented working lives, workplaces and workforces Large impact on occupational health and public health

21. Overall trend: a fragmented future Fragmented working lives, workplaces and workforces Longer working life, but no longer a job for life A challenge for effective health surveillance  risk of weaker evidence base of harm to worker health Working beyond 65  effects of work-related diseases become more apparent ‘Atypical careers’: harder to balance private & working life (particularly, still, for women)

22. Overall trend: a fragmented future Fragmented working lives, workplaces and workforces Atomised industrial structure: MSEs Multiple worksites, especially in growth sectors (e.g., personal care) Teleworking “Mobile workers” Global workplace ICT: 24/7 availability, work  home spillover How do we maintain effective prevention?

23. Overall trend: a fragmented future Fragmented working lives, workplaces and workforces Diversity: more women, migrants, older workers, workers with disabilities, workers with chronic illnesses… New risks, and old risks in new guises How do we help enterprises to manage this increased complexity to ensure a sustainable working life and a healthy workplace for all? 3 needs…

24. 1. Need to have a more accurate picture of what’s happening • Unlikely to have more resources for data collection in the near future • Make better use of existing resources • ‘Statistics in focus’: strong statistical rigour + good OSH knowledge to interpret the data • Check behind the headlines • Detailed analyses, e.g, for vulnerable groups • Maintain time series: trends • Complement official/administrative data with surveys, scientific studies and estimates • Better analysis  more targeted and effective prevention

25. 2. Need to have a better idea of what helps or hinders implementation • Process and implementation indicators • Enterprise-level OSH management • Large variation; worse as enterprise size decreases • RA too focused on traditional risks, misses out some key factors (and emerging risks) • Drivers and barriers • Drivers: legal obligation; supply chain • Key factor: employee representation • Need to encourage better management involvement • Main barrier: lack of awareness of risks (esp. MSEs) • OSH resources & needs • What expertise is used/available/needed • Need help with tools and implementation of measures

26. 3. Need to make implementation (prevention) easier  The moral case  The legal case ? The tools: especially using the Internet, digital tools, multimedia information

27. Trends: then and now

28. ? What next? A more ‘human-friendly’ work environment? • Due to the (understandable, historic) emphasis on risks, we often miss: how do we promote a positive work environment? • Management leadership + worker participation • Better trained managers • Enhance salutogenic factors

29. Management commitmentPrevalence of a documented policy, established management system or action plan on health and safety % establishments 33% of managers state that the policy has a large impact and 52% that it has some impact - 24% and 56% in Slovenia -

30. Management commitmentHealth and safety issues raised regularly in high level management meetings % establishments

31. Hvala za vašo pozornost rial@osha.europa.eu http://osha.europa.eu