Workplace safety and health: What’s changing in 2024?

The European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA) has unveiled the findings of its 2024 European Survey of Enterprises on New and Emerging Risks (ESENER), highlighting significant workplace safety and health concerns across Europe. The survey, encompassing over 41,000 workplaces, identifies prolonged sitting, psychosocial risks, and digitalisation as prominent challenges in the modern work environment.

Key Findings:

• Prolonged Sitting: Leading the list of risk factors, 64% of workplaces reported prolonged sitting as a primary concern. This sedentary behavior is closely linked to musculoskeletal disorders, emphasizing the need for ergonomic interventions and regular movement breaks.
• Repetitive Movements: Closely following, 63% of establishments identified repetitive hand or arm movements as significant risk factors, underscoring the importance of task variation and ergonomic assessments.
• Psychosocial Risks: Dealing with difficult customers or patients was reported by 58% of workplaces, highlighting the prevalence of psychosocial challenges. Additionally, 52% cited time pressure as a notable concern, indicating the need for effective stress management strategies.
• Digitalisation: The survey also sheds light on the growing impact of digitalisation in the workplace. There has been a notable increase in establishments reporting employees working from home, rising from 13% in 2019 to 23% in 2024. This shift necessitates a reevaluation of occupational safety and health practices to accommodate remote working environments.

Our local team, in collaboration with Ipsos European Public Affairs, are proud to have conducted the fieldwork for this pivotal survey in Bulgaria. Our efforts contribute to a comprehensive understanding of the evolving workplace risks, enabling organizations to implement informed strategies for safer and healthier work environments.

For a detailed exploration of the survey findings, please visit the official EU-OSHA press release https://osha.europa.eu/en/about-eu-osha/press-room/prolonged-sitting-psychosocial-risks-and-digitalisation-top-workplace-safety-and-health-concerns-new-eu-survey-reveals