What is the proportion of persons in employment who are exposed to physical strain at work? Physical health risk factors are for example hazards for the respiratory system, eyes, ears and the musculoskeletal system. The data are based on the respondents’ self-assessment but not on medical diagnoses.
Health risks at work are not only a matter of accidents. The job itself may also be perceived as physical or mental strain and lead to various health hazards.
32% are exposed to physical strain at work
In 2020 one third of the employed persons was at risk by physical strain at work. Men were slightly more often affected than women. 36 in 100 men indicated to be at risk of their physical health due to physical strain, while 28 in 100 women were affected.
| Type of physical strain | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Source: Labour Force Survey (ad hoc module 2020). / = No response, because numerical value is not reliable enough | |||
| No physical strains | 64 | 72 | 68 |
| Strains mainly by | - | - | - |
| Tiring or painful postures | 8 | 8 | 9 |
| Repetitive hand or arm motions | 3 | 4 | 4 |
| Handling heavy loads | 8 | 5 | 6 |
| Noise | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| Strong vibrations | / | / | / |
| Chemicals, dust, fumes, smoke or gases | 4 | 2 | 3 |
| Activities that require strong visual concentration | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Slips, trips and falls | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Use of machines or hand tools (except vehicles) | 3 | / | 2 |
| Use of vehicles (during work, except commuting to and from work) | 1 | / | 1 |
| Other significant risk factors for physical health | 2 | 2 | 2 |
Exposure to “tiring or painful positions” has the greatest impact on health. 9% of the employed are exposed to this burden. At 6%, “handling heavy loads” is also a health hazard for a large proportion of workers.
Employed persons in agriculture, fishery were affected most often to physical strain at work (60%). Also for craft and related trade workers (53%) and plant machine operators (46%) the exposure to hazards occurred above average. In contrast, professionals were not so often affected. But also in this sector at least 20% were exposed to physical risk factors.
Information on the Indicator
Description or definition
Percentage of employed persons (aged 15 to 74 years) who have provided information about the risk to their physical health by physical strains at work in all persons in employment (aged 15 to 74 years).
Questions were asked about the exposure with the greatest impact on physical health.
Source
Labour Force Survey, Ad hoc module 2020
Information for interpretation
The data are based on the respondents’ self-assessment.
The microcensus with the integrated European labour force survey has been redesigned in 2020. The list of questions and the concept of the sample survey were modified, and with the introduction of an online questionnaire, the form of data collection were also changed. The results from survey year 2020 onward are therefore comparable with those of previous years only to a limited extent. These changes and restrictions also affect the ad hoc module.
For more information please refer to Methods: Quality Reports and Explanations (only in German).
Further information
Redesigned microcensus as of 2020
EU Labour Force Survey 2020, Assessment Report