The Risk Observatory of EU OSHA has published the report of a study led by the IOM team.

The Institute of Occupational Medicine (IOM) was commissioned by The European Agency for Health and Safety at Work (EU OSHA) to carry out a research project regarding the national policies, and strategies on the prevention of work-related musculoskeletal disorders.

This report summarises the three components that constituted the research project ‘Review of research, policy and practice on prevention of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs)’. The first component was an exploratory review that examined the reasons for the continuing high prevalence of MSDs in the European Union (EU) and identified gaps in prevention practice.

The second was an extensive policy analysis, across EU countries and beyond, to gain a better understanding of the conditions under which strategies, policies and actions to address MSDs are most effective.

The third component was field research carried out in six EU Member States to explore, through focus groups, what was happening at workplace level and, through interviews, the roles of various strategies and policies in MSD prevention.