Prevention

MSDs are preventable. Workplace risk assessment — to identify risks and ways of managing them — is essential for successful prevention, as set out in EU and national legislation. It is unlikely to be possible to eliminate every risk, but simple measures can be taken to reduce and manage MSD risk factors.

Everyone in the workplace should be involved in identifying risks and coming up with ways of preventing them. Our tools and resources provide guidance on encouraging such participation, practical support for risk assessment and tips for MSD prevention.

Recommended resources for you

Infographic - Work-related musculoskeletal disorders

Infographic - Work-related musculoskeletal disordersSee more

Power point presentation - Introduction to Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs) prevention

Introduction to Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs) preventionSee more

Power point presentation - Risk Assessment for Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs)

Power point presentation on Risk Assessment for Musculoskeletal Disorders - MSDsSee more

Teleworking is here to stay – let’s make sure workers stay safe and healthy

Even as people start returning to the office, for many workers teleworking will continue in some capacity – for some even at fulltime. It is therefore vital that they are given the proper support from their employers to ensure that they are not...See more

Practical tools and guidance

Practical guidelines: ergonomic risk analysis
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MSDs in the agriculture sector: from identifying the risks to adopting preventive measures
Farming involves a lot of repetitive work. Manual handling and lifting in particular can cause strain and awkward positions. Outdoor work and specificities of terrain make the design of agricultural machinery challenging. This discussion paper looks at the use of mechanisation to reduce the risk of...See more
Preventing MSDs in healthcare settings with ergonomics
This website provides information (and a short film) about several interventions in the healthcare industry. Healthcare workers make diagnoses and prognoses all day long, but it isn’t always easy for them to recognize signs and symptoms of injury in themselves. Although hospitals and other...See more
Prevention of musculoskeletal (MSD) problems for hairdressers
This brochure is aimed at hairdressers. It makes considerable use of photos showing real work situations and drawings of postures to illustrate hazard s and good practices. It also includes pictures of simple exercises to help relieve the effects of static work postures. The brochure answers three...See more
Participatory ergonomics and preventing musculoskeletal disorders in the workplace
This discussion paper provides an introduction to participatory approaches to ergonomics and looks at their effectiveness in preventing work-related musculoskeletal disorders. Participatory ergonomics interventions involve the people who actually do the work in designing solutions to reduce...See more

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Publications

Musculoskeletal disorders: association with psychosocial risk factors at work

Historically, efforts to reduce the risk of...See more
Work-related musculoskeletal disorders: why are they still so prevalent? Evidence from a literature review

This literature review investigates the reasons for the continuing prevalence of musculoskeletal disorder (MSDs) in workers across the EU. Despite legislation and prevention measures, the levels of work-related MSDs remain high....See more
Prevention policy and practice. Approaches to tackling work-related musculoskeletal disorders

As part of the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work’s project ‘Review of research, policy and practice on prevention of work-related musculoskeletal disorders’, the project team carried out an extensive analysis of policies on preventing musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) carried out in...See more
The musculoskeletal health of hairdressers

This article is one in a series of discussion papers looking at sectors that have a high prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). It summarises the findings of a review undertaken as part of the ergoHair project, which aims to promote a healthy and safe working environment in the...See more

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Case studies

Finland: Large-scale prevention training for social and healthcare workers through an adaptable ergonomics model

In 2020, musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) were responsible for about a third of absences at Siun sote – Joint municipal authority for North Karelia social and health services. The Finnish organisation produced a comprehensive ergonomics expertise action plan for care and support work. This...See more
Austria: Preventing musculoskeletal disorders in a large hospital through staff involvement and an age-sensitive approach

The work of some 600 older support staff at University Hospital Vienna, the largest hospital in Austria, is physically strenuous. A new work environment designed to accommodate this ageing workforce was needed. With the involvement and participation of workers, the hospital introduced measures...See more
Belgium: Integrating ergonomics into corporate culture in a hospital group

The GZA Ziekenhuizen group of hospitals from Belgium wanted to cultivate a sustainable ergonomics culture throughout the entire organisation. To achieve this, they consulted with experts but also asked employees at all levels to actively participate. As a result, an ergonomics policy was...See more
Lithuania: Preventing musculoskeletal injuries in a professional fishing equipment company

Traditional nets are produced manually by operators at UAB Vonin Lithuania, a professional fishing equipment manufacturer, leading to musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). As the tasks could not be mechanised, the work was analysed to identify safe working techniques to reduce the loads on their...See more
Italy: New operating methods and adapted machinery for preventing musculoskeletal disorders in laundries

Servizi Italia Spa, a provider of laundry and sterilisation services to the healthcare sector, introduced novel operating methods and changes in its work sites to prevent...See more

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Priority areas

Infographic - Work-related musculoskeletal disorders

Power point presentation - Introduction to Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs) prevention

Power point presentation - Risk Assessment for Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs)

Teleworking is here to stay – let’s make sure workers stay safe and healthy