Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) encompass health problems relating to muscles,
tendons, the skeleton, cartilage, ligaments, nerves or the peripheral vascular
system. They are the leading cause of work-related health problems in the
healthcare sector, which accounts for 10 % of the overall workforce in Europe.
A new OSHwiki article on the topic explains the scale of the problem, the risk
factors and provides information on preventive measures.

The healthcare sector consistently ranks among the sectors with the most
work-related MSDs and this is currently being exacerbated by an ageing
workforce. The most common risks include physical, mechanical, organisational,
psychosocial and individual and personal factors with workers being generally
exposed to several factors at the same time.

The article explains the current EU laws relating to the sector and gives a
detailed explanation of different risk assessment methods examining all aspects
of work related to the Task, Individual, Load and Environment (TILE). It also
explains the hierarchy of prevention measures, in particular how priority has
to be given to measures favouring technical and organisational measures above
individual measures and those avoiding the risks of MSDs and/or manual
handling.

More info

AplusA-online.de - Source: European Agency for Safety and Health at Work