una breve sintesi della ricerca EUROPEAN RISK OBSERVATORY REPORT dell'E u r o p e a n A g e n c y f o r S a f e t y a n d H e a l t h a t Wo r k
Significant changes which are taking place in the world of work lead to emerging psychosocial risks. Such risks, which are linked to the way work is designed, organised and managed, as well as to the economic and social context of work, result in an increased level of stress and can lead to serious deterioration of mental and physical health. In 2005, more than 20% of workers from the EU believed that their health is at risk because of work-related stress. The report presents the results of the expert forecast on emerging psychosocial risks, supplemented by an analysis of the scientific research on key topics identified by the experts.
riportiamo un brano della ricerca:............
T h e t o p 1 0 e m e r g i n g p s y c h o s o c i a l r i s k s i d e n t i f i e d
i n t h e s u r v e y
The top 10 emerging psychosocial risks revealed by the experts’ forecast are related to
the following five main topics: (i) new forms of employment contracts and job
insecurity, (ii) the ageing workforce, (iii) work intensification, (iv) high emotional
demands at work, and (v) poor work–life balance.
N e w f o r m s o f e m p l o y m e n t c o n t r a c t s a n d j o b i n s e c u r i t y
Concerning the first main topic, new forms of employment contracts and job
insecurity, the experts stressed that the new forms of employment and contracting
practices, including precarious contracts (e.g. temporary or on-call contracts) and the
trend in companies towards lean production and outsourcing, are important factors
affecting the occupational health and safety of many workers.Workers in these types
of contract are more vulnerable than, for instance, permanent workers. They usually
carry out the most hazardous jobs, work in poorer conditions, and often receive less
(OSH) training, which increases the risk of occupational accidents. Also, the experts
highlighted the risk of marginalisation as a consequence of successive short-term
contracts and the resulting discontinuity in work careers.Workers’ isolation caused by
newforms ofworking patterns such as telework or temporarywork is also put forward.
These implications, in the context of unstable labourmarkets, increaseworkers’feeling
of job insecurity, which augments the level of work-related stress and may have a
negative impact on workers’health.
Scientific literature supports the results of the experts’ forecast. An increasing number
of jobs are described as precarious, atypical or contingent work. In scientific literature
it is often associated with non-standard forms of work, such as temporary, part-time,
on-call, day-hire or short-term positions, and also with the increase in the prevalence
of self-employment. Additionally, work at home and multiple jobs contribute to the
increasing significance of ‘non-standard’forms of work. There is also growing evidence
that there are specific risks for health and safety in the workplace connected with the
conditions that characterise these forms of work. The increasing number of
temporarily employed workers is associated with a fragmentation of legal
responsibilities, and these workers are under-represented in health and safety
committees. Some sources indicate that personal protective equipment is made
available less often to temporary workers than to permanent workers. A synopsis of
the literature review of the influence of irregular forms of employment on workers’
OSH revealed that non-permanent workers face higher job insecurity, poorer job
conditions, higher job demands and more occupational accidents. Moreover, stressrelated
tension and exhaustion appear to be more severe for precariously employed
workers than forworkers in permanent jobs, although there are also studieswhere this
conclusion has not been proven.
Job insecurity is defined as an overall concern about the continued existence of the
job in the future, and also as a perceived threat to various job features such as position
within an organisation or career opportunities. This phenomenon is especially
observed in the context of organisational changes that include reorganisation,
outsourcing, mergers and acquisitions, and often redundancies as a way of tackling
increased competitiveness. The main theoretical bases to explain the negative health
An increasing number of jobs are described as precarious.
Expert forecast on emerging psychosocial risks related to occupational safety and health
effects of job insecurity are, for most researchers, stress theories. Studies usually
indicate the relationship between job insecurity and poorer mental health, measured
usually with the general health questionnaire (GHQ). Burnout, job-induced tension,
and depression were also observed. The aggravation of physical health as a cause of
job insecurity was also revealed, although this relationship has been analysed less
frequently.
T h e a g e i n g w o r k f o r c e
A further emerging risk that the experts strongly agreed on is the OSH risks for the
ageing workforce, which they see as a consequence of both the ageing population
and the higher retirement age. The experts emphasised the fact that ageing workers
are more vulnerable to poorworking conditions than youngworkers. Additionally, the
failure in providing ageing workers with lifelong learning opportunities increased the
mental and emotional demands upon them, which may affect their health and
increase the probability of work-related accidents.
Scientific literature also stresses the actual and further rise in the proportion of older
employees and discusses the resulting consequences for the occupational safety and
health of older employees. Ageing can be understood as a dynamic and differentiated
process of change in which functions decline (e.g. muscle strength, sight, short-term
memory or speed of perception) at the same time as other skills develop (e.g.
competence to judge, steadiness or sense of responsibility). The specifics of the
physical and psychosocial work environment additionally influences the work
performance and ability of older workers. Thus, it is stressed that general conclusions
about the performance of ageing workers cannot be drawn, owing to differences in
their working environment and conditions, and the individual differences concerning
decreasing and increasing abilities linked to age. Similarly, the accident statistics are
inconsistent. In some studies the number of accidents increases with age, whereas in
other studies it decreases. Societies, organisations and employees still face difficulties,
in terms of OSH, in managing the consequences of the trend towards an older
workforce in a satisfactoryway . It is emphasised that, in order to allowhealthy and safe
work during a prolonged working life, general working conditions need to be
improved.
W o r k i n t e n s i f i c a t i o n
Experts involved in the forecast see the next identified risk, work intensification (high
workload and work pressure), as a consequence of the reduction of workplaces linked
to the aspects mentioned in relation to new forms of employment contracts and job
insecurity, and also of the growing amount of information to handle at work as a resultof the introduction of new information and communication technologies (ICT) intothe workplace. A higher workload.........................................
orso castano: la ricerca dell'Agenzia Europea , recente, andrebbe letta con attenzione integralmente. Cambiano (parzialmente) le forme del lavoro (+ informatizzazione , ritmi + veloci, + impegno mentale, ecc) ed aumenta la precarizzazione dei contratti di lavoro , in assenza , almeno in Italia di ammortizzatori seri ed uguali per tutti. La vecchia cassa integrazione non basta piu' e chi oggi governa si guarda bene dal creare altri ammortizzatori perche' crede in un liberismo gasato, al massimo. La precarieta' esistenziale cresce a dismisura, ma non il consenso verso questa filosofia di governo. Chissa', molte persone pensano di riuscire con la classica "raccomandazione" , con la furbizia, con lo sgomitare, e con altre umilianti azioni , di scavalcare il prossimo (o di cavalcare questa crisi sociale) e di strappare un posto di lavoro sempre piu' povero ed umiliante.....
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