Run by the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work, the Lighten the load campaign aims to promote an integrated management approach to tackle musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) embracing prevention of MSDs, and the retention, rehabilitation and reintegration of workers who already suffer from MSDs.

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The European Commission launched a consultation of the European social partners (ETUC, BusinessEurope, UNICE, UEAPME and CEEP) on 12 November 2004, on how to protect workers from the risk of musculoskeletal disorders.

The Commission asked workers and employers representatives to say how they think gaps in the law at national and Community level should be plugged to prevent the spread of these work-related ailments.

European trade unions floated the idea of a Europe-wide awareness-building and action campaign on work-related musculoskeletal disorders as far back as 1996. The campaign, which was organized by the ETUI and ran throughout 1998 and 1999, helped to build an awareness among the European institutions of a disorder which ranks as the biggest work-related health problem in Europe.

The Commission had flagged up a Community initiative on preventing MSD in the health and safety strategy for 2002-2006, with plans to bring EU legislation in line with the growth in musculoskeletal disorders.

The European social partners have replied to the Commission's paper which asked whether they would like to see tougher Community legislation or whether they would prefer voluntary measures, or a combination of binding and non-binding measures, and what the main focus of the preventive measures should be (e.g. ergonomics, work organisation, psychosocial aspects). 

• Consultation paper of the Commission 
• ETUC response (first stage consultation)
• ETUC response (second stage consultation)

Articles from the Newsletter

• Ergonomic standards in biomechanics. An examination of the draft standard on repetitive movements
• Musculoskeletal disorders: where we are, and where we could be
• MSD, stress: expanding discretion
• Stress and work-related Musculoskeletal Disorders of the upper extremities
• Opinion on MSD: An impulse for new initiatives from the European Commission
• TUTB activities: Seminar for evaluating the ETUC's MSD campaign

Books

Musculoskeletal disorders. An ill-understood pandemic
Risk Estimation for Musculoskeletal Disorders in Machinery Design	Musculoskeletal disorders and work organisation in the European clothing Industry	Europe under strain
Integrating gender in ergonomic analysis	Special report: MSD in Europe

• Cleaners and musculoskeletal disorders
  European Agency for Safety and Health at Work, 2008
• Work-related musculoskeletal disorders: prevention report
  European Agency for Safety and Health at Work, 2008
• Musculoskeletal disorders and organisational change. Conference report
  European Foundation for the Improvement of living and Working Conditions, February 2008
• Effect of training and lifting equipment for preventing back pain in lifting and handling: systematic review
  Kari-Pekka Martimo et al. (2008) BMJ
• Ergonomic evaluation of workers at a cabinet mill and assembly plant
  NIOSH, 2007
• Sifs och HTFs arbetsmiljöbarometer 2007
  [The Working Environment Barometer 2007] (in Swedish)
• Managing musculoskeletal disorders: Comparative study
  European Foundation for the Improvement of living and Working Conditions, October 2007
• Work-related musculoskeletal disorders: Back to work
  European Agency for Safety and Health at Work, 2007
• Ligthen the Load
  Magazine of the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work, n° 10, 2007
• Ergonomics and effective production systems – moving from reactive to proactive development
  Experience and results from a collaboration between the Swedish National Institute for Working Life and Volvo Powertrain
• Ergonomic guidelines for manual material handling
  California Department of Industrial Relations, 2007
• Musculoskeletal ergonomics statistics
  The Swedish Work Environment Authority, 2006
• A critical review of evidence for a causal relationship between computer work and musculoskeletal disorders with physical findings of the neck and upper extremity
  National Institute of Occupational Health (Norway), 2006
• Ergonomics and effective production systems - moving from reactive to proactive development
  J. Winkel and P. Neuman, National Institute for Working Life (Sweden), 2005
• MSD in Europe : definitions and statistics
  Eurogip, March 2006 (in French)
• Work-related? Neck - shoulder - arm disorders
  Saltsa, 2006
• Musculoskeletalergonomics in the construction industry
  The Swedish Work Environment Authority, 2006
• Musculoskeletal injuries? No, thanks !
  The Swedish Work Environment Authority, 2005
• European Agreement of the agricultural social partners concerning musculoskeletal disorders
  EFFAT and GEOPA, 21/11/2005
• Les troubles musculosquelettiques du membre supérieur (TMS-MS) : guide pour les préventeurs
  INRS, 2005 (in French)
• The prevention of musculoskeletal disorders within the telecommunications sector. A systematic review of the scientific literature
  University of Birmingham, 2005
• Repetitive strain injury : what you ABSOLUTELY need to know
  Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2003
• City employee ergonomic training
  City of Spokane (USA)
• Musculo-skeletal disorders in telecommunications: good practice guidelines
  Marc Moris and Dr Bernard Siano
• Reducing the human cost in construction through design
  Peregrin Spielholz (SHARP Program. Washington State Dept. of Labor and Industries)
• European guidelines for the management of acute nonspecific low back pain in primary care
  European Commission, Research DG
• Applications manual for the revised NIOSH Lifting Equation
  NIOSH, 1994
  

• Musculoskeletal conditions web pages
  European Commission. DG Health and Consumer Protection
• European campaign on musculoskeletal disorders
  European Agency for Safety and Health at Work
• HSE and MSD
  Health and safety Executive, UK
• Ergonomics - Evaluation tools
  Washington State Department of Labor and Industries, USA

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