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One in four employed persons in Sweden has suffered from a work-related disorder in 2005, according to the latest Swedish Work-related disorders survey. This survey data report focuses on disorders resulting from occupational accidents, stress and ergonomic factors. It identifies the most common ailments affecting men and women, outlines the occupations most at risk, examines sickness absence rates, and considers the problem of under-reporting.
In 2005, 25 % of all employed persons in Sweden were concerned by work-related disorders. More woman than men state they have work-related disorders, generally due to factors other than accidents. Of all people employed in 2004, 28 % of women and 22 % of men stated that they had experienced work-related disorders during the last 12 months. The percentages of work-related disorders caused by occupational accidents and commuting accidents are quite low in comparison to other causes such as strenuous working postures, heavy manual handling, repetitive work, mental stress, harassment, violence.
According to the report's preliminary figures on reported occupational accidents and work-related diseases from 2004, 30,484 occupational accidents (employed and self-employed) were reported in that year. This represents a steady decline from the 39,334 occupational accidents reported in 2000. The frequency rate for occupational accidents is 7.4 per 1,000 persons employed in 2004. The number of fatal accidents has also steadily decreased, from 89 in 1995 to 56 in 2005. For 2004, the frequency rate was 1.2 fatal accidents per 100,000 employees. Looking at the number of fatal accidents by economic activity over the past 10 years, four sectors stand out :
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agriculture, hunting, forestry and fishing
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manufacturing
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construction
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transport, storage and communication
Stress and mental strain are the most common cause of work-related disorders among women and the third most common for men. Among men, the most frequent cause of work-related disorders is strenuous working postures, which is the second most frequent for women. Heavy manual labour is the third most prevalent cause among women and the second most prevalent among men. When combining all musculoskeletal disorders (MSD), these types of disorders are more common than disorders caused by stress or other psychosocial factors. Work-related disorders caused by stress doubled for employed women since 1996. For men, there has also been an increase since 1996, though not as large as for women.
Over the last 10 years, MSD have more or less remained at a constant level. The only statistically significant increase is in disorders of the back (except the neck), which is also the most common disorder, together with ailments of the shoulders and arms.
From an overall occupational perspective, the share of work-related disorders (due to circumstances other than accidents) is highest among female machine operators, 34% of whom have had work-related disorders during the last 12 months. They are followed closely by women working in the service and care sector, such as medical care nurses, nursing assistants, restaurant staff, etc. Among men, workers in crafts and related trades have the highest percentage of work-related disorders, at 25%. Within this group, carpenters and joiners report the highest percentage, at 31%.
The percentage of employed men and women taking sick leave due to work-related disorders increased between 1996 and 2005. Some 11 % of all employed women and 7 % of all employed men went on sick leave in 2005 due to work-related disorders.
Few of the employees with work-related disorders state that any measures have been taken to improve working conditions. Among the employed persons reporting disorders, 7% of men and 9% of women report that their work duties have been changed because of their problems. The working hours for 3% of men and 5% of women have been reduced. About 2% of both men and women state that they have been transferred within the organisation and around 3% have left the company.
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