Musculoskeletal disorders: Recognition difficult

Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are among the leading causes of chronic pain and disability in Europe. They also result in significant health and social care costs. As a significant cause of absenteeism and disability, they are also associated with substantial costs to the economy due to lost productivity. They can have a serious impact on the quality of life of sufferers, their family members, friends and carers, and touch all aspects of their lives.

Causes of the disorders can be, for example, repetitive hand and arm movements, forced postures, heavy loads and vibrations. A large number of workers are exposed to these on a daily basis. However, it is often not easy to have the illnesses recognized as work-related. A lot of money is at stake - after all, work-related illnesses are better compensated.

A study by the French organization Eurogip has compared the criteria for how musculoskeletal disorders can be recognized as work-related for ten European countries.

Switzerland: reports rare, criteria strict

Switzerland, together with Germany, Austria, Finland and Sweden, has the strictest criteria: For each individual case, all possible risk factors are looked at, whether at work or in private.

It is somewhat easier in Belgium and Denmark: If the case investigation there shows that the symptoms of the disease that occur and the risk factors to which the affected person is exposed at work correspond precisely, the case is usually approved.

Finally, in France, Italy and Spain, a list is kept of work-related diseases and movements and positions that cause them. These are the lightest criteria of all the countries studied.

This is also reflected in the figures: While France, the leader, reports 463 cases per 100,000 insured persons per year and 322 of these are recognized, in Switzerland there are just 13 reported cases - and only 6 of these are recognized.